Invented

Heart isn’t that hard to find: New look, old sound.

Jimmy Eat World’s ‘Invented’ is a far cry from the sweaty, (presumably) out-of-
breath band that older fans will remember from videos such as ‘the Middle’, at
the turn of the century.

The single chosen to be released with ‘Invented’, titled ‘My Best Theory’, feels
out of place within the rest of the album. It would gives the impression that
Jimmy had converted into another image-obsessed, skinny-jean wearing, pop-
electronica-rock band that are starting to dominate the alt-rock scene. One could
be forgiven for thinking that Jimmy had finally abandoned their romantic, yet
lustful classy rock that you associate with them and were instead producing the
kind of ‘really cool dance song(s)’ that Bowling for Soup warned us about.

However, don’t be alarmed, turn to track one, ‘Heart is Hard to Find’ and take a
sigh of relief. The folksy track is aided by an array of luscious vocal harmonies
and a strong string section which couldn’t be further in sound from ‘My Best
Theory’, highlighting the diversity in Jimmy’s sound. Despite a total of seven
albums since their formation, Jimmy remind you of their youthful innocence
in ‘Evidence’ and ‘Coffee and Cigarettes’. These are the sugary pop-rock
anthems that we’re use to hearing from a band that produced the notable sing-
alongs ‘Always Be’ and ‘Hear You Me’ in albums past.

‘Invented’ is not without its irritable disturbances – the dark, moody tones
of ‘Higher Devotion’ are accompanied by the cringe-worthy lyrics ‘don’t you feel
my eye lasers hit’: these lyrics would suggest Jim Adkins has taken sharking the
ladies to a new level. Regardless of this jarring moment, ‘Invented’ is an epic flow
of sound.

The penultimate song, which shares its name with the album title, certainly earns
its place, and echoes the sounds of early Brand New, with a vocal range that
would make Bon Iver proud and a crescendo to make you question why
this was not the final track of the album.

The closer ‘Mixtape’, feels somewhat like a post-script for the album but rounds
off an impressive effort at topping ‘Chase This Light’, Jimmy’s last album.
Overall, ‘Invented’ can explain to any critic of Jimmy Eat World why they are
still able to produce music that satisfies an enduring old-school fan base.
One of the few defenders of true alternative rock, Jimmy Eat World have not
disappointed, ‘Invented’ shows they still have what it takes.