On The Impossible Past (studio album)
by The Menzingers

On The Impossible Past by The Menzingers
Year: 2012
Release date: 2012-02-21
Overall rank: 3,543rd   
Average Rating: 
75/100 (from 44 votes)
     
Accolades:
Award Top albums of 2012 (65th)
Award Top albums of the 2010s (613th)
Award Best albums of all time (3,543rd)

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The Menzingers - On The Impossible Past & On the Possible Past: 10th Anniversary
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THE MENZINGERS On The Impossible Past NEW Galaxy Vinyl 2LP (Special Edition) pup
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The Menzingers - On the Impossible Past - Anniversary Ed. - Tangerine w/ Apple G
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The Menzingers bestography

On The Impossible Past is ranked as the best album by The Menzingers.

The Menzingers album bestography « Higher ranked
-
This album (3,543rd)
On The Impossible Past
Lower ranked (7,143rd) »
After The Party

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

Upcoming concerts

Jan
23
Fri
19:30
The Menzingers
Mickey's Black Box, Lititz, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 
Jan
23
Fri
19:30
The Menzingers
Mickey's Black Box, Lititz, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 
Jan
24
Sat
18:00
The Menzingers
Archer Music Hall, Allentown, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 
Discover more upcoming concerts

Listen to On The Impossible Past on YouTube

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On The Impossible Past track list

   The tracks on this album have an average rating of 77 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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Track
Rating/Comments
1.
Average Rating: 78 (10 votes)Comments: View 0
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2.
Average Rating: 77 (9 votes)Comments: View 0
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3.
Average Rating: 77 (9 votes)Comments: View 0
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4.
Average Rating: 79 (9 votes)Comments: View 0
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5.
Average Rating: 74 (9 votes)Comments: View 0
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6.
Average Rating: 76 (9 votes)Comments: View 0
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7.
Average Rating: 78 (8 votes)Comments: View 0
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8.
Average Rating: 77 (9 votes)Comments: View 0
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9.
Average Rating: 76 (8 votes)Comments: View 0
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10.
Average Rating: 77 (8 votes)Comments: View 0
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11.
Average Rating: 78 (9 votes)Comments: View 0
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12.
Average Rating: 75 (8 votes)Comments: View 0
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13.
Average Rating: 77 (8 votes)Comments: View 0
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On The Impossible Past rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 3,543rd | 2010s rank: 613th | 2012 rank: 65th

On The Impossible Past collection

Showing all 8 members who have this album in their collection

On The Impossible Past ratings

Average Rating: 
75/100 (from 44 votes)
   Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 44 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
60/100
 !
11/27/2025 14:20 DommeDamian   7,29649/100
 
75/100
 !
11/07/2025 14:57 cicadelic   11,42273/100
 
65/100
 !
10/28/2025 13:41 paladisiac   7,26165/100
 
85/100
 !
10/08/2025 21:59 Milhaud   1,66070/100
 
15/100
 !
09/18/2025 13:36 Proto   3,81533/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 11% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 74.8/100, a mean average of 74.0/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 75.3/100. The standard deviation for this album is 16.5.

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On The Impossible Past favourites

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On The Impossible Past comments

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Rating:  
100/100
From 06/23/2021 01:30 | #270931
The ratings site Metacritic gives this record a high rating of 93, making it the 22nd highest rating on the whole website, as of 2021, outranking Beyonce's "Lemonade," Kendrick Lamar's "Good Kid..." and White Stripes' "Elephant."

Two years before the heartland rock revival record "Lost in the Dream" by The War on Drugs, The Menzingers released their seminal record "On the Impossible Past." The band is cut from the same cloth as critically acclaimed pop-punk "orgcore" groups like The Gaslight Anthem and Against Me!, which take a melodic and heartfelt approach to their music, culminating in the brilliant "The '59 Sound" and "Transgender Dysphoria Blues" respectively.

On the Impossible Past evokes nostalgia and emotion, with lyrics reflecting on youth. The music takes hints from teenage pop-punk of Saves the Day and the sentimental nostalgic emo of Get Up Kids. But at the heart of every song yo will find joyful melodies, Beatles-esque harmonies, dazzling guitar hooks, and an irresistible punk edge. Every song is a delight, sure to make your heart happy and leave you longing for something you may have not even known you had lost.

Essential.

Career Highlight: Burn After Reading
Gems: Casey, Sun Hotel, Sculptors and Vandals
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