Kirsty Armitage
Jimmy Eat World (JEW), best known for rock-bangers ‘Salt, Sweat, Sugar’ and ‘The Middle’, formed in Arizona in 1993.
Steadily churning out popular rock music since then, they propelled into the ‘big time’ with the release of platinum selling album, ‘Bleed American’ in 2001.
Announcing on Twitter in 2011 they were planning a new album, JEW finally dropped their eighth album, ‘Damage’ on 10th June 2013.
Jim Adkins, lead singer, explaining a bit of the background to their latest offering was quoted saying, ‘I’m 37 and the world around me is a lot different than when I was writing break-up songs in my 20s. I tried to reflect that in what the lyrics are.’
True enough, the whole theme of the album is more mature. No sign of chart-fodder like ‘The Middle’, but the album loses no appeal for it. The tracks are good old fashioned, no-frills rock and the lyrics are not only mature, but feel distinctly personal.
The trademark JEW sound is evident in abundance on this album – if it ain’t broke, why fix it? Perhaps, not as youthful as their ‘Bleed American’ work back in 2001, but distinctively JEW – reassuringly JEW.
Damage is tight. There aren’t any elaborate, extended instrumental passages or over-indulgent guitar solos. “Please Say No” is a sumptuous ballad while “Appreciation” portrays a vintage JEW sound not heard since the late ’90s.
For me, the absolute stand out track of the album is “No, Never” – a driving rock number with a blinding chorus, paired brilliantly with a touch of new-wave synth.
Damage is a cracking eighth album from four extremely talented musicians who know how to make great music.
Listen to the track that gives the album it’s name – ‘Damage’ – via youtube here.
As mentioned, Jimmy Eat World communicates with their fans predominantly via social media – get the low down on everything JEW here:
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