Jimmy Eat World - Integrity Blues

Rating:

'Integrity Blues' feels like a band you once loved slowly losing their way.

There’s no denying that Jimmy Eat World have always been a little bit cheesy but they’ve always managed to package it in a way that didn’t seem stereotypical. Unfortunately 2013’s Damage saw the four-piece steer in a direction of banality, with lyrics like "I hate the way I feel but I don't think I can change, I just breathe through each day" and it seems as though a few years hasn’t really changed much. Granted, there are some nostalgic moments from the likes of ‘It Matters’ and ‘Get Right’, which sees the band hone in on their tried-and-trusted anthemic tendencies, pulling out their trademark catchy chorus work and building tensions but unfortunately Integrity Blues is full of more misses than it is hits.

‘Pass The Baby’ is a strange, stark electronic-focused track that is very un-Jimmy Eat World and not in a progressive kind of way. It sticks out like a sore thumb, as Jim Adkins performs an intimidating, almost sultry-vocal. ‘Pretty Grids’ follows the same kind of formula, stripping back instrumentation before building to a very cliched chorus. Thankfully some relief is brought by ‘You Are Free’ which is straight-up classic Jimmy Eat World but sadly, 'Integrity Blues' feels like a band you once loved slowly losing their way. Sammy Maine