Ever wondered what Bruce Springsteen would sound like if he had an emo flair? In all seriousness, Andrew McMahon has the voice of an old soul and it really projects on his new song, “My Racing Thoughts” off Jack’s Mannequin’s new album, People and Things out October 4. His calming piano over a clean guitar and driving drumbeat sounds authentically Jack’s Mannequin. Don’t expect to be blown away by this new tune though—it’d be a ballad if the drums didn’t push the song along.

The track starts off with a flowery Owl City-like tone. Once the vocals kick in, the song pretty plateaus out at the same tempo, slowing down at the chorus. The piano chords reinforce the melodies while the guitars fill the silence left behind by the piano. McMahon’s voice sounds undoubtedly older and more rustic. He sings with beautiful melody, using wildly abstract metaphors to sing about a girl he meets while suffering some dark injustice. The girl seems to understand him well enough to read his “racing thoughts.” Lyrically, the song is moving. The band adds a nice touch with the synth towards the pre-choruses, moving the song along with a special oomph, which,  barring this, the tune lacks.

There isn’t much that separates this song from any other Jack’s Mannequin song. That might be somewhat of a good thing for those Mannequinheads out there, assuming you want consistency. Hopefully there’ll be catchier, more melodic songs on his new album. I can’t afford to pop this song on my car and fall asleep at the wheel.

★★★☆☆

*This review was composed by Jose Terrero