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Black Cat (Never Shout Never album)

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Black Cat
Studio album by
Never Shout Never
ReleasedAugust 7, 2015
StudioDTLA Recording, Los Angeles, California
Genre
Length34:45
LabelWarner Bros. Records
ProducerDennis Herring
Never Shout Never chronology
Recycled Youth
(2015) 		Black Cat
(2015) 		Advent of Violett Soul
(2016)
Singles from Black Cat
  1. "Hey! We Ok"
    Released: June 9, 2015
  2. "Red Balloon"
    Released: February 5, 2016

Black Cat is the seventh studio album by American rock band Never Shout Never, featuring 10 tracks.[1][2] It was released on August 7, 2015 through Warner Bros. Records.[3]

Background

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On June 9, 2015, it was announced that Never Shout Never would be releasing their seventh studio album, Black Cat on August 7, 2015.[4] Along with this announcement, he released the lead single from the album, "Hey! We Ok". Christofer Drew stated, "This is our first fully realized album. It felt like we had the training wheels on for a long time. I was a lot more open to ideas from other people than I ever have been which I feel is me hitting a certain maturity level... I think it's cool how it turned out; it's maybe more pop than we expected but I dig it."[4] In support of the album, the band embarked on the Black Cat Tour in January 2016.[5] The group later headlined a US tour in June 2016 with support from Hundred Handed and Me Like Bees.[6]

Composition and recording

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Black Cat was recorded in the DTLA Recording Studio in Los Angeles, California and was produced by Dennis Herring.[7] Drew described the album as a "pop record" and that pop music was the album's inspiration in production. Speaking about writing the songs, he stated, "We just wrote some fun hangout kind of songs, which was cool. I feel like we've been writing a lot of love songs still, which is just kind of a classic mood."[8]

Singles

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"Hey! We Ok" was released as the first single from the album on June 9, 2015.[9] It was nominated at the 2016 Alternative Press Music Awards for "Song of the Year".[10] On June 17, the group released "Boom!" as the first promotional single from the album.[11] On July 16, the band premiered a new track titled, "Red Balloon" and was released as the album's second promotional single.[12] It was later released as the official second single from the album on February 5, 2016.[13] A music video for the song was released on February 11, 2016.[14] Drew stated that the song, "tells a story of a balloon that's alone, ashamed and tied down to all of its troubles and worries in the world."[12]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
The Tech[15]

Black Cat was met with generally positive reviews from music critics. Matt Collar of AllMusic called the record, "their most mature and sonically sophisticated album to date." He stated, "Cuts like the leadoff 'Hey! We OK' and the driving 'Awkward Conversations (Best Day)' borrow the fuel-injected '70s power pop craftsmanship of classic bands like The Cars and Cheap Trick."[7] Alternative Press remarked, "this is Drew's absolute career pinnacle, sporting everything from slice-of-life vignettes ('Fone Tag', 'Post Surrealism'), heartfelt sentiment ('All Is Love', 'Peace Song'), arena-rock pomp ('WooHoo') and straight-up weirdness ('Boom!'). The hooks are big, Drew's vocals are louder and prouder than previous releases and the songs (barring the occasional f-bomb) are commercial as hell."[16] Charlie J. Moore of The Tech praised Drew's vocals but critcized the lyrics and called some tracks, "borderline boring."[15]

Track listing

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Track listing according to iTunes.[17]

No.TitleLength
1."Hey! We Ok"3:03
2."Fone Tag"3:31
3."Red Balloon"3:30
4."Happy New Year"3:28
5."Awkward Conversations (Best Day)"3:28
6."Black Cat"4:09
7."Peace Song"3:59
8."WooHoo"3:08
9."Boom!"2:39
10."All Is Love"3:50

Credits and personnel

[edit]

Credits for Black Cat adapted from AllMusic.[18]

Charts

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Chart performance for Black Cat
Chart (2015) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[19] 52
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[20] 6
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[21] 3

Release history

[edit]
Country Date Label Format
Various August 7, 2015 Warner Bros. Records CD, digital download[17]

References

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  1. ^ Kuchik, Natalie (June 9, 2015). "Never Shout Never reveals 'Black Cat' album details". AXS. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
  2. ^ "Never Shout Never announce 8/7 release of Black Cat". neufutur.com. Neufutur Magazine. June 9, 2015. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
  3. ^ "Check Out Never Shout Never's Latest Track, "Boom"". Fuse.tv. June 17, 2015. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Never Shout Never to release new album, 'Black Cat,' in August". Alternative Press. June 9, 2015. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  5. ^ "Never Shout Never Announces the Black Cat Tour". Digital Tour Bus. November 7, 2015. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  6. ^ "Never Shout Never announce headlining tour". Alternative Press. May 24, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c Matt Collar. "Never Shout Never - Black Cat Review by Matt Collar". AllMusic. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  8. ^ Mike Ragogna (August 19, 2015). "Black Cat: Chatting With Never Shout Never's Christofer Drew, Plus Dawn & Hawkes and Geoff deBree Exclusives". Huff Post. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  9. ^ "Hey! We OK - Single by Never Shout Never". Apple Music. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  10. ^ "Here are all the 2016 APMAs nominees!". Alternative Press. March 17, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  11. ^ "Never Shout Never release new song, "Boom"". Alternative Press. June 17, 2015. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  12. ^ a b "Never Shout Never touch roots with bouncy "Red Balloon" single". Alternative Press. July 16, 2015. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  13. ^ "Red Balloon - Single by Never Shout Never". Apple Music. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  14. ^ "Never Shout Never get whimsical in new 'Red Balloon' music video". Alternative Press. February 11, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  15. ^ a b Charlie J. Moore (August 27, 2015). "Never Shout Never is back with Black Cat". The Tech. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  16. ^ "Christofer Drew has embodied everything from a '60s hippie to an amps-to-11 rocker on 'Black Cat'". Alternative Press. August 7, 2015. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  17. ^ a b "Black Cat CD Bundle". nevershoutnever.com. Archived from the original on 2015-08-31. Retrieved 2015-07-15.
  18. ^ "Never Shout Never - Black Cat Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  19. ^ "Never Shout Never Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
  20. ^ "Never Shout Never Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  21. ^ "Never Shout Never Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
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