Brand New: Science Fiction

Science Fiction is, or should be, the swan song for Brand New, which is hard to both explain and rationalize.

A band so full of promise, skill, talent, and hype, yet carrying a black mark on their legacy because of off-stage actions, somehow released a near-perfect album. One that needs to be experienced alone, late, and with full focus.

The band here is far removed from the young pop-punkers who burst onto the scene with Your Favorite Weapon. They progressed with every release, but when you look at the bookends, it couldn’t be more apparent how far they came.

Their roots aren’t rejected, but refined and matured over half a dozen albums, culminating in an almost flawless set.

The emotional weight lands deeply. We’ve followed this band since they were kids. We’ve watched the songs evolve from girls and high school problems to guilt, shame, faith, self-loathing, morality, and mortality.

Several tracks stand out. “Same Logic,” “Waste,” and “137” all feel like retrospection personified into words. Heavier themes appear too. “Desert” confronts sexual conformity and attempts to give a voice to the voiceless.

Nothing is spelled out here. You’re left to do your own research, interpretation, and reckoning.

The guitars add texture, removing chugging loops in exchange for vivid solos and sudden explosions. Brand New keeps the listener on their toes with tempo changes, something they began experimenting with on Deja Entendu and perfected on The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me.

All of this exists under a giant black eye. The unavoidable questions that follow the accusations that frontman Jesse Lacey (at least) solicited teenage girls hang like a black cloud over the work. It puts a grime on everything. Does it impact the craft? It should. It can reframe past admiration and make praise uncomfortable. But despite, or maybe in spite of that, Science Fiction exists. It's impeccable. And New remains wildly popular to this day.

Regardless, Science Fiction stands as a powerful, and potentially final, statement from one of the aughts emo powerhouses.