Truant (album)

Last updated

TruANT
Truant.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 19, 2003
RecordedFebruary – April 2003
Studio Conway (Hollywood, California)
Genre
Length40:43
Label
Producer Dean DeLeo, Robert DeLeo
Alien Ant Farm chronology
Anthology
(2001)
TruANT
(2003)
Up in the Attic
(2006)
Singles from Truant
  1. "These Days"
    Released: July 31, 2003
  2. "Glow"
    Released: September 9, 2003

Truant (styled as truANT) is the third studio album by American rock band Alien Ant Farm. It was released on August 19, 2003 by DreamWorks Records. The producers of the album were Stone Temple Pilots' guitarist and bassist Robert DeLeo and Dean DeLeo. [4] "These Days" was released to radio on July 1, 2003. [5] "Glow" was released to radio on September 9, 2003. [5]

Contents

The music video for track "These Days" was filmed on a rooftop across the street from the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. The surprise video shoot was shot during the 2003 BET Awards while numerous hip hop artists and rappers were arriving on the red carpet before the awards show. The video catches the reaction from many artists, including Nelly, Snoop Dogg, and Lil' Kim.

The album art is based on the classic Pee Chee brand school folder, featuring the faces of the band members.

Background and music

On May 22, 2002, while on a European tour supporting their debut Anthology , Alien Ant Farm's tour bus collided with a truck on a highway near Valencia, Spain. The crash killed the British driver and seriously injured all four band members: lead singer Dryden Mitchell suffered a brain hemorrhage and remained in a coma for several weeks before recovering; guitarist Terry Corso broke both legs; bassist Tye Zamora sustained a broken collarbone and shoulder blade; and drummer Mike Cosgrove broke his wrist. The incident forced the cancellation of tour dates and a lengthy recovery period, but it ultimately fueled the introspective and resilient tone of their follow-up album. [6]

The album has a more diverse range of styles than Anthology, incorporating sounds such as salsa and jazz. [7] Upon release, several reviewers compared the album's sound to Faith No More, [7] [8] [9] with the track "Rubber Mallet" having the line "indecision breaks my vision", which was believed to be a reference to a line from Faith No More's song "Falling to Pieces". [9] During a January 2003 interview at the Big Day Out Festival in Australia, a local interviewer asked Faith No More's singer Mike Patton whether he was a fan of Alien Ant Farm, but Patton was dismissive of the band. [10]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 63/100 [11]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [12]
Blender Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [13]
Drowned in Sound 5/10 [14]
Entertainment Weekly B+ [15]
IGN 9.5/10 [3]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [16]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Spin Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [17]
USA Today Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Dotmusic 8/10 [18]

Truant was met with generally favourable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, the album received an average score of 63, based on ten reviews. [11]

Christina Fuoco of AllMusic awarded it four and a half out of five stars, [12] while Dave Doray of IGN gave it a 9 out of 10. Doray compared the vocals to Incubus and noted that "the lighter songs on the album are equally as powerful as the heavier ones." [3] Spin's Sean Richardson had a more mixed review in August 2003, giving it a 2.5 out of 5 rating. He wrote that the band "use pop metal as a springboard for some eclectic experimentation", adding that "the album feels unfocused, and this time, Alien Ant Farm don’t have a novelty hit up their sleeve. Maybe another Jacko tribute is in order; given TruANT‘s slightly dated feel, how about 'Remember the Time'?". [17] Alternative Press had another mixed review, commenting that it "sounds like a teenage Faith No More at their first practice." [8] BBC reviewer Kate Lawrence similarly claimed in 2003 that "much of the album" was reminiscent of Faith No More, writing "given that Faith No More also erred on the irreverent side of rock, it seems fitting that they should be considered influences for AAF. Mitchell and co. once admitted that they basically 'like to have a good time and be goofy'." She added that "[their] cheeky charm is still very much in evidence in what is a very consistent album." [9]

The Chicago Tribune had a mixed review in August 2003. They wrote, "on Alien Ant Farm’s truANT, the group's follow-up to its 2001 smash debut Anthology, the proto-alt-metal-lite sound gets the occasional spell with swatches of salsa ('Tia Lupe'), The Police ('Never Meant') and Faith No More (the vocal hook in 'Rubber Mallet' is lifted straight from 'Falling to Pieces')", adding that "[it's] nice to see Alien Ant Farm branching out, only it’s too bad none of it’s all that riveting." [7] Drowned in Sound gave it a 5 out of 10 rating on August 31, 2003, saying, "Alien Ant Farm are, for all their sins, not a nu-metal band. They're something altogether different and possibly loads worse", adding that the album is "just painfully American radio rock." [14]

Commercial response

"These Days" appeared on several Billboard component charts: number 17 on Active rock, [19] number 29 on Alternative Airplay, [20] number 38 on Mainstream Rock Songs, [21] and number 40 on Heritage Rock. [22]

Release

The album's rights are currently with Universal Music Group, as three months after Truant's release, UMG reached a $100 million dollar agreement to acquire DreamWorks Records from DreamWorks Pictures. [23] They subsequently shut down the label in January 2005, and reassigned the label's more profitable artists to different divisions within UMG. Alien Ant Farm were among the artists assigned to another label at UMG, as they were one of DreamWorks' highest selling artists, alongside Nelly Furtado and Papa Roach. [24]

In 2025, Universal Music and Music on Vinyl issued Truant on vinyl for the first time. [25]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Alien Ant Farm.

No.TitleLength
1."1000 Days"3:07
2."Drifting Apart"2:54
3."Quiet"3:01
4."Glow"3:17
5."These Days" (new version; originally recorded for Greatest Hits)3:06
6."Sarah Wynn"3:24
7."Never Meant"3:06
8."Goodbye"4:06
9."Tia Lupé"4:01
10."Rubber Mallet"3:09
11."S.S. Recognize" (new version; originally recorded for $100 EP)3:51
12."Hope"3:40
Total length:40:43
UK version bonus track
No.TitleLength
13."Words"2:42

Personnel

Alien Ant Farm

Technical personnel

Additional musicians

Charts

Chart performance for Truant
Chart (2003–04)Peak
position
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [26] 26
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [27] 71
Scottish Albums (OCC) [28] 64
UK Albums (OCC) [29] 68
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC) [30] 10
US Billboard 200 [31] 42

References

  1. 1 2 3 Hoard, Christian (August 27, 2003). "Alien Ant Farm: TruANT : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on January 8, 2008. Retrieved April 30, 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 Gundersen, Edna (August 25, 2003). "Alien Ant Farm, TruANT". USA Today . Retrieved February 24, 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 Doray, Dave (August 29, 2003). "Alien Ant Farm -truANT". IGN. Archived from the original on February 14, 2012. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
  4. "Stone Temple Brothers To Pilot Alien Ant Farm Album". Archived from the original on September 23, 2016. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  5. 1 2 "FMQB Airplay Archive: Modern Rock". Friday Morning Quarterback Album Report, Incorporated. Archived from the original on October 28, 2016. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  6. "Alien Ant Farm starting small again". NZ Herald.
  7. 1 2 3 "Alien Ant FarmtruANTWhen the most distinguishing thing…". August 20, 2003.
  8. 1 2 Alternative Press, September 2003, p.116
  9. 1 2 3 "BBC - Music - Review of Alien Ant Farm - truANT". www.bbc.co.uk.
  10. 2003 Big Day Out Festival interview with Mike Patton and Duane Denison
  11. 1 2 "Critic Reviews for truANT". Metacritic . Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  12. 1 2 AllMusic review
  13. Blender review Archived July 14, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  14. 1 2 "Album Review: Alien Ant Farm - truANT". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  15. Greer, Jim (August 22, 2003). "truANT Review". Entertainment Weekly . p. 133. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012. Retrieved April 30, 2012.
  16. Their brand of ant music has matured and expanded noticeably since ANThology. [Sep 2003, p.98]
  17. 1 2 Richardson, Sean (August 6, 2003). "Alien Ant Farm, 'TruANT' (El Tondi/DreamWorks)". Spin . Retrieved September 10, 2012.
  18. Gennoe, Dan (August 18, 2003). "Alien Ant Farm - 'TruANT'". Yahoo! Music. Archived from the original on August 22, 2004. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
  19. "Alien Ant Farm Chart History (Active Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  20. "Alien Ant Farm Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  21. "Alien Ant Farm Chart History (Mainstream Rock Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  22. "Alien Ant Farm Chart History (Heritage Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  23. "UMG To Acquire DreamWorks Records". Billboard. August 17, 2013. Retrieved August 7, 2025.
  24. "Universal Music to buy DreamWorks". NBC News. November 11, 2003.
  25. https://www.hhv.de/en-AU/records/item/alien-ant-farm-truant-1207428?srsltid=AfmBOooMyDypMGZ5K9dcEl5cHe_m-JRsjfNT061KfsiwGClxyNSPjG40
  26. "ALIEN ANT FARM - TRUANT (ALBUM)". Recorded Music NZ . Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  27. "Hitparade: Album Top 100". Swiss Hitparade. September 14, 2003. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  28. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. August 24, 2003. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  29. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. August 24, 2003. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  30. "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. August 24, 2003. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  31. "Alien Ant Farm Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard . September 6, 2003. Retrieved December 23, 2021.