rating. Laura McKee of musicOMH considered the "brutal" sincerity of Jorgenen's lyrics a highlight, while mentioning that although the music might be generic, the group managed to make their mark in the "otherwise overcrowded industry" in terms of lyrics. Uthayashanker compared Jorgensen to Brand New frontman Jesse Lacey and was convinced she was listening to Brand New during "Stay on the Ground" and "Walking at Night, Alone". She said the group had created an album that "won't surprise but will certainly entertain". According to Now writer Jered Stuffco, Equal Vision was "banking heavily" on the band to accumulate strong sales, and based on the group's "poster-boy image, melodramatic harmonies and tight emo riffage," he felt they might succeed. Commercial performance and legacy What to Do When You Are Dead peaked at number 101 on the Billboard 200, as well as charting at number 1 on the Heatseekers Albums chart and number 8 on the Independent Albums chart. By December 2007, the album had sold 220,000 copies. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of What to Do When You Are Dead, the band performed a series of shows in September, October and December 2015, during which they performed the album in its entirety. In 2015, Maria Sherman of Fuse.tv wrote that the album set the blueprint for "future pop-punk bands to explore concept records in very real ways". Calling it "impressive at the time, this band from the suburbs [wrote] a power pop-punk record with a linear, intricate narrative". AXS contributor Tarynn Law wrote that "the instantly relateable tracks that filled What To Do When You Are Dead soundtracked the teenage angst of kids all around the country for years to come". Brian Aberback of NorthJersey.com noted that the album placed the band on the "indie-rock map and continues to resonate heavily with fans 10 years later". Jorgensen later called the album a "diary entry. Without that, I think a lot of people when [their] lives go on they forget what they went through at a certain point in time so for me that's the biggest markers for me to remember where I was at the point in my life." NJ.com included the album at number 46 on the best New Jersey albums from the 21st century. As It Is frontman Patty Walters cited it as the biggest influence on their album The Great Depression (2019). Track listing Personnel Personnel per booklet.