Jimmy Eat World // Surviving

4.5 Stars out of 5

RCA Records 

Ten albums into their career, Jimmy Eat World is still growing with each new release. It's impressive to see a band at their level continuing to release essential albums, and for Jimmy Eat World fans, Surviving is the definition of essential, the band joining a very small list of bands who remind us every few years of why they're still on top. Perhaps most impressively, Jimmy Eat World have managed to remain true to themselves while growing exponentially over the past two decades. Surviving is almost like a greatest hits album comprised of entirely new songs; it's a victory lap that features the emotion of Clarity, the crunch of Bleed American, and the maturity of an album like Damage. Songs like "Criminal Energy" and "All the Way (Stay)" immediately play like anthemic, Jimmy Eat World staples, while a centerpiece like "555" — a dark combination of pop-rock melody and thick, electronic bass — even showcases the band trying some new tricks. Where other, less experienced bands might butcher it, they succeed with the same grace and energy they had in 1999. For them, it might be surviving, but to us, it sounds an awful lot like thriving.

— Aaron Mook