Zack King is an artist who rides the line between nostalgia and honest modern emotion. His new album Songs I Wrote Instead of Texting You dropped in 2025 with twelve tracks packed into just under 30 minutes, reviving pop-punk energy while weaving in heartbreak, anxiety, and longing. It feels like a record made by someone who grew up singing along to Blink-182 and Jimmy Eat World but lived through moments worth writing down in songs instead of sending as texts.
Track by Track
Intro
The album opens with “Intro,” a short atmospheric piece that eases you into the world King wants you in. It’s moody, subtle, and makes you take a breath before the rush begins.
What’s on Your Mind?
This one kicks in with urgency. The guitars push, the drums punch, and King’s voice carries just enough rawness to feel familiar. It’s a question bent with longing, the kind of track you jump into immediately.
Let’s Call It a Night
Here, the tone softens. There’s regret dressed in melody, a plea wrapped in hooks. It feels like someone trying to say what they couldn’t over texts, the emotion coming alive when words land on a vocal line.
Breaking News!
A blink and you miss it moment, more of a palate cleanser than a full song. It flickers with playful energy and resets the album’s pace, giving space before the next proper hook.
Over & Over
This is one of the catchier cuts. The riff loops in your head and the lyrics capture the exhaustion of repeating the same mistakes. It balances anger and tenderness in a way that makes it both relatable and singable.
ROM-COM (feat. New Dialogue)
A standout collaboration that feels cinematic and clever. The guest part adds a second perspective, and the track plays like a short scene from a movie where everything important is said between the lines. It is hooky, a little theatrical, and memorable.
Bleed
This track leans darker. The production strips back in places so the words can land hard. There is real emotional weight in the vocal performance; you can hear the strain and the sincerity, which makes the song land in a more painful and honest place.
Heaven (So Far Away)
One of the most expansive moments on the record. The chorus opens up with a big melodic sweep and the arrangement gives the song room to breathe. It’s an ache of distance and longing, and it feels like the emotional peak of the album.
F MY PROMOTER
A short, cheeky interlude that snaps the mood into something raw and funny. It’s small and pointed, then gone, but it adds character and a wink that keeps the record from feeling too solemn.
YOU GOT ME!
Back to higher tempo and bright hooks. This is a playful, confident track built to get a crowd singing along. It’s fun without being shallow, with enough heart underneath the bravado to make it stick.
Can’t Do It Alone (feat. Megan Leigh)
A deep, standout collaboration. Megan Leigh’s presence opens new emotional color, the arrangement swells, and the lyrics land with more complexity than some of the shorter pop punk moments. This is the longest track for a reason; it breathes, it builds, and it rewards patience.
We’re Alright
The closer brings a comforting, hopeful vibe. It doesn’t tie everything up neatly, but it offers a gentle reassurance: things can be messy and still okay. It’s the kind of ending that leaves you warmed rather than emptied.
Songs I Wrote Instead of Texting You doesn’t overstay its welcome, but it doesn’t need to. Zack King balances nostalgia and immediacy, crafting short tracks that feel full. There’s space for both catharsis and singalong moments. He leans into what he knows: heartbreak, questions, chasing connection, and cleans the edges so the heart shows through.
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