Surviving - Jimmy Eat World

What a fitting and ironic album title for the latest release from alternative rock legends Jimmy Eat World. From the first note of the first track, it is evident that this is a band that is not just surviving - ten albums in, and they still have much of the same fire that they burst into the spotlight with nearly 20 years ago on Bleed American. While a few of their last albums felt more "adult" and less angsty, Surviving sees the band stripping away that energy and replacing it with a gritty tone that has kept me coming back to the record in a way that their other more recent albums haven't been able to. Song after song, it feels like the band is truly present - there's an earnestness to each song that's infectious.

The aspect that helps it feel like a hybrid of their older and newer material, to me, is the combination of lyrics and music. The lyrics feel similar to their last few albums in the way that the band has matured naturally, and hopefully, over the course of nearly 20 years ago when they broke out onto the scene. In an interview with Alternative Press, lead singer Jim Adkins said that, while writing the album, he "got really into the idea of what’s preventing me from really living. It’s not natural to question everything we’re doing. For some reason, I think we’re much more likely to try to rationalize and justify our unhappiness instead of looking at what might be behind that and [taking] action." You can hear this a lot in the music, more obviously in the lyrics but also in the instrumental. There isn't a sense of being stagnant or complacent in either category - the band is really pushing themselves in these tracks to produce something to be proud of. "Love Never", for example, exemplifies this idea very well. The main lyrics of the chorus really stood out to me on my first few listens, and has remained with me since: "Do you want the work more than the reward?". The idea of working for the sake of whatever the task is, the job, the person you're in a relationship with, should be more desired than any reward provided. That's what love looks like - as the song title implies, "love never" wants a reward, but is, ideally, given with a sense of selflessness.

The standout song, for me, was "555". From my first listen through of the album, this song grabbed my attention. It's vastly different from the rest of the album. I wouldn't call it pop, but there's a lot more of a pop influence and ballad vibe to it than the other songs. Just from the opening few seconds, it captures your attention; the synth line and electronic drum elements are outside the norm of what fans might expect from Jimmy Eat World. The vocals, however, are what really hold you in place. Adkins has such a haunting, pleaful tone that hits even hard when you examine the lyrics and go deeper in their meaning (which I did). On the Genius lyric page for the song, there's a few quotes from the band's intervew with Kerrang about the idea behind the lyrics. Adkins says that it "is basically feeling frustration that your prayers, for lack of a better word, are going to an uncaring universe." The song, which already felt a bit despairing, is cemented in it's lack of hope. It's not a cheerful listen, but it's a really phenomenal piece of music.

This is not to say that the band doesn't stray into the more "adult alternative" sound on this album - "All The Way (Stay)", for example, has a more mellow tone overall (compared to other tracks), between the lyrics and instrumental. Similarly, "Diamond" has a similar feeling during the verses, but with a much more pronounced 80's influence. However, "Diamond" kicks it into a higher gear on the chorus and bridge that gives it more of that early emo energy the band was famous for. Neither of these songs are slow or boring, by any stretch of the imagination. I particularly enjoy "Diamond", and always find myself grooving along to each song when it comes along. Plus, "All The Way (Stay)" has a saxaphone solo near the end - you really can't top that.

The peak/highlight of the album, for me, is the closing track: "Congratulations". This six minute song shows that the band can still get down and dirty, with an intensity and aggression that surprised me the first time I heard it. The song builds and builds for the first two thirds, and finally kicks things into high gear after one last verse from Adkins. The last minute of the song is a truly wild ride, showing the band's chops are still high and able to handle some speed and heat. The last few seconds of roaring guitars and crashing drums is absolutely heart-pounding stuff.

Jimmy Eat World is a band that I have immensely enjoyed over the years, but not always closely followed. I didn't even know this album was coming out until it was out, but I'm really glad I decided to give it a listen. If you've ever been a fan of the band, I highly recommend giving it a spin. You'll be pleasantly surprised.

Recommended: Congratulations, 555, Surviving, Love Never