There are very few bands that I would ever consider myself a true fan of. I have no qualms about liking a certain song or a certain album with no relation to the band whatsoever. But Futures was the first time that I was hit with not only a song and an album I liked, but with a multi-faceted band as well that I had apparently underestimated, if the album is anything to go by.
In the Jimmy Eat World repertoire, Futures is distinctly different from its predecessors. Not only is the musical tone of this album much darker, but the lyrics are bluntly honest to the point where they’re actually disparaging. Jimmy Eat World has never had a problem with lyrics, but this album wasn’t along the ‘teenage angst’ route that usually works so well for them. In fact, I’d venture to say it was more ‘adult angst,’ which is an entirely different ballgame altogether.
Yet, that’s what truly impressed me about this band – not only did they venture out of their safety zones, but they did it with such earnestness that it was believably mature. “23,” which will forever be one of my favorite songs, is particularly honest with the lines Amazing still it seems/ I’ll be 23/ I won’t always love what I’ll never have/ I won’t always live in my regrets. I truly never thought they had it in them to even write those words.
While the darkness of this album pushes them more into the traditionally ‘emo’ category, Jimmy Eat World proved that there was more to them with this album. I sincerely hope they keep that confidence in mind with their future albums, because a Clarity-remake would just belittle them once more.
