Released: 14 November

Solid State Records

On their ninth album, The Devil Wears Prada aren’t here to simply recycle what they’ve been musically performing for the last 20 years. For new release Flowers, the band are developing an expansive soundscape with sprinkles of heaviness layered throughout. While The Devil Wears Prada have always explored challenging themes of emotions in their music, in 2025 they’re all about brandishing new creative pursuits.

From an overarching perspective, Flowers is unlike any other record you’ve heard before from The Devil Wears Prada. Etched in smoldering melodies rather than four-to-the-floor breakdowns, this 14-track release sounds more like a Story of the Year or Silverstein record. ‘Everybody Knows‘ is a song about chasing thrills, featuring vocalist Mike Hranica diving into soaring refrains and punchy rock chords. ‘So Low‘ continues this notion of a radio friendly rock anthem. “Why do the highs always feel so low?” is the driving beat of the track, flying inbetween walls of emo-pop riffs. A glimmer of hope settles in the listener’s ears as we get a glimpse of antagonizing breakdown, but it just misses the sweet spot.

Hearing ‘For You‘ live last month on the Bullet For My Valentine tour was a highlight of the band’s set. Offering up a new layer of The Devil Wears Prada’s creativity and strength, the tracks delivers emotional resilience. On contrast though, ‘All Out‘ succeeds in what other tracks on Flowers does not. It kicks off swinging with the frantic thrashing of guitars and drums and throws you back into the middle of the 2000s post-hardcore days. This one’s for the old school fans and will no doubt having you all in the Warped Tour moshpit this weekend.

Hit track ‘Ritual‘ has been getting a beating on my playlists lately thanks to its punchy aesthetics. Glossed over in synth and dynamic musicality, this is a culmination of the band’s deluxe edition of Color Decay, where they teamed up with EDM producers Fairlane and Ray Volpe. It balances the different sounds of metal and melodies so idyllically.

Flowers could almost be broken up in two with some interlude tracks thrown in. While I’m not too huge on these “filler” tracks myself, it does help to give the front and back-end of the record a mirrored, almost identical stance. ‘The Silence‘ brings about pulsating synth meshed with rhythmic drums, but it is on ‘Eyes‘ that sees the band succeed in balancing the mix of hard and soft. Delivering a punchy style in similar keys of ‘So Low‘ and ‘Ritual‘, the song slowly builds into a carefully curated, empowering rock anthem.

Another standout track is ‘Wave.’ It feels like the record could have easily closed here as it’s sucha powerful, emotive highpoint of the record. Beginning with just Mike and an acoustic guitar, we see him coming out of the darkness of life, pushing through the light, metaphorically offering a glimmer of hope to listeners everywhere. It’s meditative and empowering as hell and gives Flowers the shining beacon of hope and defiance everyone needs in their life.

While many heavy listeners will see this as a “sell out” release, it’s more that the band are digging deep past their heavy emotions and producing an expansive sense of self. Every artist is entitled and free to explore their creativity, and it’s wholly dependent on how they’ve grown over the years. The Devil Wears Prada have been playing some of the biggest shows of their lives, from opening for Bullet For My Valentine in Australia, to performing packed out amphitheatres across America and celebrating the return of the Vans Warped Tour.

Flowers is the beginning of the band’s most flourishing new chapter yet. While pockets of heavy still exist in their music, it’s a record that hopes to inspire growth and hope in the fanbase. While it doesn’t quite hit the spot just yet, there is plenty of potential and dtermination left in the band yet.

Rating: 7.5/10

Review by Tamara May

Flowers is out Friday. Pre-save here

The Devil Wears Prada – Flowers tracklisting:

1. That Same Place

2. Where the Flowers Never Grow

3. Everybody Knows

4. So Low

5. For You

6. All Out –

7. Ritual

8. When You’re Gone

9. The Sky Behind the Rain

10. The Silence

11. Eyes

12. Cure Me

13. Wave

14. My Paradise