Futures is the fifth studio album by American rock band Jimmy Eat World, released on October 19, 2004, through Interscope Records.

Described as encompassing several rock styles, Futures included more solos and complex guitar parts than past releases, intended to expand on the atmosphere of their third studio album Clarity (1999).

The songs on the album were compared to the work of Jets to Brazil and Maritime, while some of the guitar parts echoed the sound of Fugazi and Hüsker Dü.

In July 2001, Jimmy Eat World released their fourth studio album, Bleed American, through major label DreamWorks Records.

[1] It became a commercial success, selling over 1.3 million copies, being certified platinum in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

[4] Due to the album's popularity, the band promoted it with two years of touring, which made it hard for the members to unwind after returning home.

[2] In May 2003, vocalist and lead guitarist Jim Adkins said that the band had a lot of new material and would record sometime thereafter with Mark Trombino in Los Angeles, California.

[11] The following month, the band's label, DreamWorks, was bought by Universal Music Group[12] and absorbed into Interscope Records[13] in January 2004.

[16] Bassist Rick Burch said they felt it was too soon to work on an album, having spent a considerable amount of time touring Bleed American, suggesting that they should have taken a six month break.

[8][20][21] When they entered the studio, they had accumulated about 30 tracks to work with; Norton and engineer David Schiffman were assisted by Jason Grossman and Steven Rhodes.

[8] Sessions then moved to the home studio of Harvey Moltz, a friend of the band, in Tucson, Arizona, where most of the album was recorded.

[8][23] Adkins said the group simply wanted a change of scenery from California, as Tucson helped them work without distractions; guitars and vocals were done there.

When working on material, Adkins would show the band a rough outline of it, which the rest of the members would flesh out and potentially add further instrumentation, such as piano.

"[2] The album drew comparisons to the bands Jets to Brazil and Maritime,[38] while some of the guitar lines recalled Hüsker Dü and Fugazi.

[31] Adkins set himself a challenge to write a track that had no repetitive lyrics, which became "Kill";[23] it features a reference to the Heatmiser song "Half Right".

They later re-made it, building the song around Adkins' vocals and swapping the acoustic eighth notes for arpeggiated guitar and piano parts.

[47] The power ballad "Night Drive"[52] opens with an "ooh" vocal melody; it talks about an alcoholic person in Adkins's life.

[44] On July 15, 2004, Futures was announced for release in three months' time; alongside this, the band emailed three songs, namely "Pain", "Just Tonight..." and "Polaris", to their street team.

[66] The CD single included the glitch musician Styrofoam's remix of "Drugs or Me" and an acoustic version of "Work", as well as the song's music video.

[74] To promote its release, the band played in-store gigs, held listening parties at Fast Forward chain stores, and a session for Launch.com.

[78] A short series of shows in Japan[79] led into a two-month US arena tour, co-headlining with Taking Back Sunday in April and May.

[85] Sputnikmusic staff member Adam Knott wrote that each second of the album "is direct in its accessible, spirited approach and brilliantly executed."

"[49] In a review for Punknews.org, Scott Heisel said the tracks "toe the ever-so-thin line between commercial success and artistic integrity", thanks in part to Norton.

Online found in the album a return to the group's early beginnings, "sporting 11 sparkling gems that carefully balance balladry ... with bombast".

[87] Bram Teitelman of Billboard said it contained the "same trademarks that made [Bleed American] so enjoyable ... upbeat pop-punk, tempered with moodier, slower songs, great melodies and vocal harmonies".

[30] Entertainment Weekly writer Brian Hiatt opined that "if Jimmy are in the middle of a long ride, Futures retains just enough tunefulness to keep us from jumping out of the car.

"[34] At The Guardian, Betty Clarke noted that the record was "the ultimate pop-rock break-up album", with Adkins "jump[ing] neck-deep into heartbreak.

"[32] Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone found the band to be "rid[ing] their bighearted radio rock into O.C.-worthy teen turmoil on Futures, their fifth and finest album.

"[86] AllMusic reviewer Tim Sendra stated "Futures will most likely not be the sensation that Bleed American was – it is too dark and inwardly focused for that."

[106] Mayday Parade drummer Jake Bundrick cited the album as an inspiration,[107] while Alex Gaskarth of All Time Low has expressed admiration for it.