REVIEW: Games We Play - I Wish I Never Quit
If there was ever a prime example of getting knocked down but refusing to stay down, it’s Nashville artist Emmyn Calleiro, better known under his project name GAMES WE PLAY. Taking over social media spaces and seemingly rubbing shoulders with all our emo-punk heroes, Calleiro suddenly dropped off the face of the earth and left us with plenty of questions but without his catchy music. Now, Calleiro returns having rekindled his passion for music and making the steadfast decision that he will no longer write based on what the industry wants. Remaining faithful to his craft has resulted in I Wish I Never Quit, an album that’s 100% his words and his heart, a lesson to others who feel burned out to take that deep breath and dust yourself off when you feel able to.
First landing on our social media screens through humorous TikToks and reels, Calleiro caught the attention of FALL OUT BOY’s Pete Wentz with his self-exposed lyrics, warm personality and humour, and a sound that transports us back to classic 00’s pop-punk-emo. Wentz was quick to sign GAMES WE PLAY to his coveted Fueled By Ramen label - for those dreaming of the ‘glamour’ of success, this felt like the first peak in the mountain rage of a career, a surety that it could only go upward from there. Instead, Calleiro suffered from burnout, the constant cycle of write, perform, post, (barely) sleep, repeat invading on his personal life, while the industry’s pressure on him to write a certain way for streams sucked the joy out of music.
Calleiro reached a breaking point that could have seen him walk away from GAMES WE PLAY and the industry for good, something his own dad had done years before when his son was born (Jason Calleiro was the original vocalist for GLASSEATER). Having become a father himself, Calleiro decided to break the generational cycle by returning to his creative outlet and keeping his life balanced - this time on his terms. I Wish I Never Quit is Calleiro at his most honest and treads the line between self-assured and still working on himself, against a backdrop of catchy melodies and nostalgic hooks.
“I guess my time is up” is the first thing we hear on opener A Proper Introduction, pretty bleak but apt for a track that sees Calleiro reflect on his success within his personal life and career before flipping it into a scrutiny of his parents and the comparison of where everyone expects him to be versus him actually doing better now despite appearances saying otherwise. It’s a vulnerable display played over a contradictory boppy rhythm that judders between speeding instrumentals and stripped back moments that bring the song to a screeching halt, finally exploding into an entertaining commotion of drums and horns.
Is This What I’m Made Of feels borderline Midwest emo but with a focus on horns and piano that would sit it comfortably on PANIC! AT THE DISCO’s Nine In The Afternoon album, Calleiro lamenting “there’s a light, I can feel it, but I’m bound to mess it up” before his voice rises to a false scream over trumpets. There’s no innuendo or interpretation of The Smash, it’s a no-holds-barred attack at the industry puppet masters who tried to mould the entire sound of GAMES WE PLAY into something unrecognisable, with Calleiro standing his ground and refusing to play the game by their rules over undulating rhythms, acoustic guitar, and a deadpan delivery reminiscent of WEEZER.
Silver Lining starts to see a turn in the personal growth but still focusing on the feeling of being stuck in quicksand as Calleiro works out if starting a band is the best path for him, his voice rising to a screech of “where’s my silver lining” over a melody that will keep early TWENTY ONE PILOTS fans listening. Right Place, Wrong Timing is a step further in the right direction of self-acceptance, but starts to look at the cons of being a musician in the modern world where it’s not enough to be an authentic creator with catchy acoustic and piano compositions coupled with harmonising choruses, you have to make friends out of industry enemies and play to the crowd on your socials just to get a crumb of notoriety. “This is a song about getting better, and if you sing along then we can do it together” is one of the first lines of This Is A…Song and feels exactly like the emotional gut punch it is, Calleiro inviting you in to share insecurities and fears over a stripped back, repetitive piano scale and acoustic guitar that gradually builds as he decides this can be a song for when your happy or sad, as long as you keep hope alive.
The Worst Thing I’ve Ever Done feels like a mix between P!ATD and Bo Burnham in its self-flagellation of Calleiro not being around more for his daughter and a brutally honest and terrifying look into the future where they’ll become estranged if he doesn’t balance his life better over layered vocals, upbeat piano and steady drums, the track fading out on a melancholic piano note. Enid takes a slower approach that hops between elements found in JIMMYEATWORLD’s gentler songs and OF MONSTERS AND MEN’s understated beats and soft acoustics, Calleiro mourning someone who’s “not around anymore”, whatever spark they had vanishing and leaving his life dimmed. Final track Maybe I’m Right is a last struggle to silence the negative voices in his head that tells him he’s not good enough now, with hard-hitting lyrics “I am trying but I’m barely hanging on” over a sentimental guitar riff, the final segment showing Calleiro looking into a new future where he’ll play guitar for his daughter and he’ll finally be happy that he “didn’t quit”.
Score: 8/10
I Wish I Never Quit will be released on 18th September 2026 via Nettwerk Music Group.
Words: Julia Stark
Photos: Juan Flores
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