Happiness Is (album)

Happiness Is
Studio album by Taking Back Sunday
Released March 18, 2014 (2014-03-18)
Recorded June–August 2013
Genre Alternative rock, pop rock[1]
Length 40:58
Label Hopeless
Producer Marc Jacob Hudson, Mike Sapone
Taking Back Sunday chronology
Taking Back Sunday
(2011)		 Happiness Is
(2014)		 Tidal Wave
(2016)
Singles from Happiness Is
  1. "Flicker, Fade"
    Released: January 14, 2014
  2. "Stood a Chance"
    Released: March 3, 2014

Happiness Is is the sixth studio album by American rock band Taking Back Sunday, released on March 18, 2014 through Hopeless Records.[2] The album, produced by Marc Jacob Hudson and Mike Sapone, is the second consecutive album to feature the band's revived lineup of vocalist Adam Lazzara, guitarist/vocalist John Nolan, guitarist Eddie Reyes, bassist Shaun Cooper and drummer Mark O'Connell.[3]

Release

The band frequently played "Flicker, Fade" and "Beat Up Car" during their So Sick tour in late 2013, but refrained from playing any other new material live before the album's release.[4] The album's title, artwork and release date were announced on January 14, 2014,[5] alongside the release of its first single "Flicker, Fade".[6] A music video for "Flicker, Fade", directed by DJay Brawner, was released on January 28.[7][8] A music video for "Stood a Chance", directed by Evan Brace, premiered on March 5.[9] "Stood a Chance" was released as the album's second single to alternative radio stations on March 18.[10] The album was available for streaming through Pandora Radio and YouTube on March 10.[11]

A B-side, titled "How I Met Your Mother" was uploaded to the Hopeless Records YouTube channel on the day of the album's release.

On November 18, 2014 Hopeless Records announced they would be re-issuing the album on February 24, 2015. The re-issue titled Happiness Is: The Complete Recordings, includes three new songs and three acoustic versions. A music video was released for "Better Homes and Gardens" on May 18, 2015; the video was directed by DJay Brawner.[12]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic71/100[13]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[14]
Alternative Press[15]
DIY[16]
Punknews.org[17]
Revolver[18]
USA Today[1]

Happiness Is received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 71, based on 9 reviews.[13] This indicates the release garnered "generally favorable reviews".[13] At USA Today, Edna Gunderson rated the album three stars out of four, concluding that "Warmth and wit almost compensate for a lack of distinction and the loss of punk sting."[1] Scott Heisel of Alternative Press rated the album three-and-a-half stars out of five, stating that the release is a good one: however, "Unfortunately, a 'good' record just isn't good enough anymore."[15] At Revolver, Jonah Bayer rated the album four stars out of five, writing that the release is facilitating the band in "getting their groove back" with the original lineup.[18] Sarah Jamieson of This Is Fake DIY rated the album three stars out of five, and according to her the release is "just a little more grown up."[16] At AllMusic, Gregory Heaney rated the album four stars out of five, stating that the release "shows that they've honed their skills, creating a beautifully crafted, well-constructed album that feels like more than merely a collection of songs, but rather an album full of soaring builds and heartbreaking collapses that lends credence to the notion that the best things come to those who wait."[14]

The album debuted at number 10 on the Billboard 200 chart, with first week sales of 22,000 copies in the U.S. This is an improvement over their last, self-titled album Taking Back Sunday, which peaked at number 17 in 2011.[19] As of September 2016, the album has sold 55,000 copies.[20]

Track listing

All songs written by Taking Back Sunday.[21]

  1. "Preface" – 1:26
  2. "Flicker, Fade" – 4:33
  3. "Stood a Chance" – 3:39
  4. "All the Way" – 3:48
  5. "Beat Up Car" – 3:11
  6. "It Takes More" – 5:11
  7. "They Don't Have Any Friends" – 3:48
  8. "Better Homes and Gardens" – 3:54
  9. "Like You Do" – 2:47
  10. "We Were Younger Then" – 4:42
  11. "Nothing at All" – 3:59
Bonus tracks

Personnel

Personnel per sleeve.[21]

Taking Back Sunday
Additional musicians
  • Dylan Ebrahimian – violin, electric violin
  • Teddy Schumacher – cello
Technical personnel

Chart performance

Chart (2014) Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart[23] 94
UK Official Charts Company[24] 53
U.S. Billboard 200[19] 10
U.S. Billboard Alternative Albums[25] 4
U.S. Billboard Digital Albums[26] 15
U.S. Billboard Independent Albums[27] 1
U.S. Billboard Tastemaker Albums[28] 1
U.S. Billboard Top Rock Albums[29] 4
U.S. Billboard Vinyl Albums[30] 2

References

  1. 1 2 3 Gunderson, Edna (March 17, 2014). "Listen Up: Other notable releases". USA Today. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  2. ↑ "HAPPINESS IS PREORDER". Hopeless Records. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Taking Back Sunday To Release New Album, Happiness Is, On March 18th". hopelessrecords.com. January 14, 2014. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
  4. ↑ Childers, Chad (20 March 2014). "Taking Back Sunday's Adam Lazzara Discusses 'Happiness Is' Album, Touring + More". Loudwire. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
  5. ↑ Zarrillo, Zack (14 January 2014). "Taking Back Sunday Announce New Album 'Happiness Is'". propertyofzack.com. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
  6. ↑ "Flicker, Fade: Taking Back Sunday". Amazon.com. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Taking Back Sunday - Flicker, Fade (Official Music Video)". YouTube. January 28, 2014. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  8. ↑ Wilce, Tamsyn (February 1, 2014). "Watch: Taking Back Sunday reveal video for 'Flicker, Fade'". Gigwise. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Taking Back Sunday - Stood A Chance (Official Music Video)". YouTube. March 5, 2014. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Future Releases on Alternative Radio Stations, Independent Artist Song Releases". All Access. Archived from the original on March 10, 2014. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Taking Back Sunday stream new album, 'Happiness Is'". Alternative Press. Retrieved 2014-03-10.
  12. ↑ "Videos: Taking Back Sunday: "Better Homes and Gardens"". punknews.org. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  13. 1 2 3 Metacritic (March 14, 2014). "Critic Reviews for Happiness Is". CBS Interactiveaccessdate=March 18, 2014.
  14. 1 2 Heaney, Gregory (March 18, 2014). "Happiness Is - Taking Back Sunday : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
  15. 1 2 Heisel, Scott (March 3, 2014). "Taking Back Sunday - Happiness Is". Alternative Press. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  16. 1 2 Jamieson, Sarah (March 17, 2014). "Taking Back Sunday - Happiness Is". This Is Fake DIY. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  17. ↑ Heaney, Gregory (April 22, 2014). "Taking Back Sunday - Happiness Is". Punknews.org. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  18. 1 2 Bayer, Jonah (March 10, 2014). "Review: Taking Back Sunday – Happiness Is". Revolver. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  19. 1 2 "YG's My Krazy Life Iced Out Of #1 Debut By 'Frozen'". MTV News. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  20. ↑ "Upcoming Releases - HITS Daily Double". September 7, 2016. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  21. 1 2 Happiness Is (Sleeve). Taking Back Sunday. Hopeless. 2014. HR791-2.
  22. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Happiness Is: The Complete Recordings by Taking Back Sunday". iTunes. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  23. ↑ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 24 March 2014" (PDF) (1256). Pandora Archive. April 17, 2014: 6. Retrieved December 2, 2014.
  24. ↑ "TAKING BACK SUNDAY". officialcharts.com. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  25. ↑ "Taking Back Sunday". billboard.com. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  26. ↑ "Taking Back Sunday". billboard.com. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  27. ↑ "Taking Back Sunday". billboard.com. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  28. ↑ "Taking Back Sunday". billboard.com. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  29. ↑ "Taking Back Sunday". billboard.com. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  30. ↑ "Vinyl Albums : April 5, 2014". Billboard. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
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