The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die Dreams Of Being Dust
The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die's Dreams Of Being Dust arrives as a deliberate, heavier pivot - an angrier, prog-tinged record that asks whether reinvention can replace the wistful emo the band once wielded. Across four professional reviews the critical consensus lands squarely in the mixed-to-positive range, the collection earning a 70.25/100 consensus score from four reviews while critics highlight both its muscular triumphs and occasional emotional distance.
Reviewers consistently praise the album's most immediate moments, citing “Beware the Centrist” as the snarling centerpiece and “Dimmed Sun” as an opener that glories in prog-metal grit; “Dissolving” also emerges repeatedly as the melodic late-album linger. Critics note a shift toward heavier prog-core, metallic riffs and machine-like harmonies that push songs into brutality and technical mastery. Themes of political lyrics, social antagonism, dystopia and personal tragedy thread the lyrics, and many accounts point to production polish that sometimes enhances scope but blunts raw urgency.
While Sputnikmusic and Kerrang! celebrate the record's ferocity and standout heavy moments, Pitchfork and Beats Per Minute temper enthusiasm by noting a loss of emotional dynamism and moments where spectacle outweighs immediacy. The critical consensus suggests Dreams Of Being Dust is worth attention for fans intrigued by a post-hardcore, heavier direction and for anyone searching for the best songs on Dreams Of Being Dust - namely “Beware the Centrist”, “Dimmed Sun” and “Dissolving”. Below, the full reviews map how the band balances nostalgia with evolution and whether this darker, heavier trajectory fulfills its promise.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
Beware the Centrist
4 mentions
"On ‘Beware the Centrist’, Anthony Gesa and Katie Dvorak can be heard screaming bloody murder"— Sputnikmusic
Dissolving
3 mentions
"late album gem ‘Dissolving’ produces hands down the most beautiful and memorable melody"— Sputnikmusic
Dimmed Sun
3 mentions
"With its prog metal guitars and knife-edge dynamics, opener Dimmed Sun churns with a different energy to previous TWIABP work"— Kerrang!
On ‘Beware the Centrist’, Anthony Gesa and Katie Dvorak can be heard screaming bloody murder
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Dimmed Sun
Se Sufre Pero Se Goza
No Pilgrim
Beware the Centrist
Oubliette
Captagon
Dissolving
Reject All and Submit
December 4th, 2024
Auguries of Guilt
For Those Who Will Outlive Us
What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 4 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die return with Dreams Of Being Dust, a leaner, angrier record that trades twinkling emo for abrasive heft. The review revels in standouts like “Beware the Centrist” and “For Those Who Will Outlive Us”, noting brutal breakdowns and screamed despair as proof the band’s pivot works. It also highlights quieter triumphs, pointing to “Dissolving” as the late-album melody that lingers longest. This is the best songs on Dreams Of Being Dust framed by a band willing to shed skin rather than chase past glory.
Key Points
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The best song is the closer “For Those Who Will Outlive Us” for its towering, brutally impressive breakdown.
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The album's core strengths are a successful heavy pivot, memorable melodies like on “Dissolving”, and vivid dystopian imagery.
Themes
Critic's Take
The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die’s Dreams Of Being Dust trades earlier emo intimacy for a heavier, prog-leaning maximalism, and the best tracks show both the record’s strengths and flaws. In particular, “Dimmed Sun” and “Beware the Centrist” crystallize the new direction - “Dimmed Sun” alternates between burly metalcore and cleaner prog-emo, while “Beware the Centrist” is almost straight-up hardcore. Those songs make clear why listeners asking “best songs on Dreams Of Being Dust” will point to the opener and the snarling centerpiece, even as the album often impresses technically more than it moves emotionally.
Key Points
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“Dimmed Sun” is the best song because it most clearly defines the album’s heavier, prog-leaning direction and technical ambition.
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The album’s core strengths are its technical mastery and bold, heavier production, balanced against a loss of emotional dynamism.
Themes
Critic's Take
In a voice that alternates between admiration and exasperation, The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die’s Dreams Of Being Dust finds its strongest moments in tracks that marry ferocity with clarity - notably “Beware the Centrist” and “Dissolving”. The album’s heavy, metallic riffs and cyborgic harmonies make “Dimmed Sun” and “Oubliette” memorable as examples of the band’s purposeful sonic pivot, even as studio polish sometimes dulls the urgency. For listeners asking what the best songs on Dreams Of Being Dust are, the most immediate answers are “Beware the Centrist” for its raw post-hardcore bite and “Dissolving” for its effective, if engineered, harmonizations. Ultimately the record is compelling when it leans into brutality and conviction, and less convincing when it seeks high-concept spectacle over quotidian immediacy.
Key Points
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The best song is "Beware the Centrist" because of its raw post-hardcore force and direct lyrics.
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The album’s strengths are its ambitious sonic pivot and powerful instrumental writing, tempered by production choices that sometimes dilute immediacy.
Themes
Critic's Take
The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die have leaned into a heavier palette on Dreams Of Being Dust, and the best songs reflect that shift. Opener “Dimmed Sun” churns with prog-metal guitars and a new, urgent energy, while “Beware The Centrist” is a 104-second hardcore belter that scorches like Every Time I Die, making them two of the best tracks on Dreams Of Being Dust. The doom-tinged “December 4th, 2024” also stands out, trading post-rock pastiche for sludgier, Deftones-like blackgaze. This record finds the band heavier and meaner, and those heavier moments are its highlights.
Key Points
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The best song is “Beware The Centrist” because its short, scorching hardcore attack is singled out as a standout.
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The album's core strength is its heavier, darker shift—prog-metal guitars, hardcore intensity and sludgier blackgaze textures energize the band.