ALBUM REVIEW: X’s For Eyes (Deluxe) – The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
We are currently in the midst of a pop-punk/emo renaissance. Whilst a lot of the new music we have had on offer has been largely great, there are some that do slip through the cracks and become bloated albums that overstay their welcome with a handful of tracks that would have made a great EP. The latest band to fall victim to this are pop-punk legends, THE RED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS. While they have had some iconic tracks in their own right, their new very emo titled album X’s For Eyes (their first since 2018) doesn’t quite hit the mark or heights that they have had on display in the past.
Opening track Always The King does start off in quite a promising manner. It’s a broody and harkens back to that typical emo sound with fun riffs, the odd scream whilst also featuring the instantly recognisable vocals of Kellin Quinn (SLEEPING WITH SIRENS). It’s fun, punchy and has a nice nostalgic feel to it and sees the band on top form with some great instrumental moments. However, any excitement brought on by this song quickly vanishes as you progress. Purple Halo follows on but fails to capitulate on any momentum this album had from the start and falls into the all familiar and disappointing track of subsequent tracks feeling similar and hard to distinguish from others. The boldly titled Perfection has a good vocal performance from Ronnie Winter but struggles to do anything interesting with its music and really highlights how bland the album is.
The albums namesake, X’s For Eyes breaks the mould a little bit as a fun little ditty that you can tell had more of a focus on than others. It has a good tempo to it and feels like a classic THE RED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS song, you’re almost swishing the emo fringe you had as a kid away from your eyes as the hope that the album can get better builds a little bit. Whilst the album doesn’t improve much, it just stays in its lane that you can tell feels safe for the band, particularly with Bad Beat as it acts as another track that you struggle to distinguish from others. It’s not a bad song either, it’s just frustrating it sounds so similar to others.
Slipping Through (No Kings) arrives at the midway and sees the band employing a stadium sized sound with a fun anthemic nature which does see the band changing their sound a little bit and finally offers something a little different. Lead single, Angels Cry is another title that feels like the band are really trying to remind you they’re emo. It is a nice little surprise after the previous track that is a decent ballad but not the best one you’ve heard but will definitely be a lighter (or more phone lights these days) moment when seeing the band live.
Again, the momentum falters again, which is a running theme of the album. Home Improvement is quite a nothing song and could definitely have been some of the fat trimmed off this album. Twenty Hour Drive is very reflective of how this album feels to listen to it as you think you’re near the end of it but you see there are still five songs to go as it bleeds over into Kins And Carroll which ironically has more of a drive than Twenty Hour Drive, serving as a minor highlight fairly late on.
We do have the end in sight in what feels more like a marathon than a sprint to the albums finale with Getting By which once again feels like more recycled music from what came earlier which again serves as a song that really could have been removed from the final cut. Worth It does live up to its name as it sees Craig Mabbitt of ESCAPE THE FATE lending his vocals for a high octane and heavy offering which has a great bounce to it, which shows that maybe this album is at its strongest when it has featured guests on it.
In what is a running theme, Not Today has more of a pop feel to it that combines harsh vocals quite well and is a late fun addition that makes you wish the rest of the album could have had a similar vibe to it. Perfection sees the album out once again featuring a guest. This time with the help of MAYDAY PARADE’s vocalist, Derek Sanders. A rare highlight, it has a pure pop-punk vibe to it and backs up the theory this album is better suited with guests. It’s just so frustrating that quality only shines through right at the end, better to end on a bang than a whimper though.
There are moments that shine in this album. You desperately want it to be great throughout but sadly ends up falling flat and being mostly dull, you’d actually rather it be bad so you can have more stuff to talk about when discussing the album. They do sneakily put in a screamy version of Slipping Through (No Kings) which does give you a mirage of the album ending on high quality but feels lazy and shoehorned in right at the end. Overall, this album isn’t bad, it’s not good either. It just exists in some sort of purgatory that requires only one listen to be quickly forgotten about.
Rating: 5/10
X’s For Eyes (Deluxe) is out now via Better Noise Music.
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