''The Reason'' is the second major-label EP (and third overall) by American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

X Ambassadors X Ambassadors (also stylized XA) are an American pop rock band from Ithaca, New York. Its members currently include lead vocalist Sam Harris, keyboardist Casey Harris, and drummer Adam Levin. Russ Flynn is a touring member that plays guitar and ...

, released on January 27, 2014. It spawned the single

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. This EP also includes track Unsteady.

Composition

Musically, ''The Reason'' has been described as an album with elements of

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and

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and sub ...

, with "a

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vibe to it". X Ambassadors member Sam Harris cited rock singer

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

as a big influence on the album. In an interview with ''

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'', the band commented on their inspirations: "We've always tried to write songs for anyone who feels marginalized, underrepresented: eoplewho feel like they're different or are unable to speak up for themselves. A lot of the songs off of '' VHS'' and our previous EP, ''The Reason'', were written with that in mind." According to Craig D. Lindsey of ''

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'', the running theme through the EP is Sam Harris' struggling with self-doubt. On January 30, 2014, X Ambassadors posted a message on their

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account about the goal of the EP. They stated that ''The Reason'' is their attempt to tell a story "about someone who gave up chasing a dream and who had the courage to start over."
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Promotion and release

On January 23, 2014, the band released a three-minute preview of the upcoming EP.

Critical reception

Jeffrey Howard of '' Campus Times'' described it as a "pretty interesting" album. Tina Roumeliotis of

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wrote a positive review about the EP, stating " e bravery runs rampant in this release and it has me quite inspired".

Composition

Promotion and release

Critical reception

Track listing

Charts

References