Plain White T's - Big Bad World (2008/2020)

After "Hey There Delilah" turned the Plain White T's into 2007's most unexpected success story, the band decamped to Malibu to dream up a proper follow-up. Arriving one year later, Big Bad World is a refreshingly smart release that emphasizes the band's pop/rock leanings. Slower songs dot the set list, but the Plain White T's never attempt to recreate the magic that fueled "Hey There Delilah," focusing instead on slick, sunny songcraft with nary an acoustic guitar in sight. Perhaps fueled by his recent success, frontman Tom Higgenson is in fine voice here, particularly when flanked by his bandmates' harmonies. "Big Bad World" and "Natural Disaster" introduce that tight vocal sound, while "Sunlight" takes its cues from '70s soft rock, boasting a gauzy chorus that takes a page from the Eagles' songbook. Most punk-pop musicians wouldn't be caught dead with an Eagles tune on their iPods, but Plain White T's have always prized pop above punk. Accordingly, pop forms the basis of Big Bad World not acoustic balladry, as the success of "Hey There Delilah" would suggest, and not emo-tinged punk, despite the many publications that categorize the band's music as such. Other groups traffic in similar circles, and bands like Jimmy Eat World and The Academy Is... (whose 2008 release, Fast Times at Barrington High, arrived just several weeks before this album) arguably do it better. Still, Big Bad World is a tidy, enjoyable release, and the Plain White T's deserve points for remaining grounded after a meteoric year.