Underdog Alma Mater | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | April 29, 2008 | |||
Recorded | 2007–08 | |||
Studio | Red Bull, Santa Monica, California; Annetenna, Burbank, California | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 39:50 | |||
Label | Universal Motown | |||
Producer |
| |||
Forever the Sickest Kids chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Underdog Alma Mater | ||||
|
Underdog Alma Mater is the debut studio album by American pop punk band Forever the Sickest Kids. It was released on April 29, 2008 by Universal Motown. The album contains some re-recordings of tracks from their debut EP, Television Off, Party On , as well as the singles, "Whoa Oh! (Me vs. Everyone)" and "She's a Lady". The album peaked at number 45 on the Billboard 200.
Many of the songs from Underdog Alma Mater had already been released in the band's previous EPs. [1] The band's very first EP, Television Off, Party On , featured the tracks "Believe Me, I'm Lying", "She's a Lady", and "Breakdown". [2] However, these tracks have a significantly different sound to them in their respective recordings from the EP and Underdog Alma Mater. On the band's release, The Sickest Warped Tour EP, "Hey Brittany" and "Coffee Break" were featured on it, [3] but were also different from their respective recorded versions on the album. Unlike the other songs, on the band's EP, Hot Party Jamz , the track "That for Me" was featured, but its recording remained the same as it was on the album. [4]
The band recorded the album in Annetenna Studio in Burbank, California and Red Bull Studios in Santa Monica. [5] During the writing of the songs for the album, guitarist Marc Stewart stated, "Our songs are about real stuff that's happened to us because that's what kids want to hear about. They want to listen to stories about things that could happen to them as well, or that already have happened to them." [6]
"Hey Brittney" was the first song the group ever wrote. The song combines elements of power pop, pop-punk, electro-pop and '80s radio rock. [7] [1] The track "Believe Me, I'm Lying", written by Austin Bello and Caleb Turman, is based on how Turman once ran into trouble with his girlfriend after he lied to her and left her in tears. Turman stated, "I was hanging out with some other girls, but I told my girlfriend that I was going out by myself. So, the girls and I decided to get some coffee, and as we're walking to the car, my girlfriend pulled up and her headlights were right there in my face. I was totally busted." [6]
"Believe Me, I'm Lying" and the track "My Worst Nightmare" were both written by Bello and Turman and both tracks had originally descended from the duo's former acoustic/electronic project Been Bradley. The original recordings of these two songs are featured on the deluxe edition of Underdog Alma Mater. [8]
Between mid-March and early May 2008, the band participated in the Alternative Press Tour. [9] "Whoa Oh! (Me vs. Everyone)" was released on the band's MySpace page on March 18, 2008. [10] It was released as the lead single from the album on April 1, 2008. [11] On April 10, a music video was released for the song. [12] Underdog Alma Mater was released on April 29 through Universal Motown Records. [1] The album was made available for streaming on May 2 through Imeem. [13] A couple of days later, the band appeared at the 2008 edition of the Bamboozle festival. [14] Also in May, the group went on a US tour alongside Metro Station, the Maine, the Cab and Danger Radio. [15] Between June and August, the band performed on the 2008 edition of Warped Tour. [16] "She's a Lady" was released on July 11, 2008 as the second single from the album. [17] A music video was released for the song on September 23. [18] "Believe Me, I'm Lying" was released in the UK in 2008 as the group's first promotional single. [19] In October and November, the band supported Cobra Starship on their Sassy Back (Tour) in the US. [20]
On February 4, 2009, the band posted a cover of Taylor Swift's "Love Story" online. [21] Later in February, the band went on a tour of Europe, followed by appearances at Soundwave festival in Australia and a tour of Japan, ending in early March. [22] In April, the band performed on the Bamboozle Roadshow [23] and appeared at The Bamboozle festival in early May. [24] Between late June and late August, the band performed on the Warped Tour. [25] On July 7, the deluxe edition of the album was released. It featured the twelve original songs from the album and seventeen additional tracks from the band, mainly from the band's earlier days. [8] A DVD with live shows and other footage was also included, as well. [8]
In 2018, the group released Underdog Alma Mater on vinyl to the celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the album. [26]
Fans would receive special bonuses by pre-ordering the album from certain retailers. [27]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AbsolutePunk.net | (78%) [28] |
AllMusic | [29] |
Punknews.org | [30] |
Underdog Alma Mater was met with generally positive reviews from music critics. Joe DeAndrea of AbsolutePunk.net praised the album for its catchy melodies, infectious chorus' and high production work. He stated, "it becomes obvious that not only does Forever the Sickest Kids have the ability to break through the mainstream, but completely burst through it." He called tracks such as "Hey Brittany" and "She's a Lady" a "harder punch that makes them irresistible." He also praised the song "Whoa Oh! (Me vs. Everyone)" for its simple lyrics and catchy chorus. However, he was critical on the tracks "Believe Me, I'm Lying" and "Coffee Break" calling them "watered down" and "out of place." Overall, he stated that the album would be "people's guiltiest pleasure of the year." [28] Marian Phillips of Alternative Press stated, "They mix synthesizers, tightened guitar riffs and pop-punk lyrics into songs such as 'Hey Brittany' that are unlike any other. Each track on the album is unique in its own way." [31]
Jordan Rogowski of Punksnew.org also gave the album a positive review. He complimented the band's songwriting ability and lyrical themes on the album that make them stand out among their peers within the genre. [30] However, Katherine Fulton of AllMusic stated the opposite of that, remarking; "The ultimate goal of a debut album should be to set a band apart from its peers, but it appears that Forever the Sickest Kids have missed that point with Underdog Alma Mater." Despite giving a negative review, she did praise the track "Uh Huh" calling it "light and bouncy." She ended off stating, "they're not enough to make up for what amounts to a shallow debut that shows Forever the Sickest Kids' talent for appropriation, not originality." [29]
Publication | Accolade | Year | Rank | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
AWMusic | Best Power Pop Record of the Year | 2008 | 3rd | [32] |
All music is composed by Forever the Sickest Kids, except "Catastrophe" by FTSK and Shep Goodman. All vocals by Jonathan Cook, Austin Bello, and Caleb Turman, except where noted
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Whoa Oh! (Me vs. Everyone)" |
|
| 3:24 |
2. | "Hey Brittany" (Cook/Turman) |
|
| 3:05 |
3. | "My Worst Nightmare" |
|
| 3:45 |
4. | "Believe Me I'm Lying" |
|
| 3:05 |
5. | "The Way She Moves" |
|
| 3:42 |
6. | "She's a Lady" |
|
| 4:00 |
7. | "Uh Huh" |
|
| 2:58 |
8. | "Phone Call" |
|
| 3:18 |
9. | "Breakdown" (Cook/Turman) |
|
| 3:37 |
10. | "That for Me" |
|
| 2:56 |
11. | "Coffee Break" (Cook/Turman) |
|
| 2:40 |
12. | "Catastrophe" |
|
| 3:18 |
Total length: | 39:50 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
13. | "Give and Take (remix)" |
| 2:19 |
14. | "Hurricane Haley" |
| 3:42 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
13. | "Indiana" |
| 3:47 |
14. | "Becky Starz (remix)" |
| 3:47 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
13. | "The Party Song" |
| 3:30 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Intro" |
| 0:19 |
2. | "Whoa Oh! (Me vs. Everyone)" |
| 3:24 |
3. | "Hey Brittany" (Cook/Turman) |
| 3:05 |
4. | "My Worst Nightmare" |
| 3:45 |
5. | "Believe Me I'm Lying" |
| 3:05 |
6. | "The Way She Moves" |
| 3:42 |
7. | "She's a Lady" |
| 4:00 |
8. | "Uh Huh" |
| 2:58 |
9. | "Phone Call" |
| 3:18 |
10. | "Breakdown" (Cook/Turman) |
| 3:37 |
11. | "That for Me" |
| 2:56 |
12. | "Coffee Break" (Cook/Turman) |
| 2:40 |
13. | "Catastrophe" |
| 3:18 |
14. | "Middletro" |
| 0:15 |
15. | "Believe Me I'm Lying (original demo)" (Bello/Turman) |
| 1:59 |
16. | "Indiana (hotel demo)" (Bello/Turman) |
| 2:44 |
17. | "Who Invited the Monster" (Bello) | Bello | 1:53 |
18. | "Bundled Up" (Cook) |
| 2:47 |
19. | "Uh Huh (Demo)" |
| 1:40 |
20. | "Catastrophe (acoustic demo)" |
| 2:53 |
21. | "Believe Me I'm Lying" (featuring Chae Hawk) |
| 3:52 |
22. | "My Worst Nightmare (demo)" (Bello/Turman) |
| 1:21 |
23. | "Give and Take (acoustic demo)" |
| 1:22 |
24. | "Give and Take (remix)" |
| 2:19 |
25. | "Heat Wave Jam Out" (Cook) | Cook | 1:35 |
26. | "The Party Song" |
| 3:30 |
27. | "Love Story" (Cook) | Taylor Swift | 3:24 |
28. | "Cop Car (demo)" |
| 3:14 |
29. | "Outro" |
| 0:08 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "To the Show" | |
2. | "Alien Encounters" | |
3. | "Battle of the Bands" | |
4. | "The Death of Scuz" | |
5. | "Forever the Sickest Epilogue" | |
6. | "1755 Live" | |
7. | "In the Mix" | |
8. | "She's a Lady" (music video) | |
9. | "She's a Lady" (UK music video) | |
10. | "Behind the Video of Whoa Oh! (Me vs. Everyone)" | |
11. | "Whoa Oh! (Me vs. Everyone)" (music video) | |
12. | "Jumping (Out the Window)" (music video) | |
13. | "London September 2008" | |
14. | "London September 2008 part 2" | |
15. | "London September 2008 part 3" | |
16. | "London September 2008 part 4 – 'Whoa Oh! (Me vs. Everyone)'" | |
17. | "London September 2008 part 5 – 'She's a Lady'" | |
18. | "London September 2008 part 6 – 'Hey Brittany'" |
Credits for Underdog Alma Mater adapted from AllMusic. [5]
Forever the Sickest Kids
Additional musicians
| Production
|
Chart (2008) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Billboard 200 ( Billboard ) [33] | 45 |
US Top Alternative Albums ( Billboard ) [34] | 9 |
US Top Rock Albums ( Billboard ) [35] | 13 |
We the Kings is an American rock band formed in Bradenton, Florida, in 2005. The band's eponymous full-length debut album, released in 2007, included the platinum single "Check Yes Juliet", and went on to sell over 250,000 copies in the US. The group's second album Smile Kid (2009) included Top 40 singles "Heaven Can Wait" and "We'll Be a Dream", as well as the single "She Takes Me High".
We the Kings is the debut studio album by American rock band We the Kings, released on October 2, 2007 in the U.S.
Forever the Sickest Kids is an American pop punk band from Dallas, Texas. The band first signed with Universal Motown Records and released its debut album, Underdog Alma Mater, on April 29, 2008. The band's second album, Forever the Sickest Kids, was released on March 1, 2011. Universal Motown Records was later shut down in 2011 and the band was left unsigned for over a year until signing to Fearless Records in late 2012. The band released its third studio album, J.A.C.K., on June 25, 2013. In an Alternative Press article, the band was placed number one of the "22 Best Underground Bands".
Television Off, Party On is the debut extended play by American pop punk band Forever the Sickest Kids. It was released on July 3, 2007, via Universal Motown Records.
"Whoa Oh! " is the debut single by Forever the Sickest Kids, released on April 1, 2008. It is from their debut album Underdog Alma Mater. The song's video aired on MTV's TRL on June 24. The song reached No. 38 on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 chart. The remix version was released on May 26, 2009 on iTunes and features Selena Gomez. The song has been featured in numerous Nerf commercials, as well as on the American reality television series, The Hills and on the 2009 film, Bring It On: Fight to the Finish.
The Cab is an American rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada. Their debut album, Whisper War, was released on April 29, 2008. They have been called "The Band You Need to Know 2008" by Alternative Press magazine. They were also featured in the '100 Bands You Need to Know in 2010' by the magazine and were one of the three bands featured on the cover page, along with Never Shout Never and Hey Monday.
Can't Stop Won't Stop is the debut studio album by American rock band The Maine. It was released on July 8, 2008 through Fearless Records. The album debuted at No. 40 on the Billboard 200 and sold 12,000 copies first week.
"She's a Lady" is the second single from Underdog Alma Mater by American pop punk band Forever the Sickest Kids. It was released on July 11, 2008 in the United States. The song also serves as the group's debut single released in the UK on July 14, 2008, during the band's tour in the country.
Never Shout Never was an American rock band formed in Joplin, Missouri, in 2007. Vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Christofer Drew began the band as a solo project before expanding it to a band, whose best-known lineup included himself, bassist Taylor MacFee, and drummer Hayden Kaiser. The band that accompanied Drew when it was a solo project were originally known as "The Shout". Never Shout Never released eight full-length albums and nine EPs.
A Flair for the Dramatic is the debut studio album by American rock band Pierce the Veil, released in 2007 by Equal Vision Records.
The Weekend: Friday is an EP by American pop punk band Forever the Sickest Kids. It was released on November 17, 2009, worldwide through Universal Republic.
This Century was an American pop rock band from Phoenix, Arizona, United States. The band consisted of members Joel Kanitz, Ryan Gose, Alex Silverman, and Sean Silverman. In February 2014, Alex Silverman announced his departure from the group. In May 2015, the band announced that following the release of their third album Soul Sucker, they would be playing farewell shows and retiring the band so members could "pursue each of our passions and musical projects". The band has released three full-length albums: Soul Sucker, Biography of Heartbreak, and Sound of Fire.
Forever the Sickest Kids is the eponymous second studio album by American pop punk band Forever the Sickest Kids, released on March 1, 2011. It is their last release through Universal Motown Records, and also last to feature members Kent Garrison and Marc Stewart. Following the release of their 2009 EP The Weekend: Friday, the band worked on material for what was originally a continuation of the EP but instead wrote more songs than intended, and scrapped the idea to work on a second full-length record. The album received mixed reviews from critics who commended the band's attempt at maturity with diverse musicianship and catchability but found it inconsistent. Forever the Sickest Kids debuted at number 33 on the Billboard 200 and spawned three singles: "Keep On Bringing Me Down", "I Guess You Can Say Things Are Getting Pretty Serious" and "Summer Song".
"What Do You Want from Me" is a single by the American band Forever the Sickest Kids. It is the lead single from their EP The Weekend: Friday. The song was first released on October 30, 2009 via the group's MySpace page.
The discography of American pop punk band Forever the Sickest Kids consists of three studio albums, four extended plays, twelve singles and ten music videos.
J.A.C.K. is the third studio album by American pop punk band Forever the Sickest Kids. It is their first release through Fearless Records since their former label, Universal Motown, was shut down, which resulted in the regular Motown being a separate label that still operates as of 2019. It is also the first release not to feature keyboardist Kent Garrison and lead guitarist Marc Stewart. The album was produced by Mike Green and was released on June 25, 2013.
"Chin Up Kid" is a song recorded by American pop punk band Forever the Sickest Kids for their third studio album J.A.C.K. It was released as the album's first official single on May 7, 2013 and is also the band's first single under the label Fearless Records. It was written by Jonathan Cook, Austin Bello, Caleb Turman, Kyle Burns, and Rico Garcia. A lyric video of the song was posted on the label's YouTube channel the day before the song was officially released.
"Nikki" is a song recorded by American pop punk band Forever the Sickest Kids from their third studio album, J.A.C.K. It was written by Jonathan Cook, Austin Bello, Caleb Turman, Kyle Burns, Mike Green, Patrick Stump, and Neal Avron. Although it was never officially released as a single, it was advertised by the band on their website and Twitter account as the album's third single.
"Nice to Meet You" is a song recorded by American pop punk band Forever the Sickest Kids for their third studio album J.A.C.K. It was released as the album's second single on May 28, 2013. It was written by Jonathan Cook, Austin Bello, Caleb Turman, Kyle Burns, Marc Stewart, and Rico Garcia. The song was originally posted as a lyric video on Billboard on May 24 and then later on YouTube by Fearless Records on May 27.
"She Likes (Bittersweet Love)" is a song by American pop punk band Forever the Sickest Kids. The song was released on January 14, 2010, as the second and final single from the group's fourth EP The Weekend: Friday. The song reached number one on Kerrang's Top 10 chart.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)