''In the Drink'' is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Justin Courtney Pierre. Produced by

Joshua Cain Joshua Allen Cain, (born July 31, 1976) is a guitarist and record producer from Saint Paul, Minnesota. He was the co-founder and lead guitarist of United States, American pop punk band Motion City Soundtrack. Cain is also a record producer, music ...

, the album was released on October 12, 2018 in the United States by

Epitaph Records Epitaph Records is an American independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, most acts signed to the label were punk and pop punk acts, while there are many post-hardcore and emo bands ...

. Pierre was previously known as the frontman of

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

group Motion City Soundtrack, which formed in 1997 and released six albums, also mainly on Epitaph. After the band went on a break in 2016 and re-emerged in 2019, Pierre settled into family life and began developing ''In the Drink''. It was recorded with his former bandmate

Background

The origins of Pierre's first solo effort lie in the dissolution of his former group, Motion City Soundtrack. The band, over their nearly twenty-year career, toured heavily and released six studio albums, the majority on independent label Epitaph Records. By 2016, much of the members were starting families and found time spent touring less desirable. They announced a farewell tour, which culminated in a career-spanning set at Chicago's

Metro Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urba ...

in September 2016. Following that show, Pierre returned to his hometown of Minneapolis and settled into home life with his wife and daughter. He entered therapy, gained weight, and considered options for his future. He briefly considered becoming an accountant, but was drawn back to music within a short time. ''In the Drink'' was recorded over a period of seven months, and was produced by Pierre's former bandmate, Joshua Cain, and recorded at his studio, Interdimensional Breakthrough Sound. Cain had developed his skills as a producer over the years, and due to their history, it was natural to reconnect with him for the project. Pierre plays every instrument on the album, aside from the trumpet and drums, which were played by David Jarnstrom of Gratitude.

Release and reception

''In the Drink'' was announced on July 31, 2018. Pierre returned to Epitaph Records to distribute the release. The album was a promoted with a series of music videos, the first of which was influenced by

French New Wave French New Wave (french: La Nouvelle Vague) is a French art film movement that emerged in the late 1950s. The movement was characterized by its rejection of traditional filmmaking conventions in favor of experimentation and a spirit of iconocla ...

cinema, with the rest interconnected in an ethereal sense.

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. *

Justin Pierre Justin Courtney Pierre (born May 26, 1976) is a singer, songwriter and guitarist originally from Mahtomedi, Minnesota, United States. He is the co-founder and lead vocalist of the pop punk band Motion City Soundtrack, and is known for his int ...

– lead vocals, guitar, songwriting, art direction *David Jarnstrom – drums *Molly Solomon – backing vocals *Jenny O'Neill – backing vocals *

– producer, engineer *Jacob Carlson – drum engineer *Marc McClusky – mixing *Jason Link – layout * Greg Calbi – mastering

References

External links

''In the Drink''
(deluxe edition) at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed) {{DEFAULTSORT:In the Drink 2018 albums Epitaph Records albums