Beauty School Dropout return with their electrifying and euphoric debut album WHERE DID ALL THE BUTTERFLIES GO?
by Jasmine Gracia | September 5th, 2025
(photo credit: Natasha Austrich)
Los Angeles-based alternative rock band Beauty School Dropout has made quite a name for themselves since debuting with their single Last Time in February 2020, building a fiercely loyal fanbase known as the Dropouts. Pulling inspiration from bands like The Killers, Turnstile, and Nirvana, and touring with acts such as Jxdn, Blink-182, and Matchbox Twenty, BSD has become one of the most exciting names in the scene. You may have caught them at sold-out festivals like Vans Warped Tour, Lollapalooza, Download Festival, Ceremony Fest, or on their own sold-out headline runs.
Since their debut, the band has released a steady stream of singles and EPs, racking up more than 90 million global streams. Now they’ve returned with their electrifying and euphoric debut record WHERE DID ALL THE BUTTERFLIES GO?, released September 5, 2025. The 14-track album tells the story of a tragically beautiful love that was lost, and the struggle to fill the void it left behind. Alongside the release, BSD dropped the video for HEART AWAY—their latest single and a total club banger.
The track feels like a night out at the Rox, dancing in the dark while watching someone you love give their heart away to someone else like it was never yours in the first place. It captures the desperation of heartbreak and the ways we cope through our vices, even when we know they’re not good for us.
To build anticipation for this era, BSD released a new single each month from May to August: ON YOUR LIPS, FEVER, SEX APPEAL, and TWO OF US. Together they feel like a hyperpop/rock club mix. Catchy, relatable lyrics layered over high-energy instrumentals that are impossible not to dance to. What makes the album stand out, though, is how live it sounds compared to most studio projects. From the pulsing synths and pounding drums to raw vocals and ripping guitar riffs, every track feels like it was made for the stage.
SICK PUPPY is an anthem for those who love hard but run away when things get too deep. Saying all the right things to pull someone in, only to self-sabotage once the feelings become too real. ADELINE is the album’s acoustic ballad and a personal standout. Not only is “out of line, Adeline” a clever lyrical play, but the song’s vulnerability is devastating. “I’m glad you found your happiness, save some for the rest of us… throw away the photographs, the memories we never had…” paints the picture of someone stuck in a toxic love while watching the other person move on. It’s heartbreak wrapped in melody, seeing someone you once knew become a stranger or turn into a cliché of everything they claim to hate. Their new actions are so out of line to the person you once knew.
The mood shifts immediately with CITY NEVER SLEEPS, its vocal glitches and booming percussion evoking a restless night out, perfect for driving with the windows down or partying in a city that never shuts its eyes. XXX, which I first heard live on the Blink-182 tour, explodes in the studio version too. Paired with LMTFA, the two tracks tell the story of clinging to someone who only wants one thing. “Make me suffer through the cigarette smoke, I hate the smell but it keeps pulling me in closer,” LMTFA marks the breaking point, “Go home and leave me the fuck alone.” It’s the progression from letting them linger in any way possible to finally cutting ties for good.
Another standout is DADDY DON’T CRY, which captures the pain of masking heartbreak with alcohol and club lights— “I’m pouring salt inside the cut, I need to walk it off… I’ve been hurting all day, but daddy don’t cry.” It’s about pushing through pain, even while making it worse, and doing everything to hide the tears. Madonna takes aim at the LA party scene, hitting the nail on the head about the hollow cycle of nights out at the Rox or Rainbow with people you don’t really care for. “Everybody wants a rock star, til they got one… But you’re no Madonna” is as biting as it is catchy. “So what's the matter baby? You look lost. Something told me I would find you at the rox again. This life is never what You're really gonna want.”
The album’s closing tracks tie everything together. HOW COULD I FORGET reflects on loving someone who never cared as much as you did, “Our timing was a tragedy that destiny had never seen. It would’ve been a diamond ring, but your concern was never me.” The title track WHERE DID ALL THE BUTTERFLIES GO? ends the record with bittersweet acceptance: “Where did all the butterflies go? Do they know something I don’t? Keep your eyes closed, I was better off on my own.” It’s self-closure, looking back on the loss with equal parts pain and relief.
This record truly has something for everyone and is sure to put BSD on the radar of anyone who wasn’t already paying attention. Colie, Beepus, Bardo, and Colton are bringing live rock back in a way that feels fresh yet familiar! Introducing a new wave to younger fans while reminding older generations of the bands that defined their prime. When asked to describe the album in one word, Dropouts choices said it all: sexy, yearning, hot, and spicy.
If you missed Beauty School Dropout on the Summer School Tour or supporting Blink-182, don’t worry! You can still catch them on their headline UK/EU tour or supporting letlive on their upcoming U.S. run this fall. They’ll also be taking the stage at several more festivals before the end of the year.
Check out the album and stay connected with Beauty School Dropout here:
Spotify|Apple Music|Official Website|Instagram
Tour + Festival Dates:
Sept 10 – London, UK | Sept 12 – Paris, France | Sept 13 – Eindhoven, Netherlands | Sept 15 – Cologne, Germany | Sept 17 – Berlin, Germany | Sept 19 – Hamburg, Germany
SUPPORTING LETLIVE + **FESTIVAL SHOWS**
Oct 10 – Austin, TX | Oct 11 – Dallas, TX | Oct 13 – Scottsdale, AZ | Oct 15 – Salt Lake City, UT | Oct 16 – Denver, CO | Oct 18 – Columbus, OH** | Oct 22 – Fresno, CA | Oct 23 – San Francisco, CA | Oct 24 – Los Angeles, CA
Nov 8 – Nashville, TN** | Nov 12 – Townson, MD | Nov 13 – Carrboro, NC | Nov 16 – Orlando, FL**
