Jimmy Eat World releases their ninth album Integrity Blues in substantial return to emo rocking form. Production duties falling with Justin Meldal-Johnsen are heavily apparent in the record’s atmospheric pressure. For a band initially lauded as the emo go-to band some 15 years prior, their latest offering sounds freshly focused and timeless as ever.
The slow warmth in guitar strums amidst echoing ahhhs in opener “You With Me” picks relational turmoil to tackle, an almost easy target for the emo rockers who question "what makes our love so hard to be?"
“Sure and Certain” contrasts with a more straightforward alternative rock platform, presenting the idea of perfection limiting appreciation for your environment.
Bass guitar leads the way in “It Matters” in the hopes to finger point guilt on relational pulling away, where M83 production value starts to become readily noticeable on the record. “Pretty Grids” draws upon the band’s past emo-rock songwriting style, hoping the close-up magic doesn’t fade away too quickly. The creepy drum machine clicks that follow in album highlight “Pass the Baby” works in a feeding industry, slowly building to an epic post-grunge rock crescendo.
The catchy single type track “Get Right” is rock driven and with full record label support, the sort of comeback track that could hint at future success for the band. Immediately following “You Are Free” has all the positive vibes in liberating words carrying effortlessly from space to space. “The End is Beautiful” is an ocean of acoustic strum and piano melody, a matured breakup song that emphasizes that, ‘It doesn’t’ have to hurt anymore.’
Typical emo-rock fanfare runs with “Through” in a message to an individual running away from practically near everything. Title track “Integrity Blues” is a notable standout: vocals recorded in a hollow space, Jimmy Eat World collectively silent, permeating violin and horn orchestra, and being happy despite not figuring out everything entirely. The heartwarming closer “Pol Roger” runs well past 6 minutes in alternative rock themes of love and being lost before fading out in subtle orchestral weight.
Taking a year off from the band for the first time in two decades might have helped Jimmy Eat World for the better. Integrity Blues finds the band squarely focused on tracks that vary in depth, sound and appeal. If this release has them focused on a new chapter in their evolution then the emo rockers may be continuing for many years to come.