Spun: Jimmy Eat World

By Chad Utke

It seemed the frightened minority amongst Jimmy Eat World’s hardcores at their June 2002 concert in Calgary slightly persuaded the Arizona band to cater to the wants of their younger fans. The once ignored tween generation has grown up since then, finding solace in the “heart-on-your-sleeve” ballads of the emo movement and in turn, JEW’s fifth full length album Futures captures that spirit.


Misled by such overplayed songs as “The Middle” and “Sweetness,” people will be pleasantly surprised by the lyrical and musical maturation found in this new record. Tracks like “Just Tonight”, “The World You Love” and “Polaris” highlight the heavy dose of mainstream emo injected into Futures, making this band what they are today.


Longtime fans of JEW, who’ve been their from the start, can find comfort in songs like “Drugs or Me” and “Pain,” which naturally blend sounds from the band’s raw beginnings with its new found (and highly successful) style.


Futures is a creative and intelligent release from a band you would expect nothing less from. A great album for loyal fans of these Mesa-ites, emo lovers and anyone who has ever had a girlfriend, friend or anyone else piss them off to no end and wanted to write a song about it.