On their ARIA-nominated 2020 debut Self Care, Yours Truly earned comparisons to Paramore on the strength of their brightly melodic pop-punk anthems. Considerably darker and more introspective, Toxic follows through on its title by directing Mikaila Delgado’s vocals and lyrics largely towards the harmful personality types that inevitably drag her down. “I wish I never met you,” Delgado repeats on “Desaturated”, brimming with passion and poison alike. Across this record, the Sydney trio locks into impressive lurch-and-surge dynamics that drive home themes of self-determination and empowerment. “Sour” sees Delgado hit back after being told what to do one too many times, while the mocking “California Sober” ramps up her distorted vocals and Teddie Winder-Haron’s chugging guitar. But despite the band’s compact, concussive delivery—especially on “Sinking”, a collab with melodic hardcore unit Bloom—softer moments arrive with the ballad “All That I’m Not” and the breakbeat-buoyed ’90s flashback “Love Feels Like”. It’s no accident that the closing “Call My Name” feels like an emotional culmination for the album, shifting from dreamy pop to punky catharsis as Delgado describes fighting to escape a person who just won’t let go.