History will look kindly upon Jimmy Eat World. History is already looking kindly on Jimmy Eat World. The endlessly sharp and tuneful Arizona band made one of the emo genre's all-time masterpieces with 1999's Clarity, and they became bona fide radio-rock stars (albeit briefly) without much dumbing down their sound on 2001's Bleed American. And all those years after their spotlight days, they're still doing fine work; 2016's Integrity Blues was a damn fine album.
Today, Jimmy Eat World are about to head out on a months-long international tour. And to mark the occasion, they've dropped a new 7" single that features two new songs, "Love Never" and "Half Heart." And again, both of them are good.
Of the two, I probably prefer "Love Never," a fired-up pop-punk jam that feels even shorter than its three minutes. Its melodic pummel shows a side of Jimmy Eat World -- those hard-snapping hooks -- that often gets lost when people talk about the band. But the B-side "Half Heart" might be more representative of what a lot of people like about the band. It's a grand, searching ballad with acoustic guitars and synths that imitate the sounds of grand, sweeping strings. You can listen to both songs below.
The "Love Never" b/w "Half Heart" single is out now on RCA/Exotic Location Recordings.
