On the Impossible Past

On the Impossible Past is the third studio album by American punk rock band The Menzingers. It was released by Epitaph Records on February 21, 2012. The album was met with widespread acclaim by music critics, with the aggregating website Metacritic calculating an average score of 93 out of 100.^[6]

On the Impossible Past
Studio album by The Menzingers
Released	February 21, 2012 (2012-02-21)
Recorded	2011
Genre	Punk rock[1][2][3] melodic hardcore[4][5]
Length	41:31
Label	Epitaph
Producer	Matt Allison
The Menzingers chronology
Chamberlain Waits (2010) On the Impossible Past (2012) Rented World (2014)

On the Possible Past
EP by The Menzingers
Released	February 21, 2012
Recorded	2011
Genre	Acoustic punk
Length	22:01
Label	Epitaph

Track listing

All songs written, composed and performed by The Menzingers

On the Impossible Past track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Good Things"	2:23
2.	"Burn After Writing"	3:03
3.	"The Obituaries"	3:17
4.	"Gates"	4:04
5.	"Ava House"	3:41
6.	"Sun Hotel"	3:51
7.	"Sculptors and Vandals"	2:10
8.	"Mexican Guitars"	3:08
9.	"On the Impossible Past"	1:33
10.	"Nice Things"	3:28
11.	"Casey"	3:42
12.	"I Can't Seem to Tell"	3:05
13.	"Freedom Bridge"	4:12
Total length:		41:31

On the Possible Past

Pre-orders of the album included a cassette titled On the Possible Past, which contains demos recorded during the winter and spring of 2011. The collection was released on a one time pressing of 1,000 on green vinyl by Epitaph Records.^[7]

1. "Good Things" – 2:18
2. "Burn" – 2:15
3. "Ava" – 2:46
4. "Sun Hotel" – 3:51
5. "Sculptors and Vandals" – 2:22
6. "Casey" – 3:18
7. "I Can't Seem to Tell" – 2:33
8. "Freedom Bridge" – 2:38

Reception

Critical response

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	93/100[6]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
AbsolutePunk	9.5/10[2]
Alternative Press	[8]
Kerrang!	[1]
Louder than War	8/10[9]
Pitchfork	8.0/10[10]
PopMatters	8/10[4]
Rock Sound	8/10[11]
Sputnikmusic	3.5/5[12]
This Is Fake DIY	8/10[13]

On the Impossible Past garnered critical acclaim upon its release.^[6] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream music critics, the album received an average score of 93, based on nine reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim".^[6] AllMusic writer Gregory Heaney awarded the album four stars out of five and praised its "wryly nostalgic performance, giving a nod to their punk roots as they embrace the rugged earnestness of the Rust Belt with songs about broken hearts, loneliness, and self-doubt."^[3] Thomas Nassiff of AbsolutePunk called the album "sweeping, driven, masterful" as he scored it a near-perfect 9.5/10. He confessed that despite "review[ing] albums every week, I just can't seem to fully explain my adoration" for it, before summarizing On the Impossible Past "is an album that should have come out decades ago...this is something that has no expiration date."^[2] Steve Lepore of PopMatters called the album "an impeccably crafted melodic hardcore record by a group ready for its close-up."^[4] The album also received favorable reviews from the BBC and Exclaim!^[14][15]

Accolades

Accolades for On the Impossible Past

Publication	Country	Accolade	Rank
AbsolutePunk	United States	AP.net Staff List: Top 30 Albums of 2012[16]	1
Frontier Psychiatrist		The Top 50 Albums of 2012[17]	26
Metacritic		Best Under-the-Radar Releases[18]	2
Punknews		Best of 2012 – Staff Picks[19]	1
Sputnikmusic		Staff's Top 50 Albums of 2012[20]	25
Kerrang!	United Kingdom	The K! Critics' Top 101 Albums of the Year[citation needed]	13
Rock Sound		The 50 Best Albums of 2012[21]	1
This Is Fake DIY		DIY Albums of 2012[22]	20
Thrash Hits		The Thrash Hits Top 20 Albums of 2012[23]	6

Personnel

The Menzingers

• Tom May – guitar, vocals
• Joe Godino – drums
• Greg Barnett – guitar, vocals
• Eric Keen - bass guitar