Songs for Singles
Encyclopedia
Songs for Singles is an EP
by the American rock band Torche
. The album was released on September 21, 2010 through Hydra Head Records
. It is the first Torche album, and second release after the split single Chapter Ahead Being Fake
, to not feature guitarist Juan Montoya.
Songs for Singles is the first album, and second release overall after the song "King Beef" released on Chapter Ahead Being Fake
, to not feature second guitarist Juan Montoya. Torche has stated that they write and record faster and more efficiently without Montoya in the band. Nuñez commented, "We always wrote as a group even with Juan in the band... But when we became a three-piece, it was a really productive process. With Me, Rick, and Steve, I think we work fairly quickly, we know what we want, and we know how to get it, and we know when it's right."
Songs for Singles was self-produced by the band members themselves in order to achieve a more raw sound. Nuñez stated that their goal during production was to create "something that connects a little more to what we feel it should sound like, and what it will hopefully sound like live." By this point in the band's career, the only Torche album that was not self-produced was Meanderthal which was recorded with Converge
guitarist Kurt Ballou
. Retrospectively, after the EP's release, Torche expressed their gratitude for working with a third-party in the studio, and suggested that Songs for Singles may be their final self-produced record. Brooks commented, "It's easier to work with other people sometimes, and we were driving ourselves a little crazy on this one... I think we're gonna do [the next album] with someone else, just to eliminate over-analyzing things and nitpicking little things, and having an outside ear help guide us."
's vocal track from Van Halen
's 1978 single "Runnin' with the Devil
," and was created by Hydra Head without Torche's knowledge. Roth's vocal track was leaked online in 2008, and has since become an Internet meme
as various mashups
with other famous songs have been posted on the web. The version of "U.F.O." on Songs for Singles doesn't feature Roth's vocals. The song was also released as a stand alone digital single on August 24, 2010, featuring similar cover art to Songs for Singles. A music video for the single directed by Andrew Cox was released on October 11, 2010.
Songs for Singles was posted in full on the band's MySpace for streaming on the weekend before its official release.
commented that these tracks are where the album "really takes off" and that they "slow down their attack noticeably, letting space and dynamics creep into the guitar-storm." James Greene Jr. of Crawdaddy!
described these two songs as the album's "real meat" and continued, "Rolling out like methodic and slow-moving urban assault vehicles, these cuts will probably save Torche's latest EP from the danger of being written off as 'less than essential' by our unwashed critical masses."
Songs for Singles became Torche's first charting album, which peaked at number 38 on Billboard's
Top Heatseekers
albums chart.
Production and recording
Artwork and design
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
by the American rock band Torche
Torche
Torche is a band from Miami, Florida, whose sound is often described as stoner metal, or sludge metal.-Biography:The group was formed in 2004 by Steve Brooks , Juan Montoya , Jonathan Nuñez and Rick Smith Torche is a band from Miami, Florida, whose sound is often described as stoner metal, or...
. The album was released on September 21, 2010 through Hydra Head Records
Hydra Head Records
Hydra Head Records is an independent record label which specializes in heavy metal music, founded in New Mexico by Aaron Turner in 1993...
. It is the first Torche album, and second release after the split single Chapter Ahead Being Fake
Chapter Ahead Being Fake
Chapter Ahead Being Fake is a split album featuring songs from Japanese band Boris and American band Torche. The album was released on August 19, 2009 in Japan through Daymare Records on CD, the same day Boris's split album with 9dw, Golden Dance Classics, was released...
, to not feature guitarist Juan Montoya.
Writing and recording
Torche was originally planning on writing their third full-length album, and follow up to 2008's Meanderthal, but ended up releasing an EP of songs they were working on as Songs for Singles instead. With little interest in writing another album similar to Meanderthal, they start writing songs that would be more fun to play in a live setting. The group quickly recorded music for about 12 tracks for an album, but struggled to write lyrics and record vocals for the songs. According to bassist Jonathan Nuñez, the music was too "full," and when Torche tried to incorporate vocals, "[...] It was like, 'Whoa.' It was kind of overwhelming a little bit." Guitarist and singer Steve Brooks recorded his vocal tracks about a dozen different ways before settling on a composition that fit well with the music. As a group, they also had to strip the musical parts of the songs down to a more simplified arrangement to fit in the vocal tracks, and amidst long the process, decided on releasing a short EP in the interest of time. Originally, some of the songs written during these recording sessions that didn't end up on Songs for Singles were expected to be released on their following studio album. However, Rick Smith later denied this claim. The lyrics for Songs for Singles take on a stream of consciousness narrative perspective, and have been described as dream-like and nonsensical by Brooks. He also commented, "That's why I don't print the lyrics, actually. I don't want anyone overanalyzing every little stupid thing I say."Songs for Singles is the first album, and second release overall after the song "King Beef" released on Chapter Ahead Being Fake
Chapter Ahead Being Fake
Chapter Ahead Being Fake is a split album featuring songs from Japanese band Boris and American band Torche. The album was released on August 19, 2009 in Japan through Daymare Records on CD, the same day Boris's split album with 9dw, Golden Dance Classics, was released...
, to not feature second guitarist Juan Montoya. Torche has stated that they write and record faster and more efficiently without Montoya in the band. Nuñez commented, "We always wrote as a group even with Juan in the band... But when we became a three-piece, it was a really productive process. With Me, Rick, and Steve, I think we work fairly quickly, we know what we want, and we know how to get it, and we know when it's right."
Songs for Singles was self-produced by the band members themselves in order to achieve a more raw sound. Nuñez stated that their goal during production was to create "something that connects a little more to what we feel it should sound like, and what it will hopefully sound like live." By this point in the band's career, the only Torche album that was not self-produced was Meanderthal which was recorded with Converge
Converge (band)
Converge is an American band from Salem, Massachusetts. Playing a blend of hardcore punk and metal since 1990, Converge has helped to define many of the elements of the metalcore genre.-Description:...
guitarist Kurt Ballou
Kurt Ballou
Kurt Ballou is the guitarist from Massachusetts-based band Converge. Aside from his role in Converge, he is a prolific producer, engineering and producing out of his own Godcity studio.- GodCity studio :...
. Retrospectively, after the EP's release, Torche expressed their gratitude for working with a third-party in the studio, and suggested that Songs for Singles may be their final self-produced record. Brooks commented, "It's easier to work with other people sometimes, and we were driving ourselves a little crazy on this one... I think we're gonna do [the next album] with someone else, just to eliminate over-analyzing things and nitpicking little things, and having an outside ear help guide us."
Release
Prior to the release of the EP, the opening track "U.F.O." was previously made available on a free Hydra Head Records downloadable sampler. However, this early version was jokingly contained David Lee RothDavid Lee Roth
David Lee Roth is an American rock vocalist, songwriter, actor, author, and former radio personality. Roth was ranked nineteenth by Hit Parader on their list of the 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Singers of All Time....
's vocal track from Van Halen
Van Halen
Van Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. The band has enjoyed success since the release of its debut album, Van Halen, . As of 2007 Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
's 1978 single "Runnin' with the Devil
Runnin' With the Devil
"Runnin' with the Devil" is a rock song and the first track from Van Halen's 1978 eponymous debut album. The song lyrics were inspired by the Ohio Players song "Runnin' from the Devil". In 2009 it was named the 9th greatest hard rock song of all time by VH1....
," and was created by Hydra Head without Torche's knowledge. Roth's vocal track was leaked online in 2008, and has since become an Internet meme
Internet meme
The term Internet meme is used to describe a concept that spreads via the Internet. The term is a reference to the concept of memes, although the latter concept refers to a much broader category of cultural information.-Description:...
as various mashups
Mashup (music)
A mashup or bootleg is a song or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another...
with other famous songs have been posted on the web. The version of "U.F.O." on Songs for Singles doesn't feature Roth's vocals. The song was also released as a stand alone digital single on August 24, 2010, featuring similar cover art to Songs for Singles. A music video for the single directed by Andrew Cox was released on October 11, 2010.
Songs for Singles was posted in full on the band's MySpace for streaming on the weekend before its official release.
Critical and commercial reception
Songs for Singles garnered generally positive reviews from music critics. Much praise was given to the album's relatively lengthy final two tracks: "Face the Wall," and "Out Again." Tom Breihan of Pitchfork MediaPitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
commented that these tracks are where the album "really takes off" and that they "slow down their attack noticeably, letting space and dynamics creep into the guitar-storm." James Greene Jr. of Crawdaddy!
Crawdaddy!
Crawdaddy! was the first U.S. magazine of rock and roll music criticism. Created in 1966 by college student Paul Williams in response to the increasing sophistication and cultural influence of popular music, Crawdaddy! was self-described as "the first magazine to take rock and roll...
described these two songs as the album's "real meat" and continued, "Rolling out like methodic and slow-moving urban assault vehicles, these cuts will probably save Torche's latest EP from the danger of being written off as 'less than essential' by our unwashed critical masses."
Songs for Singles became Torche's first charting album, which peaked at number 38 on Billboard's
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical...
albums chart.
Accolades
| Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exclaim! Exclaim! Exclaim! is a monthly Canadian music magazine that features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with special focus on Canadian and cutting-edge artists... |
Canada | Top 10 Metal Albums of the Year | 2010 | 1 |
| Punknews.org Punknews.org Punknews.org is a website founded by Aubin Paul which launched in 1999. The website publishes music news and album reviews relating to punk rock, hardcore punk, ska, indie rock and heavy metal... |
US | Top 10 EPs of the Year | 2010 | 2 (tie) |
| Rock Sound Rock Sound Rock Sound is a British magazine which champions rock music. The magazine aims at being more "underground" and less commercial, whilst also giving coverage to more well known acts.-History:... |
UK | Top 75 Albums of the Year | 2010 | 22 |
Track listing
- "U.F.O." – 1:53
- "Lay Low" – 0:51
- "Hideaway" – 2:03
- "Arrowhead" – 2:17
- "Shine on My Old Ways" – 1:49
- "Cast into Unknown" – 2:11
- "Face the Wall" – 4:32
- "Out Again" – 6:11
Personnel
Torche- Steve Brooks – guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, vocals - Jonathan Nuñez – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Rick Smith – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Production and recording
- Rob Gonnella – masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
- Ryan Haft – drum engineering, mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
- Jonathan Nuñez – drum engineering, engineerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, mixing - Nicholas Zampiello – mastering
Artwork and design
- Howard Maxwell Johnston – photography
- James OMara – layout
- Torche – artwork