Her Leather Jacket Boards the ‘Death Train’ with Kellin Quinn
Released on October 9th, “Death Train” jumped into reality and felt like an emotional-exorcism. Let’s say it’s Her Leather Jacket at their most untamed, it gives dark, euphonic, and wired adrenaline, not to mention the addition of Sleeping With Siren’s Kellin Quinn which sends it flying straight into intimate overdrive. From the opening seconds, the song skips the whole scene where it's begging for your interest; and immediately goes to grabbing it by the collar while pulling you straight into the deluge along with it. Hang on!
For anyone new to them, Her Leather Jacket is a rising alternative-rock duo known for merging emotional storytelling paired up with high-octane production. Their sound threads together modern post-hardcore sounds through the soul of pop-punk: to which we can see what’s honest, what’s messy, and what’s most importantly always self-aware. “Death Train” is their most bold work yet! Collaboration of both a synchronized pain and release that feels both personal but also recognizable by pretty much anyone.
The track opens with a slow, tense hum before erupting into full-throttle motion, like headlights of a train in the middle of a dark tunnel. The guitars grind like metal on tracks; the percussion kicks forward in relentless rhythm, echoing the panic of trying to outrun the listener's own thoughts. Then Kellin Quinn’s voice cuts through, and man, is it sharp, aching, and totally luminous. This only amplifies the guiding chaos into something almost revelatory. It’s that perfect mixture where vulnerability meets volume... Something we all experience at one point in life! It's almost unexplainable, but is definitely a thing.
“‘Death Train’ is a reflection of the chaos and trauma we all can carry—those heavy emotions that can make us feel misunderstood and alone. But at the same time, it’s a story everyone can relate to. No matter what car you’re riding in on this train of life, we’re all headed to the same stop.” -Her Leather Jacket
Lyrically, “Death Train” unfolds like a midnight monologue. The train itself isn’t just a symbol of escape; it’s inevitability personified. You can’t stop it, and honestly... maybe you’re not supposed to! The lines literally carry that weight of surrender, you know, the kind that comes after fighting everything, even yourself. There’s a special power in how the song tackles isolation + burnout; and what I love most about it is that it doesn’t sugarcoat the actual fall. Instead, it proudly says, if I’m going under, well dang, at least I’m not alone! And that’s the pulse of this song... Shared frenzy + mutual liberation.
Kellin’s feature adds another kick of drive without stealing the total spotlight. His voice moves like speed along the track, shining on the emo cracks just long enough for you to see yourself literally in them. It’s a collab that feels genuine, not formulaic, one built on mutual understanding of what it means to actually bleed through your art. Her Leather Jacket and Kellin Quinn bridge generations of the alternative scene here: the veteran of emotional resilience meeting the next wave of artistic honesty.
By the final chorus, when everything drops to almost silence before exploding one last time, it feels like standing in the wreckage and choosing to chill-out and take a breath anyway. “Death Train” is a single that doesn’t really give you advice, but it tells you that you’re not alone in the crashout. For anyone who’s ever spiraled, who’s ever felt the walls closing in just a little too much, this track seriously says: you ARE seen.
It’s loud, pretty cinematic, and it’s an audio-vision of heartbreak. Her Leather Jacket proves that vulnerability can still bang, and Kellin Quinn helps turn that bang into a music-anthem. If you’ve ever needed a song to remind you that even the dark parts can still be beautiful, “Death Train” is it. Turn it up, let it hurt, let yourself feel and let it heal!