Your Graduation

Last updated
"Your Graduation"
Single by Modern Baseball
from the album You're Gonna Miss It All
ReleasedDecember 10, 2013 (2013-12-10)
Genre
Length2:43
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • Modern Baseball
Producer(s)
  • Modern Baseball
Modern Baseball singles chronology
"The Weekend"
(2012)
"Your Graduation"
(2013)
"Rock Bottom"
(2015)
Music video
"Your Graduation" on YouTube

"Your Graduation" is a song recorded by the American rock band Modern Baseball for their second studio album, You're Gonna Miss It All (2014). It was released as its debut single from You're Gonna Miss It All on December 10, 2013, through Run for Cover Records. "Your Graduation" centers on the nostalgia and angst of a high school graduation, with its central narrator struggling to get over a break-up.

Contents

"Your Graduation" became the band's most popular song, and music critics commended its sound and tone. The single's music video was directed by Kyle Thrash and filmed at FDR Skatepark in the band's hometown of Philadelphia in the midst of a polar vortex. Vulture put the song on a list of all-time great emo songs.

Background

Modern Baseball emerged in the early 2010s as part of the fourth-wave emo scene in the U.S. The quartet formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the combination of vocalist/guitarists Brendan Lukens and Jacob Ewald, both originally from Maryland. At college, they met and added Sean Huber on drums and Ian Farmer on bass. Their first full-length, Sports (2012), was released through local label Lame-O Records, and showcased a mix of upbeat and catchy lo-fi pop-punk. The group developed a following, particularly on social media, and soon secured a deal with Boston-based independent label Run for Cover, the home of emo luminaries Tigers Jaw, Title Fight, Citizen, and Turnover. In 2014, they released their second LP through the label, titled You're Gonna Miss It All. [5]

"Your Graduation" depicts a narrator at a high school graduation party, mulling over a failed relationship. In the intro, they admit it has been difficult to get over a break-up: "It’s been three whole years of me thinkin' bout you everyday / Sometimes for hours, sometimes in passing." [6] Lukens largely carries the vocals throughout the track, with drummer Sean Huber making an appearance for the song's second verse. [7] The song was first made available to stream on December 10, 2013, alongside an announcement of the band's second album. [8]

Music video

The FDR Skatepark in 2014, where part of the music video was filmed. 20141228- IGP1984 (15946902147).jpg
The FDR Skatepark in 2014, where part of the music video was filmed.

The music video for "Your Graduation" was released on March 5, 2014, premiering on the music site Noisey, an offshoot of Vice . [9] The video was directed by Kyle Thrash, who also helmed the band's debut single, "The Weekend". The clip was shot in Philadelphia, with live performance shots filmed at FDR Skatepark, a historic skatepark beneath an overpass of Interstate 95. The band invited fans on their personal Facebook page to take part in the video, with fan-site Property of Zack furthering promotion. [10] It ended up snowing during the video shoot, as it was filmed amid a polar vortex taking the country by hold at the time. "Standing in the rain while it was 17 degrees outside was one of the worst things I have ever experienced, but it was definitely worth it," Lukens admitted. [11] The band posted a behind-the-scenes clip later that month, documenting the video shoot. [12]

John Vettese at WXPN opined that "its long shots of a forlorn Brendan Lukens staring off into the distance with various lady friends at his side, the video depicts late-college ennui and post-college depression to a tee." [10] Writer Dan Ozzi at Noisey noted that "The video captures all those nostalgic moments: the long awkward conversations, the crippling isolation, and also the skateboarding and partying with your buds." [9]

Reception

"Your Graduation" received positive reviews from contemporary music critics. Collin Brennan at Consequence called the track a distillation of "everything Modern Baseball does well, with its taut song structure and painfully honest lyrics rising to a climax in Huber's explosive verse." [13] James Rettig at Stereogum concurred, writing that the charms of the band shine best on "Graduation". [14] Kevin McFarland at the A.V. Club said it "captures exactly the right mood for dwelling on the minute details of past regrets." [6] Ian Cohen at Pitchfork compared the sound to fellow Philadelphia punk rock heroes the Dead Milkmen. [3] Fred Thomas at AllMusic singled out the song as the most biting among the album's rush of "peppy and ceaselessly upbeat tunes." [1]

Retrospective reviews have similarly remained positive. In 2017, Rob Arcand at Spin wrote that the song "crystalized a certain adolescent experience with a racing intensity as perfect for partying as it is those late nights alone post-breakup." [15] Vulture later placed the song on its list of the 100 Best Emo Songs at number 72, with columnist Emma Garland writing, "It's such a vivid retelling of unrequited love it almost prompts a smile. [...] A far cry from the revenge fantasy of emo's mainstream tenure in the aughts, Modern Baseball have upgraded the narrative to include not just the sadness of giving up but the release of moving on." [7]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes for You're Gonna Miss It All. [16]

Locations

Personnel

Related Research Articles

Emo is a rock music genre characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of hardcore punk and post-hardcore from the mid–1980s Washington, D.C. hardcore scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore. The bands Rites of Spring and Embrace, among others, pioneered the genre. In the early-to-mid 1990s, emo was adopted and reinvented by alternative rock, indie rock, punk rock, and pop-punk bands, including Sunny Day Real Estate, Jawbreaker, Cap'n Jazz, and Jimmy Eat World. By the mid-1990s, Braid, the Promise Ring, and the Get Up Kids emerged from Midwest emo, and several independent record labels began to specialize in the genre. Meanwhile, screamo, a more aggressive style of emo using screamed vocals, also emerged, pioneered by the San Diego bands Heroin and Antioch Arrow. Screamo achieved mainstream success in the 2000s with bands like Hawthorne Heights, Silverstein, Story of the Year, Thursday, the Used, and Underoath.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alkaline Trio</span> American punk rock band

Alkaline Trio is an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois. The band's current members are Matt Skiba, Dan Andriano, and Atom Willard (drums).

<i>Something to Write Home About</i> 1999 studio album by The Get Up Kids

Something to Write Home About is the second studio album by American rock band the Get Up Kids, released on September 28, 1999, through Vagrant Records and the band's own label Heroes & Villains Records. Following the promotional tours for their debut album Four Minute Mile (1997), the band were in discussion with Mojo Records. During this period, James Dewees joined as the band's keyboardist. As negotiations with the label eventually stalled, they eventually went with Vagrant Records. They recorded their next album at Mad Hatter Studios in Silver Lake, Los Angeles, California, co-producing it with Chad Blinman and Alex Brahl. Described as an emo and pop-punk album, Something to Write Home About expands on the harder edge of its predecessor, with frontman Matt Pryor citing the works of the Foo Fighters, Jimmy Eat World and Wilco as influences.

<i>Deja Entendu</i> 2003 studio album by Brand New

Deja Entendu is the second studio album by American rock band Brand New, released on June 17, 2003, by Triple Crown Records and Razor & Tie. It was widely praised for showing the band's maturation from their pop punk debut Your Favorite Weapon, and critics described the album as the moment when the band "started showing ambition to look beyond the emo/post-hardcore scene that birthed them."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Miss You (Blink-182 song)</span> 2004 single by Blink-182

"I Miss You" is a song by American rock band Blink-182, released on February 2, 2004, as the second single from the group's untitled fifth studio album (2003). Co-written by guitarist Tom DeLonge and bassist Mark Hoppus, they employed a method of writing separately and bringing their two verses together later. The song features an acoustic electric bass, a cello, and a brushstroked drum loop. The song was inspired by the Cure song "The Love Cats" and contains references to The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993).

<i>Tell All Your Friends</i> 2002 studio album by Taking Back Sunday

Tell All Your Friends is the debut studio album by American rock band Taking Back Sunday, released on March 26, 2002, through Victory Records. Forming in 1999, the group underwent several lineup changes before settling on vocalist Adam Lazzara, guitarist and vocalist John Nolan, guitarist Eddie Reyes, bassist Shaun Cooper, and drummer Mark O'Connell. Taking Back Sunday released a five-song demo in early 2001, after which they toured the United States for most of the year. They rented a room in Lindenhurst, New York, where they wrote and demoed songs. In December 2001, the band signed with Victory Records; they began recording their debut album with producer Sal Villanueva at Big Blue Meenie Recording Studio in New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Favor House Atlantic</span> 2004 single by Coheed and Cambria

"A Favor House Atlantic" is a song by American progressive rock band Coheed and Cambria from their 2003 album In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3. In the United States, it remains Coheed and Cambria's highest charting song, having peaked at No. 13 on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart. It reached No. 77 on the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Face Down (The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus song)</span> 2006 single by the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

"Face Down" is the debut single by the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus from their debut album, Don't You Fake It (2006). The song peaked at number 24 in the United States and number four in New Zealand. It tied 30 Seconds to Mars' "The Kill" as the longest-running song on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart without reaching number one, at 52 weeks. "Face Down" remains the band's most successful single. Four versions were released, including an acoustic version.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">That's What You Get</span> 2008 single by Paramore

"That's What You Get" is a song by American rock band Paramore from their second studio album, Riot! (2007). It is the second Australian single, third American single and the fourth UK single. The song was released to modern rock radio on March 25 and to contemporary hit radio on April 22 in the US. "That's What You Get" was released digitally as an extended play in April 2008 and physically as a CD single in May 2008. The song is featured as a playable track in the video game Rock Band 2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Modern Baseball</span> American indie rock band

Modern Baseball (MoBo) was an American indie rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania consisting of Bren Lukens, Jake Ewald, Sean Huber, and Ian Farmer. The band formed in 2012 at Drexel University and released their first album, Sports, on Lame-O Records that same year. Their following albums, You're Gonna Miss It All and Holy Ghost, were released on Run For Cover Records in 2014 and 2016 respectively. The group announced an indefinite hiatus in 2017.

The emo revival, also known as post-emo or fourth wave emo, was an underground emo movement which began in the late 2000s and flourished until the mid–to late 2010s. It was catalyzed by the decline of 2000s third-wave emo, with bands such as Tigers Jaw, Algernon Cadwallader and Snowing eschewing that era's mainstream sensibilities in favor of the influence of 1990s Midwest emo. Acts like Touché Amoré, La Dispute and Defeater drew from 1990s emo and especially its heavier counterparts, such as screamo and post-hardcore.

<i>Youre Gonna Miss It All</i> 2014 studio album by Modern Baseball

You're Gonna Miss It All is the second studio album by American emo band Modern Baseball.

<i>Sports</i> (Modern Baseball album) 2012 studio album by Modern Baseball

Sports is the debut studio album by American emo band Modern Baseball released on November 27, 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foxing (band)</span> American indie rock band

Foxing is an American indie rock band from St. Louis, Missouri. The band has released four studio albums, a live album, an EP and 12 singles.

<i>Home, Like Noplace Is There</i> 2014 studio album by The Hotelier

Home, Like Noplace Is There is the second studio album by American rock band The Hotelier. Released in 2014, the album received widespread critical acclaim and became recognized as one of the best emo revival albums of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Modern Baseball discography</span>

The discography of Modern Baseball, an American rock band formed in 2011, consists in three studio albums four extended plays, six singles and six music videos.

<i>Holy Ghost</i> (Modern Baseball album) 2016 studio album by Modern Baseball

Holy Ghost is the third and final studio album by the American rock band Modern Baseball, released on May 13, 2016 on Run for Cover Records.[3] The album follows their third EP, The Perfect Cast, which was released on October 23, 2015, via Lame-O Records, as well as their sophomore studio album, You're Gonna Miss It All, released in 2014, and their compilation album, Techniques, also released in 2014.

<i>MoBo Presents: The Perfect Cast</i> 2015 EP by Modern Baseball

MoBo Presents: The Perfect Cast EP Featuring Modern Baseball is the second EP by rock band Modern Baseball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kississippi</span> Musical artist

Kississippi is the solo pop and indie folk project of Philadelphia-based singer-songwriter Zoe Allaire Reynolds.

<i>Awkward & Depressed</i> 2017 studio album by Canadian Softball

Awkward & Depressed is the third studio album by internet comedian Jarrod Alonge, released under the moniker of his fictitious emo band Canadian Softball, on July 28, 2017. The album primarily satirizes and parodies tropes found in the emo genre, primarily from the early 2010s emo revival. The album directly parodies bands such as American Football, Modern Baseball, Hawthorne Heights and Hotel Books. The album also features a cover of "Seven" by Sunny Day Real Estate, a first for Alonge.

References

  1. 1 2 Thomas, Fred (February 11, 2014). "Modern Baseball You're Gonna Miss It All Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  2. Amorosi, A.D. (June 2, 2014). "Modern Baseball hits it out of the park – or at least The Barbary". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  3. 1 2 Cohen, Ian (December 13, 2013). "Modern Baseball: Your Graduation". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  4. Cohen, Ian (February 11, 2014). "Modern Baseball: You're Gonna Miss It All". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  5. Kerr, Scott. "Modern Baseball Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  6. 1 2 McFarland, Kevin (January 8, 2014). "Modern Baseball brings up tense memories of a school reunion". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  7. 1 2 Cohen, Ian (February 13, 2020). "The 100 Greatest Emo Songs of All Time". Vulture. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  8. Flynn, John (December 10, 2013). "Music: Modern Baseball announce new album, stream "Your Graduation"". Punknews.org. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  9. 1 2 Ozzi, Dan (March 5, 2014). "Modern Baseball's New Video Will Make You Remember How Fun and Depressing Your Graduation Was". VICE. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  10. 1 2 "Modern Baseball's "Your Graduation" video will make you want to skateboard and slam dance in the FDR Park snow". WXPN. March 5, 2014. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  11. Newbold, Ally (February 20, 2017). "Modern Baseball Take Us Behind Their New Video". Red Bull. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  12. "Modern Baseball post "Your Graduation" behind-the-scenes video". Alternative Press Magazine. March 19, 2014. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  13. "Album Review: Modern Baseball – You're Gonna Miss It All". Consequence. November 25, 2014. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  14. Rettig, James (September 21, 2015). "Modern Baseball – "Rock Bottom" Video". Stereogum. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  15. Arcand, Rob (June 21, 2017). "Slaughter Beach, Dog (Modern Baseball's Jake Ewald) – "Building the Ark"". SPIN. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  16. You're Gonna Miss It All (liner notes). Modern Baseball. US: Run for Cover. 2014. RFC 096.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)