Going All In, Again! 'Burnout' Deluxe From Good Terms

Good Terms just dropped the deluxe version of Burnout, which feels like the perfect excuse to rewind for a second and revisit where it began. The album originally landed on December 13, 2024, making it practically a newborn in the grand scheme of releases. Fast forward to January 21, 2026 (aka TODAY!), and Burnout (Deluxe) arrived with a little extra weight, adding new tracks: All In and Progress. All In pushes deeper into the album’s core emotions, giving us a spoonful of thematics surrounding frustration, self reflection, and personal growth with the same raw honesty that defines the actual record itself. Since its release, Burnout has been met with an insane amount of love and appreciation from fans (old and new alike) who connect with its melodic choruses, sincerity in lyrics, and seamless balance of heaviness and catchiness. So let’s revisit, in the name of the deluxe!

Good Terms do not operate around a fixated brand, and instead rely on shared taste and collaboration to define their sound. It seems that every member is involved in decision making, songwriting, and creative direction, with frequent debate and collaboration shaping the final version of each track’s best self. Rather than chasing a specific scene expectation, the band prioritizes making music they themselves genuinely connect with, trusting authenticity over anything else. Based in Los Angeles, Good Terms blend emo and pop punk foundations with heavier guitar work and emotional lyrics in the driver’s seat of this vehicle. The band is made up of vocalist Brian McShea, guitarists Zach Boucher and Ivan Barry, Brendan McCusker on drums, and Geo Botelho on bass. Although signed to Secret Friends Music Group, the band looks to be operating with a strong DIY spirit, often handling their own writing, recording, and production, creating a sound that balances vulnerability and energy while never neglecting a live experience that feels communal, welcoming, and deeply connected to the fans in the room. They are always encouraging fans to interact, and we love meeting artists that are excited to shake our hands as much as we are to talk to them.

Burnout is the band’s sophomore album, released on December 13, 2024. The record marks a super clear evolution in both songwriting and actual arrangement compared to earlier releases (information via boyfriend lol), with early singles pointing toward heavier and more intricate musical structures while still maintaining these jams you can’t stop humming. The album did not begin as a traditional concept record but instead formed gradually from a series of single releases, with Drive In, Old Friend, and Cough being among the earliest songs written during this time. All songs on the album were written collaboratively by the band, with lyrics shared between multiple members. As Zach Boucher explained in a thread himself,

“Lyrics are different each song, it’s either me (Zach), our singer Brian, or our guitarist Ivan, but it’s usually some combination of the three of us. Means a lot what you said about them, that’s exactly our intention. I think we are probably more proud of the lyrics than any other element of the band. We work insanely hard on them, probably too hard.”

According to some research, much of Burnout was written nearly five years ago during the pandemic, with the writing process shaped by isolation, internal conflict, and the broader uncertainty of the time. Who didn’t feel this way back then? Crazy to believe how far we’ve come since that absolute halt of time in space.

Thematically, Burnout explores identity, self perception, mental health, and personal connection. The lyrics totally examine how individuals see themselves versus how they are perceived by others, capturing feelings of insularity, introspection, and growth amid the natural turmoil of life. The band hopes listeners will find relatability and reassurance through these shared experiences. Good Terms also handled their own mixing and production, intentionally crafting a sound that feels absolutely intimate but at the same time kinda distant, creating emotional closeness without total clarity, leaving space for someone’s own creation of resonance. Mixing choices were used deliberately to reinforce themes of identity, distance, and self reflection throughout the record.

On a song specific level, Cough centers on confronting the past and the uncertainty of starting over, while the album as a whole intentionally pushes past the band’s earlier sad pop punk label. Mask aligns more closely with their already established sound, while High Right Now in my opinion totally strays away from it, showing the band’s willingness to experiment a bit. Mirror Mirror stands out as one of the most experimental tracks, embracing a turbulent like structure and an unexpected jazz influenced solo that highlights their growing creativity. At the core of it all, the band’s primary goal with Burnout is to make listeners feel less alone, reaching for connection through vulnerability and shared emotional understanding. One fan summed that experience up perfectly, saying,

“I cannot say enough good things about your album. A friend of mine recommended it a couple of months ago and it has been on repeat ever since. I recommend it to everyone all the time. Just the right amount of heavy with the perfect mix of vulnerable and technically strong music. I tell anybody who will listen that you guys are about to blow up! Very inspiring to aspiring musicians like myself. You're becoming one of my favorite bands.”

From my perspective, Burnout is fast paced and also lowkey nostalgic, reminding me of old school music while still feeling fresh and modern. I can completely see why fans gravitate toward this band, and even through speakers alone, you can feel the kind of energy that would translate effortlessly into a packed room. After reading through fan threads and reactions, it is clear there is a deep emotional connection between the music and the people listening to it. That kind of connection is as strong as it gets. It is the reason we turn a song on before driving even when we are running late, why we stay at the bar for a few more minutes because a banger just came on, and why we wake up with a song still looping in our heads from our dreams. There is a lot of musical variation across this album, sounding both familiar and unfamiliar in a way that makes the experience feel decadent and full. Chickweed was my personal favorite, featuring Briana Wright of CLIFFDIVER. It carries a country and indie leaning vibe, and the voices fit together like puzzle pieces, complementing each other without clashing. Even as one of the slower songs, it still carries that high energy feeling, with sunshine piercing through clouded instrumentals like a heatwave. I also loved All In, one of the new deluxe tracks, which gives me major old Fall Out Boy energy, and if you know me, you know I was a full FOB girl in middle school and honestly still am. The riffs and beat feel like pure release, like running in circles with emotion pouring out the small seams of the heart. Progress, also included on the deluxe and previously released as a single, was the song friends mentioned most when I told them about this review. It absolutely lives up to that praise. The intro worms its way straight into your brain, turning into something you find yourself shimmying to throughout the day. It is catchy in the best way. Overall, Burnout, especially with its deluxe additions, is a force to be reckoned with. The musical genius throughout these tracks feels like a hand being extended to listeners, offering comfort, connection, and reassurance in moments of struggle.

To close it out, Good Terms are not just thriving on record but also on the road. They have shared stages with Hawthorne Heights, with New Aesthetic opening select California dates, and have been performing new and unreleased material from Burnout live both before and after the album’s release. The band often plays to audiences unfamiliar with their music yet its apparent that they can see a grip of strong reactions from first time listeners who connect through the energy of the performance alone. Many of those listeners go on to discover the band more deeply through merch tables and post show conversations. Currently, Good Terms are on their first full North American headlining run, the Highway To Hell Yeah Brother tour, supporting Burnout and the single Progress. The tour spans over 25 cities from February through March, with dates across Florida, Texas, the Midwest, the Northeast, and the West Coast, there is likely a stop near anyone ready to experience the whirlwind of sound, connection, and an emotional release of Good Terms in a live setting.