| "Absolution Calling" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Incubus | ||||
| from the album Trust Fall (Side A) | ||||
| Released | February 5, 2015 | |||
| Length | 4:38 | |||
| Label | Island | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Incubus | |||
| Producer(s) | Mike Einziger | |||
| Incubus singles chronology | ||||
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"Absolution Calling" is the lead single for the American rock band Incubus on their 2015 EP Trust Fall (Side A) .
On February 5, 2015, Incubus released "Absolution Calling", [1] debuting the track on the Kevin and Bean show. [2]
In an interview with KROQ-FM, Incubus's guitarist Mike Einziger revealed that "Absolution Calling" was an improvised song that was created while the band's lead singer, Brandon Boyd, was overseas. [3] After listening to a demo of the song, Boyd was inspired to write a song about an event he had experienced that he could not describe in words. [4]
"Absolution Calling" was originally a demo based on a melody created by Incubus's bass guitarist Ben Kenney. Brandon Boyd said that Kenney's melody sounded like a song by The Cure. [4] Rolling Stone described the song's sound as having "spaced out ambiance" that is "undercut with gnarled guitars and Brandon Boyd’s ragged vocals. [5]
On March 5, 2015, a music video for "Absolution Calling" was released. [6] In the video, the band faces a rival gang in a dance battle reminiscent of Beat It. [7] In a behind-the-scenes interview with Incubus by iHeartRadio, Boyd said the idea for the music video came when their bass guitarist Ben Kenney suggested having a story similar to Quadrophenia. The director for "Absolution Calling" expanded Boyd's interpretation by saying the music video also had elements of West Side Story and The Lost Boys. [8] A lyric video was released as well. [5]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Music Unlabeled | 5/5 [9] |
| PPCorn |  [10] |
| Renowned for Sound |   [11] |
"Absolution Calling" received both praise and criticism by reviewers. When reviewing the band's performance, The Buffalo News applauded Boyd for his "exhilarating and inspiring" performance. [12] Similarly, PPCorn believed that Boyd's vocals were strengthened by the "powerful questions and references being asked" in the lyrics of "Absolution Calling". [10] Nevertheless, Naomi Jones of Renowned for Sound said the band almost muffled Boyd's vocals with their music during the chorus. [11]
Critics also had a difference in opinions on the shift of Incubus's genre in "Absolution Calling". Anne Fair of Music Unlabeled highlighted that although the song's melody was catchy, she believed the departure from previous Incubus songs could come as a surprise. [9] Alternatively, The Buffalo News complimented Incubus's usage of indie rock and pop in the composition of "Absoulution Calling". [12]
| Chart (2015) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Rock Airplay ( Billboard ) [13] | 18 |
| US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs ( Billboard ) [14] | 41 |
Incubus is an American rock band from Calabasas, California. The band was formed in 1991 by vocalist Brandon Boyd, lead guitarist Mike Einziger, and drummer José Pasillas while enrolled in Calabasas High School and later expanded to include bassist Alex "Dirk Lance" Katunich, and Gavin "DJ Lyfe" Koppel; the latter two were eventually replaced by bassist Ben Kenney and DJ Kilmore, respectively. Nicole Row replaced Kenney in 2024.
Make Yourself is the third studio album by American rock band Incubus. It was released on October 26, 1999, through Epic Records and Immortal Records. The album received double platinum certification by the RIAA and produced three charting singles—"Pardon Me", "Stellar", and "Drive"—all of which reached the top three of the Billboard Alternative Songs chart, with the latter topping the chart and also becoming the band's sole top ten hit to date on the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at number nine.
Brandon Charles Boyd is an American musician, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Incubus, with whom he has recorded eight studio albums.
S.C.I.E.N.C.E. is the second studio album by American rock band Incubus. It was released on September 9, 1997, by Epic and Immortal Records. The album was certified gold by the RIAA, and is the second and final release to feature Gavin Koppel, who first appeared on the 1997 Enjoy Incubus EP. It has been occasionally considered the band's proper debut album, due to the nature of their independent release Fungus Amongus.
Morning View is the fourth studio album by American rock band Incubus, released October 23, 2001, through Epic Records. A companion DVD, The Morning View Sessions, was released on May 29, 2002. Continuing the move away from nu metal, the album ranges widely from soft to hard rock sounds in the style of alternative rock. Morning View was the last Incubus album to feature bassist Alex Katunich.
Fungus Amongus is the debut studio album by American rock band Incubus, released on November 1, 1995, by Chillum Records, Incubus' own independent label. It was later re-released under Epic and Immortal Records on November 7, 2000, after popular demand.
A Crow Left of the Murder... is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Incubus, released on February 3, 2004. The album marks the first appearance of bassist Ben Kenney, following the departure of founding member Dirk Lance. The singles from the album are "Megalomaniac" and "Talk Shows on Mute". "Agoraphobia" was released as a promo single.
Enjoy Incubus is the second EP and major label debut by American rock band Incubus. It was released on January 7, 1997, by Epic and Immortal Records. It contained re-recordings of songs that were featured on their previous, independent releases Let Me Tell Ya 'Bout Root Beer and Fungus Amongus, as well the previously unreleased song "Version" and an untitled hidden track at the end of '"Hilikus". It was the first appearance on a release by DJ Lyfe, who added turntable scratches to the Fungus Amongus songs, and also supplied saxophone samples. This release was also noted for its introduction of 'Chuck', the mysterious mustachioed man who has become an icon for Incubus's early work. It is also the only Incubus release to feature a Parental Advisory label, despite many of their other albums also containing profanity.
Benjamin Lee Kenney Sr. is an American musician from Brielle, New Jersey. From 2003 to 2023 he was the bassist for the band Incubus and had previously played in the Roots as a guitarist. He also records as a solo artist, usually recording every instrument and singing all vocals on his records.
Alive at Red Rocks is a live DVD and bonus CD by the American band Incubus. It was recorded in Red Rocks, Colorado on July 26, 2004. It was the first DVD showing new bassist Ben Kenney. It was also the first DVD that featured Mike Einziger using a Fender Rhodes piano, on the performances of "Here in My Room" and "Drive."
Light Grenades is the sixth studio album by alternative rock band Incubus, released on November 28, 2006, on Epic. The album sold 359,000 copies during its first week of release worldwide, and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, selling 165,000 copies in the US in its first week; it is the band's first number one album. The album achieved Gold certification, less than the band's previous Platinum records beginning with 1999's Make Yourself.
"Love Hurts" is the third Europe single from Incubus' sixth album, Light Grenades, and is the fourth U.S. single. The song received moderate airplay in European countries. The single was released for airplay in the United States over a year after the previous single, "Oil and Water", and nearly two years following the album's release. It became a surprise hit for the band in the U.S., topping the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, becoming their fourth song to do so. It was officially released on October 7, 2008.
"Wish You Were Here" is a song by American rock band Incubus and the lead single from their fourth studio album, Morning View. Released on August 14, 2001, it peaked at number two on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and number four on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart that year. "Wish You Were Here" would later be included on the 2009 greatest hits compilation Monuments and Melodies.
"Take Me to Your Leader" is the debut single by American rock band Incubus, released in 1996. It is a re-recorded version of the original version from their 1995 debut album Fungus Amongus. The song was later re-recorded again for their 1997 EP Enjoy Incubus.
Monuments and Melodies is the first greatest hits compilation album by American rock band Incubus released on June 16, 2009, through Epic Records. It is released as a double-disc set, the first disc features 13 previously released singles from the albums Make Yourself, Morning View, A Crow Left of the Murder..., and Light Grenades, along with two new Brendan O'Brien–produced tracks, "Black Heart Inertia" and "Midnight Swim".
If Not Now, When? is the seventh studio album by American rock band Incubus, released on July 12, 2011 and named after the novel by Primo Levi. Preceded by the singles "Adolescents" and "Promises, Promises", the album represented the band's longest gap between studio albums at the time, and their final full-length release through long-time label Epic Records. Described by guitarist Michael Einziger as "a very straightforward, concise album," If Not Now, When? was recorded in the wake of an extended hiatus, and produced by frequent collaborator Brendan O'Brien. The album's cover features high wire artist Philippe Petit.
Trust Fall (Side A) is a four-track EP by alternative rock band Incubus, released in 2015 on Island Records. It was the first release from the band since their 2011 album, If Not Now, When?.
Trust Fall (Side B) is the fifth EP by rock band Incubus. It was released on April 17, 2020. Side B serves as a sequel to Trust Fall (Side A), which was released in 2015. It is the last studio material with bassist Ben Kenney before his departure in 2024.
"Nimble Bastard" is a single by American rock band Incubus, off of their eighth studio album 8. It peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart in April 2017.
8 is the eighth studio album by American rock band Incubus. It was released on April 21, 2017, through Island Records. The album takes its name from being the band's eighth LP. The release of 8 in 2017 saw the longest time between full-length albums for Incubus. The album was previously produced by Dave Sardy, and later re-produced and mixed by Skrillex, a close friend of the band. The album's first single, "Nimble Bastard", peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart in April 2017. 8 is the last studio album with bassist Ben Kenney.
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