Having Chest Pain? So is Malcolm Todd

Graphic by Maddie Cohen

by delaney roberts

Last April, I sat in the Boston Public Garden with a friend, listening to a shuffle of indie favorites from her pocket-sized JBL speaker as it soundtracked our afternoon. As songs passed in and out of focus, one particular track caught my attention with its electric guitar riffs and synth-heavy beats. 

 “What song is this?” I asked. 

“‘Roommates by Malcolm Todd,” she said. 

That was my entry point. Later that week, I dove into Todd’s mixtape Sweet Boy and became hooked. Todd’s blend of infectious hooks and genre-blurring production has had a hold on me ever since. He exudes emerging rockstar energy on the mixtape with songs like “Thailand,” “Accutane,” and “Earrings.” Fans have been itching for new music from Todd since the release of Sweet Boy. He eventually sprinkled three singles—“Comfort Me,” “You Owe Me,” and “Cute Shirt Interlude”—while he assembled his debut self-titled album, Malcolm Todd. With this new album, Todd refines his sound and introduces a layer of vulnerability across its fourteen tracks. 

Malcolm Todd opens on a slow, reflective note with “Harry Styles,” in which Todd addresses the music industry’s fickleness and the insecurities that accompany newfound fame. In this one-verse track, he sings, “I wasn't picked for Flog Gnaw / Now I'm waking up at 10 / I should have been there,” before reminding himself that patience and persistence will ultimately pay off. The song concludes with a wash of graceful strings, representing new territory for Todd and marking a subtle but striking shift in his discography. Like other tracks on the album, this song includes an audio snippet that gives listeners a deeper glimpse into his life. 

Some audio snippets on the album provide Todd with comfort, while others disclose his deepest fears. In “Good Job Malcolm,” a voice simply says, “Good job, Malcolm,” followed by fifty-four seconds of empowering strings that smoothly transition into electric guitar riffs. This moment offers a rare feeling of affirmation. In contrast, “Concrete” begins with a much harsher voice stating, “I’m sorry, are you crying? / I can’t believe it / God, that’s pathetic / Man, you gotta pick yourself up.” Being in love can make you feel like the king of the world, but heartbreak can make that same world feel like it’s collapsing. The scattered audio clips throughout the album echo both extremes, capturing the tension between fear, heartbreak, and the fragile hope of love.

We can’t discuss Malcolm Todd and love without mentioning his hit single “Chest Pain (I Love).” The song explores the emotions of a hopeless romantic as Todd grapples with his bittersweet desire for connection while suffering from the pain and struggles of love. When the song dropped on December 4, 2024, it quickly became the most popular release in Todd’s discography, resonating across streaming platforms and social media. Its unforgettable chorus took over TikTok, with creators using the song as a soundtrack for everything from relationship montages to heartbreak confessionals. 

One might assume that a song as captivating as “Chest Pain (I Love)” would take weeks to engineer and refine, but that assumption would be wrong. In an interview with Travis Mills, Todd revealed that “Chest Pain (I Love)” was born from a melody he hummed and was completed within two days. What makes the song linger in our hearts is its vulnerability. Lines like “Please, I wanna see what we would be if you were by my side / Make me feel lonely, soon / You might not know me / I wish I could lie / But I can't deny” encapsulate the emotional push-and-pull that defines much of the album. These lyrics express Todd’s idealistic delusion of his partner, which isn’t reciprocated, a theme that resonates throughout other songs on the album.

While “Chest Pain (I Love)” showcases the hopeless romantic side of Malcolm Todd, other tracks on the album explore his insecurities surrounding love. In “Walk to Class,” he questions the authenticity of his partner’s feelings, singing, “You’ve got more of my own heart than I got / Will you walk to class alone on Tuesday? / Are you choosin’ someone better?” Todd’s vulnerability in these lyrics only makes him more human as he voices the heavy questions many of us often keep to ourselves. Then, “Concrete” hits listeners hard as Todd wrestles with conflicting emotions toward a former partner. Lyrics such as “I never wanna hear you say goodbye / I don’t want to hate you but I’ll try,” illustrate his internal conflict between holding on and letting go. 

The cover art for Malcolm Todd strikingly symbolizes the album’s themes. It depicts Todd mid-air, atop another figure, as they tumble toward the grass in what appears to be a playful yet chaotic wrestling move. This moment, suspended in time, is filled with energy and tension. I interpret the cover as Todd grappling with his fears, doubts, and inner turmoil, yet he wears it with a smile. The image captures the emotional undercurrent of the album: confronting your struggles with vulnerability and confidence and perhaps even finding some joy amidst the chaos.

Malcolm Todd’s self-titled debut is more than a collection of catchy tracks; it tells a coming-of-age story that embodies heartbreak, self-doubt, fame, and aspiration. Each song builds on the genre-building foundation that Todd established with Sweet Boy, as he reveals more of himself than ever before. Whether he’s yearning for connection, questioning love, or striving to build self-confidence, Todd never shies away from the messiness of life. In the second to last track of the album, he sings, “I live for you to cheer me on.” It’s about time we started doing just that.