The Relationship was an American rock band from
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, United States, founded in 2007 by
Weezer
Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Scott Shriner (bass guitar, keyboards, backing ...
guitarist
Brian Bell
Brian Lane Bell (born December 9, 1968) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the rhythm guitarist, keyboardist, backing vocalist, and occasional lead vocalist of the rock band Weezer, with whom he has recorded f ...
and Nate Shaw. In 2010, Bell released the first Relationship album and has since performed and recorded with a revolving cast of players and collaborators.
The band's 2015 single, "Oh Allen" (Burger Records), garnered praise from ''Billboard'', ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...
'', ''
Alternative Press
Alternative press may refer to:
Individual publications
* ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine
Alternative journalism
* Alternative media
** Alternative media (U.S. political left)
** Alternative media (U.S. political ri ...
'', and ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
''. That year, the band also landed coveted spots at Burgerama 4 and the
Sundance Film Festival.
In 2019, Bell stated that he had stopped pursuing The Relationship in the past year and that any of his future musical endeavors outside of Weezer would be entirely new, including the name.
The band's most recent line-up was Brian Bell (guitar and vocals), Jon LaRue (bass), Justin Goings (drums) and Brandon Graham (lead guitar).
First album
Recording of The Relationship's first album took place at Bell's private home studio in the city of
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
on an
analog
Analog or analogue may refer to:
Computing and electronics
* Analog signal, in which information is encoded in a continuous variable
** Analog device, an apparatus that operates on analog signals
*** Analog electronics, circuits which use analog ...
8 track.
Sean Lennon
is an American–British musician, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist. He is the son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and half-brother to Julian Lennon. Over the course of his career, he has been a member of the bands Cibo Matto, The ...
mentioned in a recent interview that he will appear with Bell on The Relationship's debut record.
Weezer frontman
Rivers Cuomo
Rivers Cuomo ( ; born June 13, 1970) is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist, guitarist, pianist, and songwriter of the rock band Weezer.
Cuomo was raised in a number of Buddhist communities in the Northeast U.S. until the age of 10, wh ...
and Bell co-wrote a song together for the project titled "Hand to Hold," however, Bell has stated he that does not think it will be on their debut album.
Bell has posted twenty songs to date on the band's
Myspace page: "You Rock My Heart," "Please Help Me," "Something More," "Together Tomorrow," "Thought I Knew," "Happiness," "Amy Magazine," "3rd Gnossiennes," "In Love with Love," "Are You Gonna Be?," "Hand to Hold," "Will I Ever See Her Again?," "Mother Night," "Ugly Things," "Mow the Lawn," "Young Temptations," "Mistake Maker," "Sweet on You," "Oh Allen," and "Clown Song."
Two versions of "Are You Gonna Be?, "Hand To Hold", "Mother Night, "Please Help Me, "Something More, "Thought I Knew", "Together Tomorrow," and "Will I Ever See Her Again?" were posted.
"Hand to Hold" is a reworked version of the
Weezer
Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Scott Shriner (bass guitar, keyboards, backing ...
song "Private Message," co-written by
Rivers Cuomo
Rivers Cuomo ( ; born June 13, 1970) is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist, guitarist, pianist, and songwriter of the rock band Weezer.
Cuomo was raised in a number of Buddhist communities in the Northeast U.S. until the age of 10, wh ...
. Bell asked Cuomo if he could take a stab at the song since Weezer never officially released it.
The band debuted some new songs at their first show on December 15 at
Kilby Court
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...
in
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
. The debut record is nearly complete.
In a December 18, 2007 weezer.com update the following was posted: "According to Brian, his other band The Relationship is back on track with some fresh faces in the mix and new recordings are in the pipeline."
"Thought I Knew" was re-worked and rerecorded by Weezer for their 2008
self-titled album, although Brian claims the Relationship version will be included on the Relationship album.
The Relationship opened for Weezer on three California shows on their 2008
Troublemaker Tour, with Bell pulling double duty with both bands.
The mixing of The Relationship's debut album was finished on October 29, 2008. On November 17, 2010, the cover art for The Relationship's self-titled debut was revealed via the band's
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...
page. It was released digitally on Amazon and iTunes on November 30, 2010. Brian Bell also signed and notarized physical copies for fans at Weezer's Memories Tour shows.
In 2017, the band released a video for "Break Me Open", from their album "Clara Obscura". The video was directed by Steven Johnson.
Second album
The Relationship's second album, ''Clara Obscura'', was released on April 18, 2017.
Discography
;Studio albums
*''
The Relationship'' (2010)
*''Clara Obscura'' (2017)
;Singles
*"Oh Allen" / "Young Temptations" - Single (2015)
*"Break me Open" - Single (2017)
References
External links
Stereokill Interview: Brian discusses The Relationship, Feb 19th, 2009
{{DEFAULTSORT:Relationship, The
Alternative rock groups from California
Musical groups from Los Angeles
Musical groups established in 2007