Patience is the one thing needed to savor Invented.
Jimmy Eat World released its fifth album, Invented, last week, turning a corner in its musical career that will take some adjusting to thoroughly enjoy.
Upon first listen, there’s nothing exceedingly outrageous or intoxicating about Invented. J.E.W.’s pop-punk, sing-along sound has shifted towards more folk-like, reflective lyrically important melodies for its seventh album.
While the single “My Best Theory” has been gaining popularity from radio plays over recent weeks, it’s one of the few tracks on the album that maintain the classic J.E.W. structure of thick drum beat introductions and a catchy chorus.
Singer Jim Adkins keeps the ball rolling with intense lyricism right off the bat in the opening track, “Heart is Hard to Find.”
To say the album is reflective barely scratches the surface of Adkins lyrics, including “I’m more and more replaced by my friends each night/I can’t compete/Just can’t recover/How many years it’s been/It’s one day in my mind” in the folk-tempo and underlying strings of this track.
Following suit is “Coffee and Cigarettes,” which reminisces of younger days heading West to pursue one’s dreams. Call and response between vocalist Adkins and female vocalist, Courtney Marie Andrews, complete the track in a carefully composed fashion.
While “Cut” is the downgraded version of J.E.W’s “Hear You Me” on Bleed American, the title track, “Invented,” begins with a mellow and dramatic melody composed of delicate chords before transitioning to echoed acoustic chords that then break into sanguine beats and a choir-like refrain “Do you believe me now?/Can you see it in my eyes?”
As one might expect, “Invented” is by far the most influential and well-produced songs of the album.
Imagine Adkins’ vocals as he’s perched upon a stool singing directly to you, as he whispers, “You’re always in my head/You’re just what I wanted,” the recognition that it’s heartfelt and real sinks in. Simplicity wins out for the whole of Invented. J.E.W. successfully refines its musical capabilities with intermixed orchestral instruments and alternative-style convictions.
Under the production guidance of Mark Trombino, who also produced Bleed American, J.E.W. has self-established big shoes to fill. For Invented, however, first impressions don’t mean everything. The news songs will grow on you, and the true spirit of Jimmy Eat World radiates through the first intuitional dustings of transition and pivots towards growth.
