It would be fair to say I haven’t stayed with this record the same way I did with Gossip or Madness (I became a fan when Madness was their newest outing). The likes of ‘Leave It All Behind’ and the title track are without doubt some of the best tracks in their discography, but the heavy ‘Break Me Down’ just feels like an uninspired attempt at a glory days rehash. Its pleasures are a little like CGI in a mediocre movie – it wows you at the time but is forgotten by the end of the film.
‘Never Enough’ and ‘Agree To Disagree’ are both okay and enjoyable, and former closer ‘Dying To Believe’ is a nice end to the record. The rest, with the mild exception of ‘Medicine (Devil In My Head)’ are forgettable.
Now that brings us to the reissue. New track ‘Talking To Myself’ is an amazing anthem, delivering all the goods that a Sleeping With Sirens fan needs. It’s heavy and angry with a powerful and anthemic chorus, seasoned with a delicious breakdown. This track should’ve been written for the original release in place of ‘Break Me Down’.
For the acoustic tracks, I was most looking forward to ‘Leave It All Behind’ and, though the performance is brilliant, it just doesn’t hit me that well, especially considering the fact that the original track is one of their best. ‘Agree To Disagree’, however, is catchy and bouncy and much more original than, ironically, the original. ‘Ghost’ is moving and mellow, brilliantly executed and, again, an improvement on the original.
Overall, it seems a little lazy to deluxe an album with only one fully new track, but the track in question is great and the acoustics are nice additions. The problem is really with the longevity of the original record. This album, just over a year old, is already tired.