Motion City Soundtrack Boast An Impressive Comeback With ‘The Same Old Wasted Wonderful World’

Pop-punk veterans Motion City Soundtrack have returned with their seventh studio album, with ‘The Same Old Wasted Wonderful World’. This marks their first release in a decade, since 2015’s ‘Panic Stations’. This record dives into a lot of the hallmarks of what makes this band special and stand out within the scene after all these years. From deep lyrics to catchy melodies, you can’t go wrong with a new MCS album. 

The first track, “Some Wear a Dark Heart”, really sets the tone with nostalgic and smooth vibes right off the bat. The guitar really does a lot of heavy lifting here, as it will on the rest of the album. And the chorus comes in absolutely hot, and strong as well to start with. The synth will be something talked about hugely on this album, as it’s additive and feels crucial to this band’s sound as a whole. 

We follow up with the lead single from the record, “She Is Afraid”. It really makes sense why this was the first song we heard off the album, as it perfectly blends old and new sounds from the band. The lead guitar by guitarist Joshua Cain really shines bright on this one. It’s got a banger of a chorus, and it’s elevated further with the outro and final chorus feeling so huge. It’s just a perfect encapsulation of what this band is about and a great first song to show someone who’s unfamiliar of them. 

We follow up with another of the recent singles, in “Particle Physics”. Starting off with the synth by keyboardist Jesse Johnson really fucking rocks and feels unapologetic in being true to themselves. It’s such a fun song overall and the melodies feel so infectious, especially during the chorus. The bass by bassist Matthew Taylor also does a great job at standing out on a track like this. And last but not least, Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy’s feature really does a great job of providing backup vocals and harmonies that make this a highlight track off this entire album. One line that stood out in a clever manner was, “It’s like you need a PhD to get me, if you get me”. 

We follow up with yet another of the singles in a more anthemic type of track, with “You Know Who the Fuck We Are”. The lead guitar here feels so reminiscent of the 2000’s when it comes in, especially the main riff. The synth continues to be additive to all of these songs, and the band is doing such a great job of making these songs feel both nostalgic and fresh. This song is no exception as you can imagine fans screaming back these lyrics at their shows going forward. 

We slow down the record a bit in a track with “Melancholia”. I wanna give a big shoutout to the instrumentals on here and the record as a whole. They feel like they’re speaking to me on a spiritual level, and just what I’d love to hear from this band in 2025. Vocalist Justin Pierre sounds exceptional on this one, especially during the chorus. The synth once again fits the vibe of this track, and it continues to feel like a character in each of these songs. 

We slow down even more with an emo-centric type of track, with “Your Days Are Numbered”. The main guitar riff at the top feels so melancholy and haunting, and it provides great atmosphere to this song. Like, the instrumentals feel so gloomy and cool to hear. Mat Kerekes of Citizen’s feature on this may be short, but his presence alone influences the vibe of this song as a whole. And somehow, the synth seems to fit perfectly even in a track like this one. A lyric that stood out to me here is “you can’t escape yourself and no one hurts like me”. 

We pick the energy back up with what I’d say is my favorite song on the album, with “Downer”. It’s just my kind of track in general, as it taps into 90’s pop punk vibes and the nostalgia of it all. The synth is without a doubt the best on this track, as it’s catchy and really elevates a song like this. The lyrics also feel pretty introspective on this one, as it takes a look back on how things were back then and realizing it wasn’t that serious. Justin does a great job at communicating those lyrics and putting the honest at the forefront of these tracks. 

We follow up with one of the more out there songs of the record for me, with “Mi Corazon”. I really got the impression of Say Anything when it came to Justin’s vocal delivery on this track. The lead guitar and bass really do shine on this song as well, and I really appreciate these songs feeling distinct from one another. It makes this album feel varietal and mean something after a decade wait for a new album. And that last chorus goes pretty hard as well. 

We jump to the shortest and most punk influenced track on the record, with “Bloodline”. This is definitely the most out of left field song on this album, but it’s a welcome one. It gives some Jimmy Eat World vibes at times, and I love how crunchy the guitar tone sounds here. Like I was saying before about variety, this song makes this album feel like there’s something for everybody. 

We reach the penultimate track of the record in another nostalgic pop punk type of banger, with “Things Like This”. The synth is front and center once again like it’s 2006, and I’m so here for it. The chorus feels huge once again, and this one just feels so signature for this band. Like, they know how to play on their strengths and crank it up to 11. Deanna Belos of Sincere Engineer’s feature really fits well with providing the higher melodies during the bridge, and her vocals sound great with Justin’s. It makes for one of the best tracks on this album, and a memorable one for many I can see. 

We reach the end of our journey of this time machine of a record, with the title track. And ending with classic vibes from this band just feels right. It makes for a pretty fitting closing track and a lot to enjoy about it. That key change goes so fucking hard, and definitely felt unexpected. The lyrics feel very introspective once again, and Justin sounds great as always. I think it ties the album together pretty well, and ending on an acoustic note just feels like the cherry on top of this wonderful album. 

All in all, I think ‘The Same Old Wasted Wonderful World’ makes for a great comeback album for Motion City Soundtrack on multiple levels. It seems they haven’t lost a step when it comes to songwriting or catchy hooks, and this album is true to themselves in every way. Fans of the band are sure to be very happy and pleased with this record, and the scene is very lucky to have them overall.