The only reason I was not horribly disappointed was due to my knowing not to get my hopes up in the first place. This new effort from The Hip is simply bland and uninteresting. A minor-league effort at best. The band is fortunate to have a solid fan base in Canada because there is no way that "In Between Evolution" could possibly attract new fans. The music is conservative, dull, un-inspired and strikes the listener as being dishonest in the sense the band seemed to be antagonistically going through the motions against their will. Lyrically, this is by far Downie's weakest effort as nothing on the album makes for either good song-writing or good poetry. Where once Gord stood on the thin line between brilliance and obscurity, it is all too clear that he has fallen off on the wrong side. Each track is as forgettable as the rest and none of them would merit a spot on any of their previous albums, excluding the dismal "In Violet Light" (the poor quality of which I once dismissed as a fluke, but recognize now as a sad new reality for the lads).

Given the abilities of this band, this album is terrible. The Tragically Hip really ought to consider retirement from recording. If this is what The Hip have "evolved" into, they may wish to consider alternative careers.