Photo: Fiddlehead frontman Patrick Flynn at Gramps, Miami FL on August 16th, 2025 (courtesy of Ramona Banos)
Between the Richness by Fiddlehead is an absolutely phenomenal post-hardcore album. The frontman, Patrick Flynn, was also the lead singer for the 2000s hardcore band Have Heart. It’s the band’s second studio album–which does not disappoint. The lead guitarist is the sole reason I decided to become a lead guitarist rather than rhythm, so that should tell you what you need to know. Alex Henery, the rhythm guitarist, is also part of the band Basement. Fiddlehead as a group is a culmination of musicians with hefty experience, and they come together perfectly.
The album starts with a poisonously catchy short song. “Wake up and fall apart” rings through your ears, although it is basically an introduction to the themes and sound of the album, it’s important. It seamlessly transitions into the next song on the album, “The Years”. It literally scratches my brain so well; for the first 3 listens of this album I didn’t even realize these were two different songs. Flynn writes to tell us about the 10 year anniversary of his father’s passing, but also the birth of his son. He talks about how happy he is with his family. He interprets the pain/fear of dying as something good, because it means he has something to lose: the death of his past self. The song essentially talks about the seven stages of grief, whether that’s loss of an actual person or an idea.
Transitioning into the middle section of this 25 minute masterpiece, he talks about teenage love. Arguably, Pat Flynn has a lot of credibility in that scope because he was materializing what it’s like to be a teenager through his band Have Heart and he’s a high school history teacher. Now, “Eternal You” goes over the inevitability of aging. He primarily uses his high school best friend to talk about this subject. There’s something about the cadence, overlapping, and the way he chooses to alternate between singing and his more rough screaming, that just makes this song truly embody what it’s like to have someone your whole life. The song ends with a heart wrenching monologue about how he hopes that his son has the same support that he did with his best friend.
“Loverman”, as one might expect, talks about how much Flynn loves his wife. It’s very clear he loves this woman very much, and I love that for him. The song ”Down University” is a direct address to his son about expectations. He knows there’s a lot of pressure to go after higher education, but he doesn’t want that to harm his son–he just wants him to be happy. “You are more than a degree” sounds off in the ears of thousands of teenagers going through the exact same thing. It’s a beautiful thing what Fiddlehead does with their music, it resonates with joy and hope. His personal experience and his career are what makes what he says so much heavier with truth.
Skipping over some songs in the album, which you should regardless listen to, we land on the finale: “Heart to Heart”. I learned this song on guitar so I have a special connection to it. “Still have my heart.” It’s about love, loss, and how we try to hold onto people even after they’re gone. It builds in intensity, grips onto your soul, and speaks to you. Flynn purposely jumps between light and dark to embody despair and comfort. This entire album is just Patrick Flynn grabbing you by the collar and saying “LISTEN! Life sucks! I should know I used to write hardcore music–IT GETS BETTER.”
First-year Ramona Banos is a contributing writer for The College Reporter. Her email is vbanos@fandm.edu.