| Shapeshifter | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 13, 2017 | |||
| Genre | Pop-punk, [1] emo | |||
| Length | 31:03 | |||
| Label | Rise | |||
| Producer | Seth Henderson | |||
| Knuckle Puck chronology | ||||
| ||||
Shapeshifter is the second studio album by American pop-punk band Knuckle Puck. It was released on October 13, 2017 through Rise Records.
The album's themes include personal development and freedom. [2]
In March 2017, Knuckle Puck released a seven-inch vinyl record, featuring the tracks "Calendar Days" and "Indecisive". From here until May 2017, the band supported Mayday Parade on their headlining tour of the United States, [3] and appeared at the So What?! Music Fest. [4]
When the band attempted to record a new album, it did not go as they intended, as guitarist Nick Casasanto explained they were "having such a struggle and being so disconnected in the recording process felt wrong". They decided to collaborate with Seth Henderson, who had produced Copacectic. Casasanto said there was a "glaring parallel between what was going on with the record and what we were writing about at the time." [5]
On July 27, 2017, Shapeshifter was announced for released in three months' time. Alongside this, "Gone" was made available for streaming. [5] A music video for "Double Helix" was released on September 13, 2017, the same day the track was made available for streaming; [6] "Want Me Around" was then made available for streaming on October 6, 2017. [7] They promoted the album with a US tour in October and November 2017, with support from Movements, With Confidence and Homesafe. [6] A music video was released for "Gone" on October 19, 2017; it apes the video for "The Rock Show" (2001) by Blink-182, depicting a birthday party held in the Northwest of Indiana. [8] Following this, the band planned to headline a European tour with support from Tiny Moving Parts and Movements. Have Mercy was also intended to join, but had to pull out citing mental health reasons. [9] Before it was underway, Knuckle Puck cancelled the tour outright, also citing mental health issues. [10] At the end of the year, they co-headlined The Holiday Extravaganza festival with Real Friends. [11]
In March and April 2018, Knuckle Puck went on a headlining US, with support from Boston Manor, Free Throw, Hot Mulligan and Jetty Bones. [12] The Shifted EP was released in April 2018, featuring reworked versions of five tracks from Shapeshifter; it was preceded by "Conduit" [13] and "Nervous Passenger". [14] Following this, they appeared at the Galaxy Camp festival in Germany and Switzerland, [15] and Slam Dunk Festival in the United Kingdom, and played three regular shows in mainland Europe with State Champs. [16] A music video was released for "Want Me Around" on June 7, 2018. [17] Shortly after this, the band performed on the Warped Tour festival across the US. [18] In October 2018, the band went on a headlining UK tour with support from Tiny Moving Parts and Movements. [19] followed by a support slot for Good Charlotte on their headlining US tour, which ran into November 2018. [20] Knuckle Puck closed out the year co-headlining the Snowed in festival with Knocked Loose. [21]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 84/100 [22] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Paste | 7.2/10 [1] |
| Rock Sound | 9/10 [23] |
Shapeshifter was met with universal acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 84, based on four reviews. [22]
It peaked at number 50 on the Billboard 200; [24] it reached the top 10 on the Alternative Albums, [25] Independent Albums [26] and Top Rock Albums. [27]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Nervous Passenger" | 1:31 |
| 2. | "Twist" | 3:02 |
| 3. | "Double Helix" | 2:50 |
| 4. | "Gone" | 3:05 |
| 5. | "Everyone Lies to Me" | 2:53 |
| 6. | "Stuck in Our Ways" | 3:02 |
| 7. | "Want Me Around" | 3:31 |
| 8. | "Conduit" | 3:33 |
| 9. | "Wait" | 3:27 |
| 10. | "Plastic Brains" | 4:09 |
| Chart (2017) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 [24] | 50 |
| US Independent Albums ( Billboard ) [26] | 3 |
| US Top Alternative Albums ( Billboard ) [25] | 7 |
| US Top Rock Albums ( Billboard ) [27] | 9 |