Anybody who remembers "Hey There Deliah" -- and there are many, as evidenced by the August 2018 announcement that there were plans to turn the earnest chart-topper from 2006 into a scripted television series sometime in the future -- may be surprised how
Plain White T's do not sound like a vaguely emo-ish pop-punk band on their 2018 album,
Parallel Universe. The album begins with elastic, echoing bass and synth, easing into a vaguely EDM-influenced nocturnal pop tune called "Light Up the Room," and that sets the pace for the rest of the record.
Parallel Universe is a very modern record, filled with electronic rhythms and processed guitars, all married to tunes that otherwise sound like signature
Plain White T's songs: pleading, plaintive pop tunes. Theoretically, this could be an intriguing blend, but
Plain White T's come across as the old guys who are butting into parties where they're not invited. The new threads don't fit them well and, in order to compensate, they decide to talk dirty, a decision that only makes them seem gauche and withered. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine