Brand New (band)
Brand New was an American rock band from Long Island, New York. Formed in 2000, the band consisted of Jesse Lacey (vocals, guitar), Vincent Accardi (guitar, vocals), Garrett Tierney (bass guitar, vocals) and Brian Lane (drums, percussion); they were joined by Benjamin Homola (percussion) for their live performances.[1] From 2005 to 2013, the band also included Derrick Sherman (guitar, backing vocals, keyboards).[2] The band is recognized as one of the most influential within the 2000s emo scene, celebrated for making artistic statements with their music.[3]
Brand New
Long Island, New York, U.S.
2000–2017
- Vincent Accardi
- Jesse Lacey
- Brian Lane
- Derrick Sherman
- Garrett Tierney
Lacey, Tierney and Lane all played in the band the Rookie Lot, from Levittown, New York. Lacey was also the founding bassist for Taking Back Sunday before leaving. With Accardi in 2000, they formed Brand New in Merrick, New York.[1] The band signed to Triple Crown Records and in 2001 released their debut album Your Favorite Weapon. Their second album, Deja Entendu, was released in 2003 and marked a stylistic change for the band, one that garnered an extremely positive critical reception.[4] The album's first two singles, "The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows" and "Sic Transit Gloria... Glory Fades", both received airplay on MTV2 and Fuse TV, entering the top 40 on the United Kingdom Singles Chart. Deja Entendu was eventually certified gold in the United States.
Brand New moved to Interscope Records and released the critically acclaimed The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me in 2006. "Jesus Christ" became their highest-charting single in the US, peaking at number 30 on the Alternative Songs chart. In March 2008, the band started their own record label, Procrastinate! Music Traitors. Their fourth album, Daisy, which saw Accardi become a significant lyricist for the band, was released in 2009 and reached number six on the Billboard 200.
The band released two non-album singles following Daisy: "Mene" in April 2015 and "I Am a Nightmare" in May 2016, also formally releasing the original demos for their third album which had been leaked on the internet a decade earlier. Brand New surprise-released their fifth and final album Science Fiction on August 17, 2017, two days after announcing its release on vinyl. Receiving both critical acclaim and commercial success, it became Brand New's first number-one album on the Billboard 200.
Though Lacey had stated that the band would disband in 2018, the band has been publicly inactive since late 2017, when he was accused of sexual misconduct occurring during the band's early days.[5]
History[edit]
Formation and Your Favorite Weapon (2000–2002)[edit]
Prior to Brand New's official formation, in the late 1990s, Jesse Lacey, Garrett Tierney and Brian Lane were all members of the post-hardcore band the Rookie Lot, along with Brandon Reilly and Alex Dunne of Crime in Stereo. The Rookie Lot split and did not play for a while until Lacey, Lane and Tierney started to rehearse again. After Reilly joined The Movielife, they then recruited guitarist Vincent Accardi, who had been playing in a band called One Last Goodbye.[1][6]
All four members had backgrounds linking into their local Long Island independent and hardcore music scenes, but with influences from an array of artists ranging from Buddy Rich to the Archers of Loaf. They eventually formed Brand New in 2000, in a basement in Merrick, New York. Their initial intention was always to "move outside of whatever notions they felt inclined to when they were making music as younger people."[1] The band gained exposure in the local scene through playing shows with alternative rock contemporaries Midtown and post-hardcore bands like Glassjaw, while also self-releasing a four-song demo.[6][7] The band's first show was at the Garden City bowling alley as the opener for Long Island hardcore band Silent Majority.[8]
Brand New signed to Triple Crown Records just after their second-ever show.[9] The band had released a demo for Warner Bros. Records, but the label did not believe that the band had a hit single in their catalog that was worth signing them for. In response, Lacey immediately wrote "Last Chance to Lose Your Keys" at the label office to serve as their single, but Warner Bros. declined to make an offer and Brand New ended up with Triple Crown instead.[8]
Lane and Reilly came up with the band name Brand New, which Lacey said was "somewhat in jest because nothing about the band is really that new... we weren't trying to break ground with a new kind of sound or anything."[10] Later, Lacey said that interpretation was not his original intention, claiming that "a friend of ours said he would call his band Brand New but he never got a new band so we took it. I wish it were something as clever as a sarcastic take on the state of music."[11]
Brand New's debut studio album Your Favorite Weapon was produced by friend of the band Mike Sapone.[1][7] The album has been described as being "bitter about ex-girlfriends", with an excessive concentration on "post-breakup angst". It received relatively positive reviews, with AllMusic awarding it three out of five and PopMatters also being favorable.[12][13] It became a moderate success, selling over 50,000 copies.[14][15] The record deal gave Brand New the opportunity to tour, playing alongside the likes of Taking Back Sunday and touring the UK in support of Finch, to a "great response" from the crowds.[7][16]
The only single released from Your Favorite Weapon was "Jude Law and a Semester Abroad". The song has been described by AllMusic as a "semi-hit" after it received airplay on both MTV2 and Fuse.[7]
Legacy and influence[edit]
Brand New has been recognized as one of the most beloved and important bands of the emo genre.[117][118][3] Their enduring following, described as "cult-like", is notable in that their fanbase and legacy have continuously remained strong throughout their entire career whereas other bands from the 2000s emo scene have faded into obscurity.[119] They have been widely praised by critics for creating artistic statements with their music instead of aiming for mainstream success like many of their contemporaries did.[120] Ian Cohen of Pitchfork remarked, "popular guitar music in 2017 has been undeniably shaped by Brand New, a band who has served not just as damaged role models but as a formative musical influence."[121] Writing for The Outline, Zoe Camp stated that "they were increasingly sincere and self-aware in a genre where emotional histrionics were the default setting. Music like this made them, and Lacey, seem definitively different than Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz, Taking Back Sunday’s Adam Lazzara, or virtually any other sad white guy who once covered Alternative Press."[122] Spin declared that "Brand New didn’t just became a band, they became a lifeline and sanctuary for thousands upon thousands of messed-up kids."[123] Ryan Bassil of Noisey declared Brand New "to be crowned the best band of a generation."[124] Music writers have credited the eight-year gap between 2009's Daisy and 2017's Science Fiction as essential for the growth of Brand New's legacy in the music world.[121][125] In Chris Payne's 2023 retrospective novel Where Are Your Boys Tonight?: The Oral History of Emo's Mainstream Explosion 1999-2008, he named Brand New "arguably the most innovative and critically acclaimed band of their scene."[8]
Brand New's influence on the new wave of downbeat hip hop has also been noted, with Lindsay Zoladz of The Ringer stating "your future favorite rapper might be listening to Brand New right now."[126] Lil Peep sampled Brand New's "The No Seatbelt Song" on his track "Crybaby".[127]
Artists influenced by Brand New include Manchester Orchestra,[117] mewithoutYou,[117] Cymbals Eat Guitars,[128] Citizen,[121] Oso Oso,[129] Amy Shark,[130] Sorority Noise,[131] Moose Blood and The Xcerts.[132] Pop singer Halsey has referred to their third album in particular as a major influence and Lacey as "largely responsible for why I write with such detail."[133][134]
Foxing lead singer Conor Murphy pointed to a motivational speech that Lacey gave the band before their first show opening for Brand New as a pivotal moment in the band's development.[135] Cymbals Eat Guitars singer Joe D’Agostino said that opening for Brand New exposed the band to a wider audience that would not have discovered them had it not been for the tour.[136] Thrice's 2015 reunion came about after band members witnessed an inspiring Brand New concert and conversed with the band about touring again.[137][138]