''Hope'' is the third studio album by Welsh
post-hardcore
Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. It was initially inspired by post-punk and noise rock. Like post-punk, the term has been ...
band
The Blackout.
Production
The album was first announced in mid-2010 that the band had begun work on the album. The album was recorded at the end of 2010 and was funded by donations by fans on the website
PledgeMusic
PledgeMusic was an online direct-to-fan music platform, launched in August 2009. It was started to facilitate musicians looking to pre-sell, market, and distribute projects; such as recordings and concerts. It bore similarities to other artist p ...
. Recording was held at
AIR Studios
Associated Independent Recording (AIR) is an independent recording company founded in London in 1965 by record producer Sir George Martin and his business partner John Burgess, after their departure from Parlophone. The studio complex was founded ...
, Angelic Studios, and The Yard, with producer
Jason Perry. Adam Noble acted as engineer, with additional engineering from Perry; the pair did
Pro Tools
Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed and released by Avid Technology (formerly Digidesign) for Microsoft Windows and macOS. It is used for music creation and production, sound for picture (sound design, audio post-productio ...
editing. An assistant engineer aided them at each studio: Fiona Cruickshank (AIR), Tom Fuller (Angelic), and Mark Allaway (The Yard). Due to drummer Gareth Lawrence does not drum on the album, his place was taken by drummers Phillip Jenkins of
Kids in Glass Houses
Kids in Glass Houses are a Welsh rock band from Cardiff. The band's name was inspired by the lyrics "not throwing stones at you anymore" from the Glassjaw song "Tip Your Bartender". The band achieved success on the strength of the singles " Gi ...
and Tom Winch of Hexes.
John Mitchell mixed all of the recordings, before they were mastered by Tom Baker at Precision Mastering.
[
]
Release
On 12 January 2011, vocalist Gavin Butler said their new album would be titled ''Hope''. "Ambition Is Critical" was released as a free download on 21 January from the group's website. Following the track being played on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
's Rock Show, a music video was released for the track on 25 January. Two days later, the album's artwork and track listing were revealed. The first single to be released from the album was '' Higher & Higher'', which features Hyro Da Hero. The formerly titled "Whatever You Hear, Don't Scream" was released on 13 February 2011 on iTunes as a one track single. On 28 March 2011 it was released again this time with two b-sides, a Tek One remix and a Live recording from their Nottingham Show on the My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance (commonly abbreviated to MCR or My Chem) is an American rock band from Newark, New Jersey. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, lead guitarist Ray Toro, rhythm guitarist Frank Iero, and bassist Mi ...
World Contamination Tour.
In March and April, the group went on a UK tour alongside the Swellers
The Swellers were an American punk band from Flint, Michigan. Their music is influenced by melodic punk rock bands as well as alternative and indie rock from the 1990s.
Band history
On June 24, 2002, brothers Nick and Jonathan Diener brought the ...
and Hyro da Hero.[ A music video was released for "Never by Your Side" on 10 May. Kerrang! magazine revealed that it would be released as the second single with an expected release date of 30 May. On 18 July, a music video was released for "The Storm". The group appeared at the ]Reading and Leeds Festivals
The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Festiv ...
in August, before headlining the main stage at Merthyr Rock festival in September. A music video was released for "You're Not Alone" on 23 September. In October and November, the group went on a UK headlining tour with support from We Are the Ocean and Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour.
...
.
Track listing
All music and lyrics by the Blackout and Jason Perry, except for "Higher & Higher" by the Blackout, Perry, and Hyron Fenton.[
]
Personnel
Personnel per booklet.
The Blackout
* Sean Smith – vocals
* Gavin Butler – vocals
* James Davies – guitar
* Matthew Davies – guitar
* Rhys Lewis – bass
Additional musicians
* Philip Jenkins
Philip Jenkins (born April 3, 1952) is a professor of history at Baylor University in the United States, and co-director for Baylor's Program on Historical Studies of Religion in the Institute for Studies of Religion. He is also the Edwin Erle Sp ...
– drums
* Thomas Winch – drums
* Taylor Jane Smith – gang vocals
* Frances Sales – gang vocals
* Emma Courridge – gang vocals
* Hayley Connelly – gang vocals
* Nick Harnett – gang vocals
* Sean Goulding – gang vocals
* Hyro da Hero – vocals (track 3)
Production and design
* Jason Perry – producer, additional engineering, Pro Tools
Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed and released by Avid Technology (formerly Digidesign) for Microsoft Windows and macOS. It is used for music creation and production, sound for picture (sound design, audio post-productio ...
editing
* John Mitchell – mixing
* Adam Noble – engineer, Pro Tools editing
* Fiona Cruickshank – assistant engineer
* Tom Fuller – assistant engineer
* Mark Allaway – assistant engineer
* Tom Baker – mastering
* Steven Fessey – artwork
* Ismay Ozga-Lawn – additional photography
Charts
References
External links
''Hope''
at YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
(streamed copy where licensed)
{{Authority control
2011 albums
The Blackout (band) albums
Cooking Vinyl albums