Cool Patrol | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | August 17, 2018 [1] [2] | |||
Studio | Various
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Genre | Comedy rock [1] [3] | |||
Length | 37:28 | |||
Label | Self-released | |||
Producer | Jim Roach, Jim Arsenault, Dave Dominguez | |||
Ninja Sex Party chronology | ||||
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Singles from Cool Patrol | ||||
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Cool Patrol is the sixth studio album by American musical comedy duo Ninja Sex Party, released on August 17, 2018. [1] Following two cover albums, it marks their return to original and comedy-oriented material since Attitude City in 2015.
It is also their first release with new producer and co-songwriter Jim Roach, and their first original album to feature TWRP as backup band. [4] Five tracks were released as singles between 2016 and 2018. Upon release, the album reached No. 1 on Billboard 's Top Comedy Albums and Independent Albums charts, topping the first for seven consecutive weeks; it was ultimately the #1 comedy album of the year on their Year-end charts. [5] [6] [7]
Cool Patrol marked the first time that original Ninja Sex Party songs were not written solely by Avidan and Wecht, as their new producer Jim Roach co-wrote six of the fifteen tracks of the album; "Orgy for One" was released as a single on March 6, 2018, making it the first released song of the band not solely written by the duo. [8] All the songs were written by Avidan and Wecht, with some co-written by Roach. Avidan stated that Roach "really shares our sensibilities, and kind of helps us with ideas, and he has kind of opened up our music world." [9]
"Danny Don't You Know" is a power ballad; With Guitar also noted the presence of other genres through the album, such as new wave ("Cool Patrol"), synth-pop ("Orgy for One"), heavy metal ("Release the Kraken"), and madrigal ("Courtship of the Mermaid"). [1] [10]
The idea for "Danny Don't You Know" came from January 2017, when actor Finn Wolfhard appeared as a guest in two episodes of Avidan's show Guest Grumps. According to Avidan, Wolfhard had been a fan of Ninja Sex Party since the age of nine, when his older brother Nick introduced him to either Ninja Sex Party or Game Grumps (of which Guest Grumps is a spin-off), stating "as young as he is, he's like, six or seven years deep being a fan with us. So he came to the office and he's just such a great kid, and we ended up taking pictures with him, but I happened to be wearing the same shirt as him, and it looks shockingly like an evolutionary timeline. [...] And so we just decided to sort of write a song around that, 'cause we asked him if he'd be cool with playing the young version of me in a video." Wecht added:"It's the only time we've ever written a song based on like, a photo basically." [9] Writing the song was emotional for Avidan, "because it's sort of [me and Wecht's] life story. It's about me specifically, but we both had the same kind of nerdy upbringing." [9]
Wecht further recalled: "Everyone was like, 'Finn, you look like you’re young Dan.' Then we basically all had the same idea at the same time, which was, 'Why don’t we write a song in which he is young Dan?'" [11] Shortly after its release as a single on June 25, 2018, The band called "Danny Don't You Know" their "favorite-ever song", both musically and as a video, with Avidan stating on a latter interview that "everything seemed to come together right on that one". [9] [10]
Avidan and Wecht stated that "Release the Kraken" was their other favourite song on the album, with Avidan stating "We're big fans of like, progressive rock from the 70s and 80s rock too, and that [song] kind of has both in a weird way". [9]
The ninth track, "Heart Boner (Part II of the Boner Trilogy)", is a follow-up to the song "No Reason Boner" released in February 2010 and later included in Ninja Sex Party's 2011 debut album NSFW . Wecht stated "The character of Danny Sexbang is this like emotionally stunted man-child. The most romantic thing he could possibly think of would be a heart boner", while Avidan added "The character is very genuine and very heartfelt, and he’s not putting on an act, but a heart boner would be his image of the truest expression of love." According to Avidan, the song's subtitle was a nod to the tendency of progressive rock bands to make "big trilogies and series of songs over the course of 10 different albums." [11] The song was written by Avidan, Wecht and Roach, with Dallas Kruse acting as arranger of the string section. [12] Wecht called "GFY" "kind of like a marching band thing, very 'in your face.'" [9]
In addition to Roach as producer and engineer, the production crew included Eric Palmquist as additional engineer, Thom Flowers as mixing engineer, and Randy Merrill as mastering engineer. [8] [13] [14] "Cool Patrol" and "Courtship of the Mermaid" were produced by Jim Arsenault, who had produced the band's two previous Under the Covers albums, and Dave Dominguez; they were mixed by Steel Panther producer Jay Ruston, who was assisted by Jack Douglass. [12] Shortly after the release, Avidan stated "It’s the proudest I’ve ever been of anything we’ve done. It sounds like a real band. It doesn’t seem like too much to ask, but it’s a big deal to us." [15]
Canadian band TWRP performed as the backup band on the album, as they did on the previous two albums; it was the first original Ninja Sex Party album to feature them. [4] Other guests include Panic! at the Disco session member Kenneth "Kenny" Harris performing a guitar solo on "Orgy for One", and Bob Reynolds and Rashawn Ross performing saxophone and trumpet respectively on "Smooth Talkin'". [10] [16]
The album was recorded in three different studios: Palmquist Studios in Los Angeles, Santa Monica Recordings in Santa Monica, and Buffalo Recording in Los Angeles (the latter for the songs produced by Arsenault and Dominguez). [8] [12] [14]
In November 2017, Avidan mentioned in an episode of Game Grumps that the band had finished most of the recording of Cool Patrol, and were aiming for a June 2018 release. [2] [17]
On March 6, 2018, the band confirmed that the audio production of the album was completed, and that they were aiming at a "probable July release" which would be preceded with two new original song releases in the meantime. [16] As of May 8, 2018, all audio work on the album was finished, and the album design was being completed. [4] During the post-production of Cool Patrol, the band recorded their next cover album, Under the Covers, Vol. III; in parallel, they also recorded The TryForce, the third album of Starbomb, a band both Avidan and Wecht are also members of; both Under the Covers, Vol. III and The TryForce are produced by Roach. [4] [18]
The tracklist was officially announced on August 1, 2018, although it had already been leaked on Classic Rock on June 26. [1] [19] The album became available for pre-orders on the same day, in two editions: standard, including a poster of the band, and Deluxe, signed by Avidan and Wecht. [19] [20]
The first single from the album, "Cool Patrol", was released as a single and music video on October 18, 2016, reached No. 1 on the iTunes Comedy chart. [21] [22] The video features YouTuber Jacksepticeye. "Eating Food in the Shower" was released as a single and music video on February 16, 2017. On March 6, 2018, the band released "Orgy for One" as a single and music video. [8] [16]
On June 25, 2018, the band released the music video for "Danny Don't You Know", along with the official release date of Cool Patrol, August 17. As planned when writing the song, Wolfhard appeared in the video as a younger Danny Sexbang. [1] [3] "Danny Don't You Know" became the No. 1 trending video on YouTube when released. [10] [23] On September 17, the band performed the song as a musical guest on Conan along with TWRP.
"Heart Boner" was released as a single on August 2, 2018, along with a music video mixing live action and animation. [14]
"First Date" was released as an animated music video on August 10, 2018, animated by Simon Macko. [24] "Release the Kraken" was also released as an animated music video on November 29, 2018, animated by KLN. [25]
The music video for "Courtship of the Mermaid" was released on June 24, 2019, [26] featuring cameos from Adam Kovic and Lawrence Sonntag of Funhaus. An animated video for "Mansion Party" was released on September 6, 2019, also animated by Simon Macko. [27]
With Guitar stated "Ninja Sex Party have a sound as epic as Danny Sexbang’s fur-lined cape and more intense than Ninja Brian’s ninja pants. From the raging metal guitars of 'Release the Kraken' and synth jam 'Orgy for One' to the bouncy new wave of the dance-along title track to the delicate madrigals and bone-fracturing sound effects of 'Courtship of the Mermaid', it’s the most polished and sonically diverse Ninja Sex Party album to date." [10]
"Danny Don't You Know" became the No. 1 trending video on YouTube when released as a single, and received notable praise from several media outlets. [23] [28] [29] Classic Rock called the song it a "power ballad life lesson triumph", while Pop Buzz considered it "very inspiring". [1] [30] Louder called the song "brilliant", stating, "This is the sort of life-affirmation we all need every once in a while." [31] The popularity of the song led to Ninja Sex Party performing the song with TWRP on the late-night talk show Conan on September 17, 2018, in their live television debut; this censored version, which replaced the word "fuck" with "heck" and "hell", was released as a studio recording on September 21, under the name "Danny Don't You Know (Cool as Heck Version)". [32] [33] Avidan stated that the reaction to "Danny Don't You Know" made him and Wecht very emotional: "People started having a much different reaction to it than they had with any of our previous songs by far. [...] Even people in our personal lives were reaching out to us and saying like 'This means a lot to me', and that had never happened before." [9]
Cool Patrol debuted at No. 1 on Billboard 's Top Comedy Albums and Independent Albums charts, topping the first for seven consecutive weeks. [5] [6] [34] [35]
It also peaked at No. 2 on the Top Rock Albums chart, and at No. 21 on the Billboard 200 . [35] [36] It was ultimately the #1 comedy album of the year on Billboard's Year-end charts. [7]
All tracks written by Dan Avidan and Brian Wecht, except where noted.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Intro (Cool)" | 1:03 | |
2. | "Cool Patrol" | 3:17 | |
3. | "Orgy for One" | Avidan, Wecht, Jim Roach [12] | 3:23 |
4. | "Danny Don't You Know" | Avidan, Wecht, Roach | 4:35 |
5. | "Release the Kraken" | Avidan, Wecht, Roach | 3:20 |
6. | "Ninja Brian Goes to Soccer Practice" | 0:31 | |
7. | "First Date" | Avidan, Wecht, Roach | 2:45 |
8. | "Smooth Talkin'" | 2:39 | |
9. | "Heart Boner (Part II of the Boner Trilogy)" | Avidan, Wecht, Roach; string arrangement by Dallas Kruse | 4:13 |
10. | "Romance Novel" | 1:56 | |
11. | "Eating Food in the Shower" | 2:09 | |
12. | "Courtship of the Mermaid" | 2:49 | |
13. | "GFY" | 1:07 | |
14. | "Mansion Party" | Avidan, Wecht, Roach | 2:45 |
15. | "Outro (Patrol)" | 0:56 | |
Total length: | 37:28 |
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. [12]
Ninja Sex Party
Production
| Additional musicians
|
Chart (2018) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Billboard 200 [37] | 21 |
US Independent Albums (Billboard) [38] | 1 |
US Top Comedy Albums (Billboard) [39] | 1 |
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) [40] | 2 |
Ninja Sex Party is an American musical comedy duo consisting of singer Dan Avidan and keyboardist Brian Wecht. They formed in 2009 in New York City and are currently based in Los Angeles. They are also known as two thirds of the more rap-based musical trio Starbomb, together with frequent collaborator Arin Hanson.
NSFW is the debut studio album by the American musical comedy duo Ninja Sex Party, released on September 29, 2011. It is a collection of all the songs that the duo released as music videos from October 22, 2009 to August 17, 2011, alongside new tracks. The song "Dinosaur Laser Fight" was the only single released from the album, and has a music video partially animated by Arin Hanson, also known as Egoraptor. Every song on the album has a music video except for "Introduction", "Accept My Shaft", and "Outroduction". The album was released on CD in 2015, and charted modestly well in the US.
Strawberries and Cream is the second studio album by the American musical comedy duo Ninja Sex Party. The album was released on April 15, 2013. Three tracks from the album, "FYI I Wanna F Your A", "Next to You", and "Unicorn Wizard", were released as singles prior to the album's release. The album was a modest success worldwide.
Starbomb is the eponymous debut studio album by American comedy supergroup Starbomb, composed of Dan Avidan and Brian Wecht of American comedy rock duo Ninja Sex Party and Flash animator and Internet personality Arin Hanson. Starbomb brings together the mostly sexually provocative musical stylings of Ninja Sex Party and the video game-based humor of Hanson. The album was released on December 17, 2013. Starbomb later collaborated on a second album, Player Select, released on December 16, 2014.
Arin Joseph Hanson, also known by the pseudonym Egoraptor, is an American YouTuber, actor, rapper, and former animator. He is well known for his Flash cartoons, as well as being the co-founder and co-star of the popular YouTube Let's Play series Game Grumps.
Game Grumps is an American Let's Play web series hosted by Arin Hanson (2012–present) and Dan Avidan (2013–present). Created in 2012 by co-hosts Hanson and Jon Jafari, the series centers around its hosts playing video games. After Jafari left the show in 2013 to focus on his own YouTube webseries, JonTron, he was succeeded by Avidan.
Brian Alexander Wecht, also known by his character name Ninja Brian, is an American musician, Internet personality and theoretical physicist. He is best known as a member of comedy musical duo Ninja Sex Party and video game-based comedy music trio Starbomb. He has also been a past member of the affiliated Let's Play webseries Game Grumps, all three alongside Dan Avidan.
Leigh Daniel Avidan, also known by his stage name Danny Sexbang, is an American musician, internet personality, comedian, and actor. He is one half of the musical comedy duo Ninja Sex Party with Brian Wecht, as well as the co-host of the Let's Play webseries Game Grumps with Arin Hanson. He is also part of the more rap-based comedy music trio Starbomb with Hanson and Wecht, and the vocalist for the rock duo Shadow Academy, known for its inspiration from classic novels, alongside Jim Roach. As of October 2023, Avidan also performs vocals for the electronic music duo Skyhill, originally formed back in 2007.
"Dinosaur Laser Fight" is the debut single by American comedy rock duo Ninja Sex Party, released on August 17, 2011. The song is included as a track on the band's debut studio album NSFW.
"Dragon Slayer" is a song written and performed by American comedy rock band Ninja Sex Party. The song was originally recorded for the band's third studio album Attitude City. The track was released as the band's sixth single on February 19, 2014, becoming the second single to be released in promotion of Attitude City.
Player Select is the second studio album by American comedy supergroup Starbomb, composed of Dan Avidan and Brian Wecht of American comedy duo Ninja Sex Party and Flash animator and Internet personality Arin Hanson. The album was released December 16, 2014 on iTunes, Amazon Music, Spotify and CDBaby. Following in the direction of the previous album, Player Select is mostly a video game parody album featuring the often-provocative adult comedy of Ninja Sex Party and incorporating the video-game humor of Hanson.
Attitude City is the third studio album by the American musical comedy duo Ninja Sex Party. The album was released on July 17, 2015. Six tracks from the album, "Party of Three", "Dragon Slayer", "Attitude City", "Why I Cry", "Peppermint Creams", and "Road Trip" were all released as singles on their YouTube channel prior to its release. It was a commercial success, especially in the comedy music sector.
Under the Covers is the fourth studio album by American comedy duo Ninja Sex Party, and their first cover album. The concept for the album and title were revealed on July 28, 2015, and the album released on March 4, 2016. Unlike their previous albums, Under the Covers is composed only of covers of songs from the 1970s and 1980s and strays from the duo's traditional comedic style.
Starbomb is an American musical comedy group composed of Dan Avidan and Brian Wecht of musical comedy duo Ninja Sex Party together with Flash animator and Internet personality Arin Hanson and "space rock masters" TWRP, a Canadian music group known for collaborations with NSP. The songs of Starbomb consist of video game parodies; Avidan provides sung vocals, Hanson provides rapping vocals, and Wecht performs instruments. All three are also known as a part of YouTube Let's Play web series Game Grumps.
"6969" is a song written and performed by the American comedy rock band Ninja Sex Party, from their album Attitude City. Heavily inspired by the song "2112" by Canadian rock band Rush, the song contains vocals by Steel Panther singer Michael Starr, and references Steel Panther's song "In the Future" from their album Balls Out.
"Unicorn Wizard" is a song written and performed by American comedy rock band Ninja Sex Party. The song was released as the band's fourth single on October 25, 2012, and was included as a track on the band's second studio album Strawberries and Cream.
Under the Covers, Vol. II is the fifth studio album by American comedy duo Ninja Sex Party. It is their second cover album and a follow-up to their previous album Under the Covers. It follows the same musical orientation, consisting of covers of songs from the 1970s and 1980s and straying from the duo's usual comedic style. The album was released on October 27, 2017, to positive reviews.
TWRP, formerly known as Tupper Ware Remix Party, is a Canadian rock band originally from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Initially founded in 2007, the band moved to Toronto in 2011 with a change in members and musical direction. Their current lineup consists of keyboardist and vocalist Doctor Sung, guitarist Lord Phobos, bassist Commander Meouch, and drummer Havve Hogan.
"Danny Don't You Know" is a song by American musical comedy duo Ninja Sex Party. It was released as a single along with a music video on June 25, 2018, and was later featured on their sixth studio album Cool Patrol, released on August 17, 2018.
"Cool Patrol" is a song by American musical comedy duo Ninja Sex Party. It was released as a single along with a music video on October 18, 2016, and is the first single from their sixth studio album, released on August 17, 2018.
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