The album isnât that bad, I donât understand what some people were expecting.
The album is definitely better than I was expecting, honestly. But at the same time those comments about how this album was not what the band needed right now when the fan base is dwindling already are spot on.
Oh I certainly did not have high expectations
No wonder theyâre going on hiatus. They probably knew once they got all the material together this wasnât going to go well. Time to take a breather and regroup.
Also, a lot of this album has pandemic overtones to it which is fine but begs the question: why wait so long to release it?
Vinyl pressing plant delays?
Edit: nvm those still arenât shipping
This album has terrible sequencing which makes me fear that the songs the band (Brendan) likes are going to get more play than the good songs.
IDKWIW> Small Strides is a solid opening, but the run of Always October (which sounds like a Police/Men at Work hybrid) through Dayville Monarchy is just pure adult contemporary blandness. And I like Dayville, but after this segment something of a different tone is much needed.
And then they choose to bury arguably the three best, punchiest songs in the final 15 mins of the record. Escape Goat is a legit banger but you have to wade thru 45 mins and 10 songs to get there. And Ordinary Times and Work Sauce are very strong UM songs but they are too similar to be placed next to one another at the end of the album.
Album would be substantially better with this tracklist:
IDKWIW
Small Strides
Hiccup
Ordinary Times
Escape Goat
Dayville Monarchy
Not your Fault
Pure Saturation
So Much
Work Sauce
Not going to speak for the group but I was expecting I donno⌠a better album 
I liked the album art. That is about all i got out of it.
Back to retirement
? 
Yea the order is definitely not ideal. Interestingly looks like the vinyl track listing is a little bit different.
Yeah, this sequencing is miserable. Additional thoughts on that: Escape Goat > How About Now? > Ordinary Times is literally laughably bad (which is a shame because two of those songs are album highlights!). Like, I donât know how anyone thought that would work.
So Much and Dayville Monarchy should also not be back to back. Might be the mellowest back to back UM songs in history. Itâd be one thing if there werenât enough other rockers on this album to balance, but there definitely are. Maybe one of Ordinary Times/Work Sauce could have fit here.
Fenced In is going to be awkward as hell live, but I will give them credit that the main groove established in the first 30 seconds and repeated throughout is SOLID. Gets the head bobbing every time. A shame they couldnât have done more with it.
My stab at a track list: IDKWIW, Ordinary Times, Always October, Fenced In, Small Strides, So Much, Work Sauce, Dayville Monarchy, Hiccup, Pure Saturation, Itâs Not Your Fault, Escape Goat, New Wings. (RIP How About Now)
Studio Dump City?
K after a few listens pure saturation and escape goat make this album worthwhile. If this was the first album umphreys put out, would I be into it?? Maybe not so much. But knowing all the great shit theyâve written, and now I get power pop banger umphreys??? Iâm kinda into this new dimension. Itâs not like the old stuff will go away
I just saw that and it is taking all my willpower to not reply.
I mean, BB is a whiney bitch not unlike Thom.