Released by Interscope Records and produced by Mike Sapone, The Devil and God marks Brand New’s major label debut. Their two previous full-length albums, Your Favorite Weapon and Deja Entendu, were released by Triple Crown Records.

In 2003, Brand New turned out its sophomore effort, Deja Entendu. It was a step towards maturity from the previous album. With bitter, stinging lyrics and pop-punk guitar riffs, Your Favorite Weapon left listeners reminiscing of their high school days and introduced Brand New to the music scene as the kids from Long Island who wore their hearts on their sleeves. While Your Favorite Weapon was the anthem for teen angst associated with bad breakups and disloyal friends, Deja Entendu allowed for Brand New to advance musically, although the lyrics were still malicious.

Deja Entendu exposed the darker side of Brand New and brought the band to a higher level. It also brought Brand New to the status of typical emo band in the eyes of many listeners.

Although it may have appeared that Brand New was just like every other post-punk emo band, The Devil and God proves otherwise. While Deja Entendu was a step above Your Favorite Weapon, The Devil and God is twenty steps above Deja Entendu.

In The Devil and God, it is evident that Brand New did some growing up. The album possesses a darker, more solemn sound, but it does not stray from the roots upon which the band was founded. Guitarist Vinnie Accardi developed his once power-chord sound to rich melodies that give the songs both structure and texture. In fact, out of the 12 tracks on the album, two are entirely instrumental; “Welcome to Bangkok” and “Untitled.” Having songs with no lyrics to fall back on demonstrates the outstanding instrumental abilities the band has developed.

The album’s lyrical style is also different. Still intelligent and spiteful, vocalist Jesse Lacey’s voice pleads and his lyrics tackle more issues than the promiscuous girls of Your Favorite Weapon and Deja Entendu. The lyrics of The Devil and God evoke a deeper understanding and a second look at one’s self. In “Jesus Christ,” Lacey tackles death, declaring, “Well Jesus Christ, I’m not scared to die / I’m a little bit scared of what comes after / Do I get the gold chariot? / Do I float through the ceiling?”

While the quartet has changed and grown-up, this is not to say that The Devil and God has nothing in common with their previous records. While listening to a Brand New record, it is customary to expect an acoustic track to end the album. The Devil and God does not disappoint, closing with the softly-sung “Handcuffs.”

The anger that was Your Favorite Weapon and the spite that was Deja Entendu have somewhat subsided in The Devil and God. While the lyrics are still solemn, there are songs such as “The Archers Bows are Broken” where the troublesome lyrics “Who do you carry the torch for, my young man? / Do you believe in anything? / Do you carry it around just to burn things down?” are paired with a fast-paced tempo.

While the album has only twelve tracks, there was a limited edition single featuring “Sowing Season (Yeah)” and “aloC-acoC.” This single was given to those who chose to preorder the album or buy it on its day of release at selected retailers.

Brand New’s maturation doesn’t mean that The Devil and God neglects those Brand New fans who fell in love with Your Favorite Weapon. Their new album is for the kids who fell in love with Your Favorite Weapon, and grew up with Brand New. The fans might still have the pop punk spirit and might still fall for Lacey’s emotional turmoil. These attributes of Brand New are still present in The Devil and God, but like the band and the fans, they have grown older and wiser.