If you’ve ever had a full-blown existential crisis in a Wendy’s parking lot, burger in hand, Wendy’s has something for you.

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The fast-food chain recently released an emo, pop-punk album inspired by the long-standing ritual of eating your feelings in the driver’s seat, featuring artists like Matty Mullins, Shane Told, and Kat Leon. Across six tracks, referencing everything from their signature Frostys to late-night Wendy’s eats, the album turns fast-food into a nostalgic soundtrack of heartbreak and philosophical dread. 

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Wendy’s has curated this very specific brand experience around a behavior people have apparently been doing for years. And their album release got me thinking about how often brands tell us exactly how to interact with their products: Spotify wants us to share our Wrapped across platforms, IKEA invited us to Sleepeasy, and Coca-Cola turned finding a bottle with your name on it into an event. 

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But how often do we actually take brands up on these invitations?

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I decided to follow Wendy’s invitation to a T: order the food, park my car, press play, and see where the album took me.

She Said She Didn’t Want Fries (feat. Matty Mullins)

Why would I ever say I don’t want fries? 

Naturally, I ordered the Dave’s Single combo with a Diet Coke. 

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Salt in the Wound (feat. Chloe Kinnon)

Now THIS is a tune I’m familiar with. When I was 19, I used to love a pop-punk beat on my walk to an 8am gen-ed class. 

“Golden arch betrayal,” BARS. Wow, I didn't know Wendy was such a lyricist.

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I Miss the Sunroom (feat. Shane Told)

“You don’t know what you got ‘til it’s gone. Frosty cup is empty and I’m barely hanging on.”

Listening to this song brought me back to an old college fling and the faux, borderline delusional heartbreak I experienced when he called it quits. He once told me his favorite thing to do in his free time was to go through fast-food drive-thrus and sit alone in his car and watch YouTube videos––honestly, too real? 

So glad I left him in the sunroom (or did he leave me there?)…

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The Best Combo Meal on the Worst Night of My Life (feat. Beau Bokan)

I recalled the worst night of my life and suddenly I was 15 again, crying on my bedroom floor over the homecoming proposal that never came. Convinced my life was over, I listened to the same song (Two Punks in Love by bülow) on repeat until my sobs became a medical concern and I threw up on the carpet.

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It’s Not a Phase, It’s a 10pc (feat. Derek DiScanio)

Speaking of medical concerns, I used to think my hot-girl-tummy-troubles were just a phase and something silly to joke about. Turns out it was actually an IBS diagnosis (and maybe a gluten intolerance? IDRK).

A part of me started to regret my Wendy’s experiment at this point on behalf of my future self. 

Album still hits, though.

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My Frosty’s Funeral (feat. Kat Leon)

This isn’t goodbye. 

We’ll see you at the second window for payment. 

Did listening to six emo songs in a Wendy’s parking lot fundamentally change my relationship with the brand? 

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Not really. But it did make me pay attention to the brand in a way I probably wouldn’t have otherwise, and I think that’s the beauty of experiential marketing. 

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Someone had an idea, a team put time and thought into bringing it to life, and the brand then invited people to be part of it. 

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The least I can do is give it a shot and see if their curated experience resonates.