Neotheater
2019 studio album by AJR
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Neotheater is the third studio album by American pop band AJR. It was released on April 26, 2019[2] by the band's label AJR Productions. The album was self-produced by the trio. It is a follow-up to the trio's 2017 album The Click (2017).
| Neotheater | ||||
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| Released | April 26, 2019 | |||
| Length | 44:28 | |||
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| Singles from Neotheater | ||||
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Background and release
The 12 tracks were collectively described as "a coming of age tale that hears the band coming to terms with the sacrifices that come with growing older now that they are in their 20s". A description of the album also stated: "The buoyant and uplifting music is juxtaposed with darker lyrical narratives that touch on anxiety, naivete and searching for integrity."[3]
This album contained three official singles. AJR released the lead single "100 Bad Days" on January 29, 2019.[4] They followed up with the second single, "Birthday Party", on March 12, 2019.[5] "Dear Winter" was later released as the third official single on April 5, 2019.[6] On October 25, 2019, they released "Dear Winter 2.0," an alternate version of the original song with added instruments.[7]
Commercial performance
Neotheater debuted at number eight on the US Billboard 200 with 52,000 album-equivalent units (of which 32,000 were pure album sales). It is AJR's highest-peaking and first US top 10 album.[8]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [9] |
| Rolling Stone | [10] |
The album received generally positive reviews. Rolling Stone wrote in par, citing the bubbly tracks stepped in light orchestration, crisp hooks, and the social commentary, while AllMusic says that the album is "never less than refreshing".
Track listing
All tracks are written by Jack and Ryan Met, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Next Up Forever" | 4:17 | |
| 2. | "Birthday Party" |
| 3:44 |
| 3. | "100 Bad Days" | 3:33 | |
| 4. | "Don't Throw Out My Legos" | 4:11 | |
| 5. | "Break My Face" | 3:46 | |
| 6. | "Turning Out Pt. II" | 3:43 | |
| 7. | "The Entertainment's Here" | 3:07 | |
| 8. | "Karma" | 4:05 | |
| 9. | "Beats" | 3:19 | |
| 10. | "Wow, I'm Not Crazy" | 3:17 | |
| 11. | "Dear Winter" | 2:48 | |
| 12. | "Finale (Can't Wait to See What You Do Next)" | 4:38 | |
| Total length: | 44:28 | ||
Notes
- "Birthday Party" features a sample of the song "In Heaven", written by Peter Ivers and David Lynch and performed by Laurel Near in the 1977 film Eraserhead.[11]
- Ryan Met is credited with writing two of the songs on this album by himself. One of those songs is "Dear Winter". Jack Met further discusses the origins of this song at 18:30 - 22:37 of source 7.[12]
Personnel
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[13]
AJR
- Jack Met – lead vocals, guitar, melodica, ukulele, drums, percussion, keyboards, synthesizers, samples, programming, trumpet, composition
- Ryan Met – lead vocals, vocals, programming, keyboards, ukulele, trumpet, production, composition
- Adam Met – bass guitar, programming, samples, percussion, vocals
Additional personnel
- Daniel Rosenfeld – audio editing, composing
- Maikel Valdama – audio editing, mixing
- Drew Allsbrook – bass guitar (5, 10)
- Chris Berry – drums (2–4)
- Chris Cerrato – design
- Ezra Donellan – vocals (2)
- Samia Finnerty – vocals (5, 9, 12)
- Chris Gehringer – mastering
- Bruce Healey – choir arranger (1)
- JJ Kirkpatrick – trumpet (3–5, 7)
- Ruth Kornblatt-Stier – cello (1, 2, 6, 8, 9, 12)
- Emelia Suljic – violin (3–5, 7)
- Joe Zook – mixing
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[22] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
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‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||