Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	73/100
Review scores
Source	Rating
AbsolutePunk	94%
AllMusic
Alternative Press
Blender
Drowned in Sound	8/10
Entertainment Weekly	B−
The Guardian
Punknews
Rolling Stone
Sputnikmusic	5/5

Futures is the fifth studio album by American alternative rock band Jimmy Eat World, released on October 19, 2004, through Interscope Records. Futures was led by the successful single "Pain", followed by "Work" and "Futures". The album has sold 620,000 units in the United States, giving it Gold Record status.

The band initially entered the studio with Mark Trombino, producer of the band's previous three studio albums, Static Prevails (1996), Clarity (1999), and Bleed American (2001). Disagreements, however, lead to Trombino's departure from the project and Gil Norton became the producer.

"Kill" references the Heatmiser song "Half Right", which the band would later cover for their Stay on My Side Tonight EP.

In 2010, vocalist and guitarist Jim Adkins commented on Trombino's departure stating:

"Pain" was released to radio on September 14, 2004.Futures was released on October 19, 2004 by Interscope. A deluxe edition of the album was released showcasing the album's songs in demo form. "Work" was released to radio on December 7, 2004. "Futures" was released to radio on May 10, 2005.

Futures was well received by music critics upon its release. On the review aggregating website Metacritic, the album obtained an average score of 73, based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."

Tim Sendra at AllMusic stated "Futures will most likely not be the sensation that Bleed American was -- it is too dark and inwardly focused for that." Sendra, however, noted that the album shows a sound progression that fans should accept. Brian Hiatt of Entertainment Weekly 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." At The Guardian, Betty Clarke noted "singer-songwriter Jim Adkins jumps neck-deep into heartbreak. His lyrics are his strength."

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Wikipedia