Recording for Chase This Light began in July 2006 with producer Butch Vig. In June 2007, it was announced that the album was being mixed by Chris Lord-Alge.
Music
The song "Carry You" originated as a track from Jim Adkins' side project Go Big Casino. Jimmy Eat World has recorded other Go Big Casino songs previously like "Hear You Me", "My Sundown", and "Drugs or Me". After releasing "Be Sensible" as a B-Side, the band regretted not including it on the full album
Release
In July 2007, the band went on a tour of the US, before doing several shows in South Africa as well as appearing at several festival dates in Europe the following month. On August 16, the album's track listing was revealed. "Big Casino", the first single from the album, was released August 28 for download. The album's artwork was released the following day. In September and October, the group went on a North American tour. Chase This Light was released on October 16 through Interscope. A music video was released for "Big Casino" on October 24. "Always Be" was released to radio on December 4, 2007. In January 2008, the band supported Foo Fighters on a few US shows. A music video for "Always Be" was released on January 29. From late January to early March, the band went on a tour of Europe and the UK. They were supported by Styrofoam on the latter part of the tour. In early April, the band appeared at the Bamboozle Left festival. "Let It Happen" was released to radio on April 8. In April and May, the band went on a co-headlining US tour with Paramore. In June and July, the band went on a tour of North America with support from Dear and the Headlights.
Reception
Critical reception
Chase This Light received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 66, based on 25 reviews. Andy Greenwald from Entertainment Weekly gave praise to the band for combining the "extroverted guitar pop" of Bleed American and the pensive bulk of Futures to encapsulate what their given genre is: "big emotions, sure, but also big hooks, big stakes. And big rewards." He concluded by calling Chase This Light "a master class in hard rocking for the soft-hearted." Slant Magazine's Jonathan Keefe called it "a return to form for the band in terms of their ingratiating power-pop", praising the tracks "Big Casino" and "Always Be" for their instantly catchy instrumentation and melodies that make up the overall tone of the album. He added that "it isn't a stretch to say that Chase This Light is one of the year’s best power-pop records." Spin journalist Andrew Beaujon praised Jim Adkins' vocal delivery for having a "youthful tang" that sells the songs about "getting older and maybe a little more cynical." He concluded that "he joy of Chase This Light is hearing him convince us that it comes back again, too." AllMusic editor Tim Sendra was ambivalent towards the record, commending the return to Bleed American material that's made up of "rousing anthems ", "melancholy rockers with singalong choruses " and "sweet ballads " but was critical of the dry and airless production, the vocals sounding passionless and the unimaginative lyricism, saying that its "nice to listen to and vaguely uplifting, but ultimately empty on the inside." He concluded that "Jimmy Eat World have proven they can do better than this and they may yet, but this album is a bit of a disappointment." Andrew Blackie of PopMatters was also disappointed with the album coming across as "a weaker, limper version" of Futures, criticizing producer Butch Vig for making the band sound "processed and sterile" and the lyrical content for being "juvenile and sapped in self-important, happy-go-lucky sentiments." He concluded that "ore disappointing than that, though, is the fact that there is hardly anything groundbreaking to be found in Chase This Lights 40 minutes, which is less than we’ve come to expect from this band."
Commercial performance
The album debuted at number five on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling approximately 62,000 copies in its first week. It also sold 78,000 worldwide. As of July 2008, the album has sold approximately 320,000 copies worldwide, and, as of September 2010, the album has sold 225,000 copies in the United States.
Track listing
All songs written and composed by Jimmy Eat World. ;Bonus tracks
"Be Sensible" – 5:04
"Distraction" – 2:58
"Open Bar Reception" – 3:55
"Take 'Em as They Come" – 3:55
"Dizzy" – 4:27
"Beautiful Is" – 2:30
Personnel
Adapted credits from the booklet of Chase This Light. ;Jimmy Eat World
