ALBUM REVIEW: The Same Old Wasted Wonderful World – Motion City Soundtrack
Cast your mind back ten years ago, the world was a much different place. The combined deaths of DAVID BOWIE and LEMMY hadn’t shattered the fabric of reality yet, sending us cascading into the hellscape that we’re currently living in. It was however, the last time that pop punk darlings MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK released their last album. In that time so much has happened in the world and now once more, MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK are back with a brand new album; The Same Old Wasted Wonderful World, and if that title doesn’t grab you and scream emo then we don’t know what will.
Some Wear A Dark Heart welcomes MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK back in a pleasant style. The nice ringing guitar brings in the new era as Justin Pierre’s voice joins in, feeling like an old friend. As the song progresses, it evolves into a huge sounding arena anthem that feels just nice to listen to as a cool dizzying synthesiser sounds off that matches perfectly amongst the huge sounds on display. Kicking off the album proper is a song originally intended for their album prior to this. She Is Afraid, unashamedly with a wonderful 2000s sound about it. Chugging power chord riffs make you look back at a simpler time as the nostalgic sound envelopes you like a warm hug. It’s packed with a fun ear worm of a chorus and plenty of heart. Particle Physics brings in the first of three guests on this record, this one in particular welcoming pop-punk royalty in the guise of FALL OUT BOY front man; Patrick Stump. The track itself is a fun, bouncy number that even features a rapping section which at first is jarring, but on repeat listens adds to its charm.
The fun continues on You Know Who The Fuck We Are brings back that huge fun synthesiser sound to co-exist alongside the giant sound of the track. It doesn’t quite hit as hard as the first three tracks but the charm remains on it. As you listen to the track Melancholia, it becomes very apparent that this song has come out at the wrong time, it’s a perfect summer sounding track that doesn’t match the weather of the UK currently listening to this as rain lashes down our windows when in reality it should be a song sung at the top of your lungs on a sunny saturday at a music festival. The second cameo of the record comes from Citizen’s Matt Kerekes on Your Days Are Numbered, a slow ballad that is fine but does kill what momentum the album was building, it feels sort of out of place and definitely would have excelled more as a track toward the end of the record. The energy picks back up with Downer, a fun punchy track with a fuzzy bass line that helps drive the track along. It’s impossible to keep still whilst listening to this as it will have you moving about and dancing as soon as it starts, proving to be one of the highlights of the record.
Mi Corazon itself isn’t a stand out track of the album but continues the fun vibe of the record as it approaches the end of the record itself. The funky bass line does rattle around your head for a short while after listening. In what is the heaviest/punkier sounding track on the record, Bloodlines is a track that when performed live will signal mosh pits a plenty. The driving riff is fast paced and angry as the song clocks in a succinct 1:41. There’s a fun attitude to it that makes you feel the rest of the album could have been done with hindsight by the time you get to this track. The same energy bleeds over to Things Like This, the albums penultimate track, it goes well alongside Bloodlines and takes you for one last party before the album comes to its end. It’s another one of those tracks that makes you yearn for a much simpler time of chilling with your mates, I’m sure we’d all go back to that given the opportunity. Playing the album out is The Same Old Wasted Wonderful World, one last time, it throws everything at the wall to make sure that the record finishes on a high note and feels like a party which it has mostly felt throughout listening to it. It’s a nice triumphant way to end the album and welcome back MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK once again.
Overall, this is a solid album. Whilst there will be some that will say it wasn’t worth the ten year wait, it’s easy to see that they’ll be in a minority. This album isn’t without its faults but it has an undying charm throughout it that makes the long ten year wait all the more worth it. It isn’t perfect but it’s a worthy addition to the band’s discography that will be incredibly fun to see live. It’s nice to welcome them back, hopefully the next album is only a couple of years away rather than another ten.
Rating: 7/10
The Same Old Wasted Wonderful World is out now via Epitaph Records.
Follow MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK on Instagram.