Hammy Nation Assemble.. “Joyride the Pale Horse” is Finally Here!

Heart Attack Man’s Joyride the Pale Horse is a deliriously fun descent into chaos, balancing razor-sharp riffs, biting humor, and unexpected emotional depth. It’s their boldest, weirdest, and most electrifying release yet. Buckle up.

With “Joyride the Pale Horse”, Heart Attack Man has officially entered a new era—one that’s more chaotic, more self-aware, and more ambitious than anything they’ve done before. Building on the frantic energy of their records (The Manson Family, Fake Blood, Freak of Nature), this album feels like the band not only stepping into their final form but setting it on fire for good measure.

Photo by Sam Skapin

Even from the opening track, “Joyride, the Pale Horse” immediately grabs you by the collar and pulls you into a world where the absurdity of life is both celebrated and mourned. It’s fast, loud, and dripping with an infectious kind of fatalism—the kind that makes you laugh even as everything’s falling apart around you. Eric Egan’s vocals are as sharp as ever, oscillating between deadpan sarcasm, snark, melodic vulnerability, and explosive rage, often within the same song. His ability to swing between emotions so seamlessly gives the album a dynamic, almost theatrical edge. The sound is bigger, darker, more layered—but it still carries that chaotic good energy HAMMY fans have come to love.

Musically, this record feels tighter and more adventurous. Heart Attack Man has always been a band unafraid to jump between genres—whether that’s punk, pop, hardcore, or something stranger—and “Joyride the Pale Horse” leans even harder into that chaotic blend. One moment you’re being pelted with frantic, scuzzy guitar riffs and thunderous drums, and the next you’re dropped into a hook so catchy it should be illegal. There’s a sense of danger to the way these songs are structured, like they could veer completely off the rails at any second, but somehow, they never do. It’s a testament to the band’s growth and control over their madness.

Lyrically, the album is packed with the kind of self-deprecating humor and existential dread that’s become a Heart Attack Man trademark—but there’s also a deeper undercurrent of reflection that feels new. Songs like “Stick Up” and “Clown School” deliver hilarious, scathing takedowns of ego and delusion, while tracks like “Like a Kennedy” and the haunting title track reveal a darker, more introspective side. The balance between absurdity and sincerity is handled with a surprising amount of grace, making Joyride the Pale Horse one of the most emotionally resonant releases in the band’s catalog.

Highlights are everywhere. “Freak of Nature,” already a fan favorite, feels even more electrifying in the context of the album, acting as a kind of thesis statement: an anthem for the outsiders, the weirdos, the people who find freedom in embracing their chaos. Meanwhile, “Late to the Orgy” might be one of the band’s sharpest songs yet—a gleeful, sneering celebration of being completely out of step with the world around you.

And then there’s the production. The album sounds massive without feeling overproduced. Every guitar squall, every shouted vocal, every thudding bass line feels raw and immediate. It’s the kind of record that sounds like it was made by real people sweating it out in a real room, which is increasingly rare in a landscape full of polished, overprocessed rock albums. That tangible human element—the imperfections, the rough edges—makes it hit even harder.

One of the most impressive aspects of “Joyride the Pale Horse” is how fully it commits to its weirdness. This isn’t a record that’s trying to fit into a neat genre box or cater to expectations. Heart Attack Man seems to understand that their greatest strength lies in their unpredictability, and they lean into it here. It’s chaotic, yes—but it’s calculated chaos. Every unexpected twist, every jarring mood shift feels earned, building toward a final product that is genuinely exhilarating to experience.

Ultimately, “Joyride the Pale Horse” feels like a celebration of survival—a loud, messy, brilliant reminder that sometimes the only way to deal with the absurdity of existence is to laugh, scream, and thrash your way through it. Heart Attack Man captures that feeling better than almost anyone else right now, and they do it without ever feeling pretentious or self-important. There’s an authenticity here that’s rare: these songs feel lived-in, like the product of real experiences, real frustrations, real triumphs, and real defeats.

In a year already packed with standout punk and alternative releases, “Joyride the Pale Horse” still manages to feel vital and singular. It’s a record made for anyone who’s ever felt like they don’t quite fit in—and who’s learned to find power in that. Heart Attack Man has never sounded more alive, more unruly, or more themselves. If you’re looking for an album that’s going to punch you in the gut, make you laugh inappropriately, and maybe even give you a weird kind of hope, you’re going to want to take this ride.

Hold on tight. It’s a hell of a trip.