When Motion City Soundtrack first appeared at the turn of the millennium, they were the unlikely bridge between Midwest punk energy and geeky lyrical introspection. Fast-forward nearly three decades, and the Minneapolis quintet are back with The Same Old Wasted Wonderful World, their first album since 2015’s Panic Stations. For a band that once declared “Don’t Call It a Comeback” on their debut I Am The Movie, the phrase feels especially fitting as they re-emerge with their sharpest set of songs in years.
Formed in 1997, Motion City Soundtrack-Justin Pierre (vocals/guitar), Joshua Cain (guitar), Matt Taylor (bass), Jesse Johnson (Moog/keys), and Tony Thaxton (drums)-built their reputation on witty, anxious lyrics set against hyper-melodic pop-punk. Their blend of distorted guitars, synth flourishes, and Pierre’s rapid-fire wordplay helped define a wave of 2000s alternative rock alongside contemporaries like Jimmy Eat World, Fall Out Boy, and Paramore. The band’s second record, Commit This to Memory (2005), produced by Mark Hoppus of blink-182, turned them into underground heroes, while 2007’s Even If It Kills Me climbed to number 16 on the Billboard 200. Their biggest single, “Everything Is Alright,” went gold, cementing Motion City Soundtrack as one of the era’s most enduring acts.
By the mid-2010s, however, years of relentless touring and shifting musical landscapes caught up with the group. After releasing six albums-including My Dinosaur Life (2010), their major-label debut for Columbia, and 2012’s Go-the band announced they were calling it quits in 2016. For fans, it looked like the end of a distinct voice in alt-rock.
That is, until 2019. After a short hiatus, Motion City Soundtrack began performing again, first with reunion tours and then, slowly, with whispers of new material. The band didn’t rush the process; instead, they allowed a decade of lived experience to ferment before heading back into the studio.
The result is The Same Old Wasted Wonderful World, released through Epitaph Records. The record reflects not only where the band left off but where they’ve grown. Cain explains the mindset clearly: “When we started conceptualizing the idea for this record, I was thinking about what we loved about doing this originally.”
The album opens with “She Is Afraid,” a track first conceived during the Panic Stations sessions but only now finding its true form. Pierre recalls being floored by Cain’s riff: “I knew it was one of my favorite things the first time I heard Josh play it.” That carefree energy bleeds through the whole record, particularly in “You Know Who The Fuck We Are,” a swaggering anthem that reasserts their identity with tongue-in-cheek bravado.
Motion City Soundtrack have always thrived on collaboration, and The Same Old Wasted Wonderful World continues that tradition. “Things Like This” features vocals from Deanna Belos of Sincere Engineer, adding a fresh edge to their trademark sound. Meanwhile, “Particle Physics” comes courtesy of a co-write with Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy, a longtime friend of the band. Stump offered up a riff and chorus that Motion City fleshed out into a full track, blending Pierre’s clever pop culture references with one of alt-rock’s most distinctive voices.
Production duties were handed to Sean O’Keefe, who previously worked with the band and also has credits with Fall Out Boy and Plain White T’s. Recorded at Steve Albini’s legendary Electrical Audio studio in Chicago, the sessions emphasized freedom and experimentation. Taylor praises O’Keefe’s laid-back approach: “He’s super open to experimenting and it’s like hanging out with a friend you feel comfortable around.” That openness is evident on “Mi Corazón,” a moody, bass-heavy cut that leans toward post-hardcore atmospherics without abandoning melody.
Another standout, “Your Days Are Numbered,” features Citizen’s Mat Kerekes delivering what Pierre calls a “fucking brutal” cameo. It’s moments like these that prove the band aren’t leaning on nostalgia-they’re still exploring new ground.
That willingness to push forward rather than merely celebrate the past sets this album apart. For a band whose history has often been defined by self-doubt and lyrical neuroses, Pierre describes this record as one of resolution: “I think that if you look at a lot of our past records, it’s about ‘What’s wrong? What am I not getting right? Why do I feel fucking crazy?’ … and I figured it out.”
This newfound clarity comes across in the album’s closing moments, when Pierre’s voice, accompanied only by acoustic guitar, feels less like the anxious narrator of old and more like someone who has weathered the storm and emerged self-assured.
In retrospect, Motion City Soundtrack’s story has always been about perseverance. From their DIY origins in Minneapolis clubs to signing with Epitaph, jumping to Columbia, and surviving the churn of the 2000s alt-rock scene, they’ve remained true to their quirks. Their breakup in 2016 wasn’t the end, but rather a pause. The release of The Same Old Wasted Wonderful World shows they’ve returned not out of obligation but because the music demanded it.
Jesse Johnson sums it up best: “It’s a very interesting thing to feel like we made the most important record of our career this late in the game.”
For fans who grew up with Motion City Soundtrack’s soundtrack to awkward youth and uncertain adulthood, this new record is more than just a comeback-it’s proof that growth and self-discovery don’t erase what came before. Instead, they add new dimensions.
And if Pierre’s lyric “One day I’ll disappear and you’ll be just like me” hangs heavy, it’s also a reminder of why Motion City Soundtrack still matter. They’ve always sung about fragility and identity with humor, wit, and hooks you can’t shake. Now, with The Same Old Wasted Wonderful World, they’ve found a way to turn that fragility into strength.
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