Everyone’s favourite angsty pop-punk nerds are back, balancing new with nostalgia and synths with guitars, this is exactly what fans have been waiting for after a decade-long hiatus from the Minneapolis rockers. The Same Old Wasted Wonderful World is an album that not only continues Motion City Soundtrack’s legacy but expands on it and gives a glimpse into what the band have been focusing on in their time off. Their sound is as recognisable as ever, and the album is sprinkled with various 2000s alt-rock star collaborations just to make the nostalgia even sweeter.
Single “She Is Afraid” did a perfect job of welcoming fans back into the world of angsty lyrics disguised in a cosmic, playful onslaught of sound that the band has become known and loved for. The general feeling of being right back where they left off continues, stand out track “Bloodline” is a jet fuelled punk track with an essence of Beck in Justin Pierre’s vocal performance, “Mi Corazon” brings swagger and heavy bassline to the bands usual sound, and “Particle Physics” gives the mix of geeky, comical lyrics that fans aligned themselves with when Motion City Soundtrack were first on the scene.
“Particle Physics” is further strengthened by its feature from teen alt-rock icon Patrick Stump from Fall Out Boy, with Mat Kerekes from Citizen and Sincere Engineer joining on later tracks. “Your Days Are Numbered” featuring Mat Kerekes almost sounds like a Citizen song in itself with slow, thoughtful guitar tones anticipating crashing vocal screams, another definite highlight.
The Same Old Wasted Wonderful World is a great return for the band, it’s an emo throwback but still feels fresh and sincere.
