Background
Before the band formed, lead singer Josh Ramsay began recording demos for Fix Me in a studio his parents owned. He soon sent them out to people in hopes "to get stuff happening." [3] It caught the attention of 604 Records co-founder Jonathan Simkin, who liked the material, but told Ramsay he needed "a good producer" and offered to help him find one. [3] The band also formed in 1999, under the name Ramsay Fiction. After the band experienced a couple of line-up changes, they solidified their line-up in 2001, [3] consisting of Ramsay on lead vocals and guitar, Matt Webb as the lead guitarist, Mike Ayley as the bassist and Ian Casselman as the drummer, renaming the group Marianas Trench. [4] The band became acquainted with producer Jim Vallance, and though he did not produce the album, he gave Ramsay some advice on songwriting and for their careers in general. [3] On January 8, 2003, it was announced the band had signed to Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger's 604 Records label. [5]
The album reflects the drug addiction struggle of lead vocalist Josh Ramsay. [1] Many of the songs references self-mutilation, such as "Say Anything", which Ramsay described as "metaphorical." [6] Other songs contains themes of disappointment and self-loathe, like "Decided to Break It". [6] "Say Anything" was posted online on March 6, 2006. [7] On August 30, the group announced that Fix Me would be released on October 3. [8]
The album was recorded at Factory Studios and Mushroom Studios in Vancouver and at The Umbrella Factory in Richmond, British Columbia. The album was engineered and mixed by Mike Fraser while production was handled by the band themselves and by Dave Genn. [9]
Fix Me failed to enter the Canadian Albums Chart, however, it managed to sell 35,000 copies in Canada. [10] The album was certified Gold by Music Canada in April 2014. [11]
Critical reception
Fix Me was received with generally positive reviews. Matthew Chisling of AllMusic gave the album a mixed review stating, "their first album is more generic and radio-ready than its follow-ups, which are often quirky and catchy." [18] Alternative Addiction called the album, "an original blend of raw hard rock, pop and punk with the odd twist for good measure." [1] Darryl Sterdan of Jam! praised tracks such as "Shake Tramp" and "Vertigo", comparing it to the likes of Nirvana and Queen. Despite criticizing the album's predictability, he said "Marianas Trench can be interesting enough to escape the valley of pop-punk cliches." [19] Kaj Roth of Melodic gave a positive review for the album. He called the eighth track, "Far From Home" as the standout song on the album and complimented the seventh track "Push" for its catchiness. [20]
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