Rising Irish rock band Inhaler released their third album, “Open Wide,” amidst their 2024-2025 North American tour. Following a victorious summer with their opening at pop singer Harry Styles’ show in Slane Castle, which seats 80,000 people, Inhaler announced “Open Wide” in the fall, with a scheduled release planned for February 7 of this year.
With elements of confusion, insignificance, heartbreak and young love, each song on “Open Wide” encapsulates different emotions, offering fans a wide variety of tunes. This diverse album includes songwriting and production credits from each band member, Elijah Hewson, lead singer; Robert Keating, bassist and vocalist; Ryan McMahon, drummer; and Josh Jenkinson, lead guitarist. The album also features songs co-produced by the award-winning British songwriter and producer, Kid Harpoon.
“I love Inhaler so much. I got into them and their music in early 2024 and I haven’t stopped listening since. I went to their concert in October and I was lucky enough to be one of the first people to hear some of the songs from their new album. With the album now fully released, I love Inhaler’s new sound, but I also enjoy the fact that they haven’t lost their magical touch, as they still include their catchy lyrics within every song. With the tracklist entailing loneliness and heartbreak to capture the feeling of being young and alive, Inhaler really hit the mark with this album,” senior Tessa Saunders said.
Through the use of imagery dispersed throughout the entire album, Inhaler creates a nostalgic and reminiscing feeling that causes fans to want to listen to “Again.” The first out of the 13 songs on the album, “Eddie in the Darkness,” holds no official connotation, leaving its meaning up to interpretation by fans. The Eddie in the song appears to symbolize a man fearing isolation after losing his love. The increasing tempo and constant crescendos of the song seem to represent the ups and downs of life as Eddie comes to terms with his newfound loneliness. Serving as an energetic yet sorrowful opener to the album, the following songs represent all feelings that “Still Young” adults may feel throughout their lives.
Following several upbeat and lyrically clever songs, such as “A Question of You” and “Even Though,” the title track of the album, “Open Wide,” tells the story of heartbreak, uncertainty and miscommunication within a relationship. The lyrics of this song, including “Love is a terror, got my arms out open wide,” followed by, “I’ll stay with you when you are cruel,” suggest a reassurance phase in a relationship where both parties feel unsure of their commitment, yet wish to work through all the potential cruelness they will face.
“Open Wide,” along with other deep songs, such as “All I Got Is You,” reveals the complex aspects of adult relationships. Contrary to these themes of serious adulthood, the band’s previous albums showed elements of freedom found during one’s youth. Songs, such as “A Night on the Floor” and “These Are The Days,” on Inhaler’s debut album, “It Won’t Always Be Like This,” and second album, “Cuts & Bruises,” allude to what a common free-spirited young soul does during their apparent prime before proper adulthood.
“I didn’t really know about Inhaler until my friends suggested I listen to their album, ‘It Won’t Always Be Like This.’ It was last summer and up until that point, I had never heard of a more summer-like album. The album really summed up what it felt like to be a teenager during the summer before their senior year. With their latest album release, it touches more on relationships and how to handle the hardships found when one enters adulthood. While it isn’t my usual vibe of music, I love this album and I will forever enjoy this band’s releases,” senior Aubrey Mcpherson said.
With high praise, the band’s “Open Wide” album proves a success within their discography. Following the themes of youthful fun in their debut album; finding love in their sophomore album; and recognizing adulthood within their latest album, Inhaler signals their evolution from free-spirited teens, to mature adults. With an intricate exploration of adulthood — grappling with responsibility, loss and heartbreak — this album touches fans of all ages and will remain one for the books. As Inhaler embraces their new era with their 2025 tour dates approaching, they urge their listeners to “Open Wide” and let their beautiful melodies and lyrics “Totally” mesmerize them.
The Chant’s rating: A+
