Album Reviews
Last year Chicago’s Time Thieves released two EPs, Come Home and If You Survive. Now, they’ve stitched those two releases together into one album’s worth of power pop goodness.
The songs from the Come Home EP are meant to come across as lighter and less serious, while the tracks off If You Survive lean into a slightly darker mood. But this is still power pop, so “dark” is relative. Expect plenty of buzzing guitars, slick melodies, and the kind of hooks that Weezer and Fountains of Wayne built their careers on. Time Thieves also bring to mind the punchy charm of Cabana Wear.
Despite their bright sound, the songs on Come Home wrestle with themes like personal loss, restlessness, and identity, before closing on a surprisingly sincere note of love and belonging. On the flip side, the songs that make up the If You Survive side embrace a more openly bleak atmosphere, reflecting real-world anxieties and a sense of modern-day disillusionment, while still framing its title as an invitation rather than a warning.
Taken together, the record feels like two sides of the same coin, both anchored by the band’s knack for melody and emotional honesty.
Come Home/If You Survive track listing:
- Cover My Ears
- Feels Different
- Remember I Forgot
- Forever Drifting
- Come Home
- Fool's Gold
- Stare at the Sun
- Anymore
- Dirge (If You Survive)
- Offer What You May (Extended)
Lacking the talent to actually play in a band, Tom decided he would write about bands instead. Turns out his writing skills are mediocre at best as well.
