Mesa, Ariz.’s favorite sons, Jim Adkins, Tom Linton, Rick Burch and Zach Lind of Jimmy Eat World, are back with their fifth proper full-length album, Chase This Light.
The band has grown since its emo-punk days of Static Prevails and Clarity and its mainstream-hit rockers, Bleed American and Futures. But the formula hasn’t changed much in Chase This Light, as the group picks up right where it left off with Futures.
"Big Casino," the first single, kicks off the album and is Jimmy Eat World at its best. "Get up! / Get Up! / Turn the ignition / Fire up the system / Play my little part in something big," croons lead-vocalist and guitar player Adkins over a patented Jimmy Eat World chorus.
"Let It Happen" is next and shows how the band can take a simple three-chord song and make it sound like something much bigger.
"Always Be" starts off with hand claps and a hypnotizing riff followed by simple strumming and shows how a grown man can still sing about feeling like a boy.
"Electable (Give it Up)" is to Chase This Light what the title-track to Futures was: a politically charged anthem that never feels preachy.
The title-track "Chase This Light" is a gem and features some of Adkins’ deepest lyrics to date: "Chase this light with me / A movie, still photograph / Through a martyr’s eyes can I see / I’ve seen the best of love / The best of hate / The best reward is earned / And I’ve paid for every single word I’ve ever said," he sings.
Tracks such as "Firefight," "Here it goes," "Feeling Lucky" and "Carry You" are typical Jimmy Eat World songs with an equal balance of crunch and sugar.
The album closes with "Dizzy," a confusing tale of mixed feelings in a conflicted relationship, as Adkins sings, "If there’s half a chance in this moment/ When your eyes meet mine/ We show it."
Chase This Light is an improvement from their previous effort, Futures. It is nowhere near as dynamic as Bleed American, or as appealing as Clarity, but it does show the group members’ superb song-writing abilities that continue to be showcased on each album.
