It’s been five long years since London-born singer-songwriter Jamie T released his second record Kings & Queens (2009) to critical acclaim, solidifying his place in the English indie rock scene. Known for his witty and clever lyrics, Jamie T has provided classic, well-written songs portraying a “normal person’s” critique of society. It’s what he does and he does it well—so naturally, his third album, Carry On the Grudge, sees him continue where he left off in 2009—but bringing just a little bit more experience to the mix.

Opening with “Limits Lie,” the album showcases a fuller sound, resulting in a much more direct and immediate listening experience. He questions, “Who knows where your limits lie,”—a clever double-entendre to the word ‘lie.’ Where do our limits lie, as in, where are they situated? Or where do they lie, as in, mislead us? Or is there a difference?

This general confusion continues for Jamie T over the span of the album’s 12 songs. “Don’t You Find” discusses a familiar love scenario: “Don’t you find, some of time there’s always someone on your mind that shouldn’t be at all?” before he replaces “someone” with “something” in the second verse, adding to the general lack of understanding of anything in the world. Lead single “Zombie” echoes this love theme: “I’m a sad, sad post teen caught up in the love machine,” he sings over a rather generic guitar strum and beat.

This generality, though, persists through the album. Lyrically, Jamie T covers the same topics he does in his previous works, while the music side of the work actually represents a step backwards for him. As opposed to the immediately arresting, brutal honesty and multi-layered instrumentals that made his proceeding albums such a joy to listen to, Carry On the Grudge is a relatively neutral experience.

“The Prophet” encompasses the overall feeling of the album, with lyrics describing typical teenage life: “She blames the poverty on her parents’ generation [….] I don’t know what to do now… I’ll just sit back and brew with the Coca Cola communists.” Thematically, it’s good. Musically, it’s just not that interesting. He proclaims, “I don’t ask the questions, I don’t write the rules [….] I’m up for suggestions and will follow you through.” Well, Jamie T, perhaps a little shake up next time around would do you good.