From playing music during the pandemic in his high school years to rising stardom after signing with Columbia Records, Malcolm Todd’s musical career has only just begun. He debuts with his self-titled album, Malcolm Todd, which is engulfed by authenticity, as he desires a connection with his relationships. Todd sheds himself of fame and personally reflects, revealing vulnerable moments of inadequacy, self-awareness, and a spin of chaos as he pours his heart out in every song.
This album speaks volumes about the doubt surrounding growing into an idol and how it leads to heartbreak. I believe the album is self-titled, because he illustrates only his perspective in the orchestrated moments of his songs. I am a Malcolm Todd lover, so I shall serve as liaison to translate each song into resonant words for fellow fans and casual listeners. I recommend listening to the mentioned song in each paragraph as you read for the full experience!
The song “Harry Styles” presents Malcolm Todd and his album with an atmospheric guitar riff in the background to signify the rise of his career. He opens singing, “Dance, monkey, dance,” which refers to the song “Dance Monkey” by Tones and I. This relates to the pressures Malcolm feels to perform for others, which leaves him feeling unfulfilled as an artist. Making an absolutely beautiful opening to his album, it left me questioning my own aversion to performativity, while also reminding me of my heart and values; I can do what I feel is important without chasing success. Malcolm expresses these emotions by comparing himself to a three-time Grammy Award Winner with over 100+ million followers, Harry Styles. He fears his performances will get him shelved, referred to as getting let go, as he faces conflict with the music he wants to release without backlash.
“Make Me a Better Man” introduces a romantic relationship that becomes condescending as Todd’s lover develops wandering eyes for others. Malcolm consistently brings up “make me a better man” throughout the song, wanting her eyes to shift back to him as he ponders why she no longer cares for the relationship. The song strikes with an intense, bluesy guitar and drum combination, closing with a stony piano that conveys Malcolm growing cold-hearted.
Transitioning back to his experience with stardom, “Who’s the Fool” refers to Malcolm’s choice to pursue music over school through a third-person narrator. He proposes the question, “Who’s the fool?” in each chorus as he proves those who doubted him that he could become an artist, even if he thought he was a fool himself for chasing a far dream. I love how simply yet productively he sends his message, as shown through the subtlety of picking up the guitar.
Following up with fan and crowd favorite, “Chest Pain (I Love),” there’s the mourning of losing his relationship, yet he persists in loving them even though they’re absent. With beautiful instrumentals of violins and a mix of an eerie guitar that leaves a sour touch, the entire song is a journey of longing for intimacy and connection that easily resonates with listeners through simple imagery of staying home and being by his side. I’m in love with the chorus, and the catchiness has scratched places in my brain that most songs can’t reach. I guess you can say “I love, I love, I loveeeee” this song.
“Doll” winds back to the relationship that describes him being toyed with like a doll. With this knowledge, Malcolm proceeds to stay due to his deep affection for his lover as he mentions, “use me till’ I’m broken.” This song sounds whimsical on a surface-level listen, but once you dive deeper into the lyrics, you begin to realize the toxicity of the relationship. “Doll,” to me, is heartbreaking, yet masterfully made as Malcolm camouflages the toxicity with delusional, catchy, and uplifting music that funnels you into what sounds like a nice relationship. Need a hug, man?
Moreover, “Bleed,” featuring Omar Apollo, continues the bleeding of toxicity as Malcolm mentions, “got a script you can erase, got a mask glued to your face,” symbolizing how he’s stuck living in a one-sided relationship. The song echoes how Malcolm’s heart bleeds because he had that intimacy with his lover, and protecting the inner self was no longer an option. Although the manipulation and chaos ensued, he couldn’t control how his heart bled for her. I fell in love with how Malcolm’s voice was manipulated with Omar Apollo as if he’s fighting with himself on whether this relationship is truly for him.
“Good Job Malcolm” divides the album with stellar symphonies in preparation for the transition to “Lying”. “Lying” begins a 180 for Malcolm as he creates a persona as a means of coping with heartbreak. At the end of the song is a perfect guitar transition into the next, which exemplifies how he moves on from the current relationship. Yes, Malcolm, PLEASE move on.
“Walk to Class” completes Malcolm’s 180 as he bounces back with a clean slate in starting a new relationship. However, there’s a scar that’s left from his previous experience, as Malcolm sings, “I’ve been so afraid since I lost my last girlfriend,” asking someone new to be his girlfriend. Through the rest of the song, he’s spinning in chaos as he contemplates whether she’ll either stay with him or walk on without him. Although the song is full of anxiety, I have come to love it because he’s becoming the lover he’d always wanted to be. There are references to long-distance in this relationship, as he mentions Zoom calls, flying to her, and not being physically present for her due to going on tour.
This next song, I want to “Bleed” into me (Malcolm Todd reference), because I fawn over his declaration of love, even though there’s the obstacle of long-distance. “Florence” asserts how he doesn’t want to give up on a built relationship, although he knows it’s falling apart. The pre-chorus and bridge set up how he never got to fully know her due to the distance, emotionally and physically. However, in the chorus, Malcolm comes to terms with the fact that she’ll leave because he’s not physically present, and she doesn’t want to try further with him. Over half the lyrics start with “wanted,” which suggests he sees a future with her without it ever happening. He never gets to know her and lets her go to bloom, knowing the emotional disconnection and distance prevented an intimate relationship, hence why the song is called “Florence.”
Can you believe it? She tries getting back with him, but Malcolm has character development?! In this evoking, reluctance-filled song, “Concrete” specifies Malcolm guarding himself like concrete and being hard-headed and stubborn. The song is full of bass and punk elements that shift the album to reflect his mental state. There’s a realization that he’s been degrading himself in his relationships, knowing that’s not what he deserves. Understanding her mistakes, Malcolm’s ex-girlfriend attempts to reconcile with him, as he also reconsiders running back because “he doesn’t want to hate her,” so he’ll try once again. Stand up for yourself, king.
“I Do” completely scraps the grungy beats and symphonies, as there’s a snippet of singing and an isolated acoustic guitar in the background. It’s assumed that Malcolm and his significant other are reconciling as they talk about marriage having incredible pressures, yet they’ll “vow to see it through,” implying that commitment is on the table this time. I guess happy endings happen after all?
An all-time favorite enters as the impactful song, “Cheer Me On,” rewinds to Malcolm’s rise to stardom as he opens with the line, “The mirror’s not the same.” He suggests that he has forgotten why he pursued music as a career, as he faces the implications of being forgotten if he loses fame. The pre-chorus declares that he needs people to know his name and face if he’s ever to be considered a celebrity, stating, “I’m not doing this for me.” “Cheer Me On” is a constant reminder of his past self, rooting for and reminding Malcolm of his authenticity and love for music. The outro breaks my heart as he writes, “now I don’t sound the same, don’t let them take me away from you.” As he plays vulnerable and heartfelt songs that were written for one person, but are now played for millions of people, he faces impostor syndrome as he questions retaining authenticity in producing songs. I’m infatuated with this song as he attempts to regain the goal of making music that feels authentic to him, not being performative for an audience to gain popularity. It’s okay to be human; that’s what music was made for in the first place.
Finally, the last song, “I’ll Come Back For You,” begins with an incredible backdrop of vocals and switches to acoustic as Malcolm Todd closes the album with endearing words. Left to question if he’s acknowledging himself or his previous relationship, he picks up the song with his signature pop punk guitar and beats. The song is left with the repeated line of “I’ll come back for you,” which illustrates how he’ll come back to his high school love of music and won’t forget his original goal as an artist. The outro closes with Malcolm’s parents’ voice memos, who are impressed with him trying out music, even when others dismissed the idea.
To finalize, Malcolm fully surrenders himself to every emotion he wanted to embed in this album: Heartbreak, love, doubt, imposing, and a mixture of experimental rhythms that mask the meanings of the songs until you fully understand his message and purpose as a musician. It’s never foolish to pursue goals you will devote yourself to and are authentic to you. You should tell yourself, “I’ll come back for you,” because passion doesn’t die; you’re still here, after all.
-
share this
