Never Happy, Ever After

Never Happy, Ever After is the debut studio album by British pop punk band As It Is. Following four self-released EPs, the band signed to Fearless Records in October 2014. A week after the signing, the band went to record with producer James Paul Wisner in St. Cloud, Florida, United States. Never Happy, Ever After was released through Fearless on 20 April 2015.

Never Happy, Ever After
Studio album by
As It Is
Released20 April 2015
RecordedOctober–November 2014, St. Cloud, Florida
Genre
Length36:17
LabelFearless
ProducerJames Paul Wisner, As It Is
As It Is chronology
This Mind of Mine
(2014)		 Never Happy, Ever After
(2015)		 okay.
(2017)
Deluxe edition
Deluxe edition album artwork
Singles from Never Happy, Ever After
  1. "Dial Tones"
    Released: 20 January 2015
  2. "Concrete"
    Released: 3 March 2015
  3. "Cheap Shots & Setbacks"
    Released: 14 April 2015

Background

As It Is was started in spring 2012[3] by vocalist Patty Walters, who posted an advertisement stating that he was looking for musicians to be in a pop punk band using the online service Join My Band.[4] Guitarist Andy Westhead and drummer Patrick Foley replied to the advertisement and were accepted into the band.[5] Walters met guitarist Ben Biss while at university in Brighton.[6] As It Is self-released three EPs.[1] Following the release of a music video for "Can't Save Myself" in early February 2014 the band went on its first tour.[6] The band's fourth EP, This Mind of Mine, was a crowdfunded effort,[7] released in March 2014.[8] On 2 October, it was announced the band signed to Fearless Records,[9] the first UK band to do so.[1] Walters called Fearless "one of my favorite record labels."[9] Bands on Fearless "have played a huge role in my life, inspiring me massively".[9]

Composition and recording

Rock Sound contributor Rob Sayce noted that the album was influenced by All Time Low's Nothing Personal (2009).[10] Sayce wrote that the album "was another milestone release for UK pop-punk, and those sky-scraping choruses bore the unmistakable mark of ATL."[10] The band spent "a stupid amount of time on really making sure that is was the record we wanted", according to Walters.[6] During the writing process, the band members had not seen their girlfriends in a few months.[11] Walters called this "the hardest thing" he has had to face.[11] "Dial Tones" was Walters and guitarist Ben Biss' way of handing the guilt the pair of them were facing.[11] The bridge for the song was written at the Playhouse Theatre in London.[12] The group demoed vocals for the song in the bar of the theatre.[12]

A week after signing to Fearless, the band went to record[9] in a studio located in St. Cloud, Florida, with James Paul Wisner and the band producing the sessions.[1][13] Recording was done over the course of five-and-a-half weeks. Working with Wisner was "a huge learning curve" for the band, according to Walters.[6] Wisner mixed the album, before it was mastered by Brad Blackwood at Euphonics.[13]

Release

On 20 January 2015, "Dial Tones" was released as a single.[14] The music video for which was made by LifeIsArtFilms.[15] On 23 February, Never Happy, Ever After was announced for release, and the artwork was revealed.[16] Between late February and early April, As It Is supported Set It Off on the Glamour Kills Spring Break '15 tour.[17] On 3 March, "Concrete" was made available for steaming.[18] On 14 April, the album was made available for streaming.[7] On the same day, the music video for "Cheap Shots & Setbacks" was released.[7] The video was made by Dan Centrone.[19] Never Happy, Ever After was released by Fearless Records on 20 April.[20] In May, the band went on a co-headlining tour with This Wild Life with support from Seaway and Boston Manor.[21] The band played on the 2015 Warped Tour;[18] a music video was released for "Sorry" on 11 September with footage from the tour.[22]

Following this, they embarked on tours of Japan and Australia,[23] leading up to a support slot for Mayday Parade on the 2015 Alternative Press Tour in October and November.[24] On 10 November, a music video for "Speak Soft" premiered through Alternative Press' website;[25] it was made by LifeIsArtVisuals and filmed on a beach in Newcastle in Australia in the early hours of the morning.[26] In December, the band supported Lower Than Atlantis on their tour of the UK.[27] In February and March, the band supported Sleeping with Sirens on the UK tour. A deluxe edition of the album was released on 8 April 2016. It featured a new song, "Winter's Weather", and acoustic versions of three tracks: "Dial Tones", "Cheap Shots & Setbacks" and "Concrete".[28] A music video had been released for "Winter's Weather" the previous day.[29]

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Alternative Press (Japan)[30]
idobi Radio9/10[2]
Kerrang![31]

"Dial Tones" was included on Alternative Press's "12 New Songs You Need To Hear From January 2015" list.[32] The album was included at number 19 on Rock Sound's top 50 releases of 2015 list.[33]

Track listing

All music and lyrics written by As It Is.[13]

Standard edition
No.TitleLength
1."Speak Soft"3:16
2."Cheap Shots & Setbacks"2:53
3."Sorry"2:59
4."Drowning Deep in Doubt"3:48
5."Dial Tones"3:19
6."My Oceans Were Lakes"3:48
7."Concrete"2:58
8."Turn Back to Me"2:57
9."Can't Save Myself"3:46
10."Silence (Pretending's So Comfortable)"3:43
11."You, the Room & the Devil on Your Shoulder"2:56
Bonus tracks
Deluxe Edition[34]
No.TitleLength
12."Winter's Weather"3:16
13."Cheap Shots & Setbacks (acoustic version)"3:01
14."Dial Tones (acoustic version)"3:24
15."Concrete (acoustic version)" (featuring Ansley Newman)3:04

Personnel

Personnel per booklet.[13]

Chart positions
Charts (2015) Peak
position
Scottish Albums Chart[35] 40
UK Albums Chart[36] 39
UK Album Downloads Chart[37] 37
UK Albums Sales Chart[38] 33
UK Physical Albums Chart[39] 52
UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart[40] 2
US Billboard 200[41] 159
US Billboard Alternative Albums[42] 17
US Billboard Heatseekers Albums[43] 2
US Billboard Independent Albums[44] 14
US Billboard Top Album Sales[45] 77
US Billboard Top Rock Albums[46] 23

References
Citations
  1. Monger, Timothy. "Never Happy, Ever After - As It Is - Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 12 August 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  2. Marvel, Emillie (22 April 2015). "Album Review: As It Is – Never Happy, Ever After | idobi Network". Idobi.com. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  3. Biddulph 2015, p. 36
  4. "As It Is - DSCVR Interview". YouTube.com. DSCVR. 12 February 2015. Archived from the original on 12 August 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  5. "5 Things You Never Knew About... As It Is". YouTube.com. Rock Sound. 29 March 2015. Archived from the original on 12 August 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  6. Ritchie 2015, p. 34
  7. Sharp, Tyler (14 April 2015). "Stream As It Is' new album, 'Never Happy, Ever After'". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  8. "iTunes - Music - This Mind of Mine - EP by As It Is". iTunes. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  9. Sharp, Tyler (2 October 2014). "As It Is sign to Fearless Records". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on 14 April 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  10. Sayce 2015, p. 32
  11. Willcocks, Matthew (20 January 2015). "Behind The Scenes of As It Is' "Dial Tones" music video". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  12. McMahon, ed. 2015, p. 19
  13. Never Happy, Ever After (booklet). As It Is. Fearless Records. 2015. FLR302082.CS1 maint: others (link)
  14. "iTunes - Music - Dial Tones - Single by As It Is". iTunes. Archived from the original on 27 June 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  15. Fearless Records (19 January 2015). As It Is - Dial Tones (Official Music Video). YouTube. Archived from the original on 26 May 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  16. Ritchie, Andy (23 February 2015). "This Is What The Artwork For The Debut As It Is Album Looks Like". Rock Sound Magazine. Archived from the original on 14 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  17. Sharp, Tyler (7 January 2015). "Set It Off, Against The Current, more announced for Glamour Kills: Spring Break '15 Tour". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  18. Sharp, Tyler (3 March 2015). "As It Is stream "Concrete" from new album, 'Never Happy, Ever After'". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  19. asitisVEVO (13 April 2015). As It Is - Cheap Shots & Setbacks. YouTube. Archived from the original on 4 February 2017. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  20. Biddulph, Andy (14 April 2015). "As It Is Just Dropped A MASSIVE New Song". Rock Sound Magazine. Archived from the original on 16 June 2015. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  21. Ritchie, Andy (20 February 2015). "As It Is And This Wild Life Will Hit The UK Together In May". Rock Sound Magazine. Archived from the original on 14 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  22. Bazley, John (11 September 2015). "As It Is release Warped Tour music video for "Sorry"". Alternative Press. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  23. Richman, Jesse (13 October 2015). ""Going on tour with them is pretty mind-blowing": Benjamin Biss of As It Is talks the AP Tour". Alternative Press. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  24. AltPress (22 July 2015). "Mayday Parade, Real Friends, This Wild Life, As It Is announced for AP Tour". Alternative Press. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  25. AltPress (9 November 2015). "Take a look inside As It Is' new "Speak Soft" music video (exclusive)". Alternative Press. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  26. AltPress (11 November 2015). "As It Is share music video for "Speak Soft"". Alternative Press. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  27. "Are Lower Than Atlantis Doing A 1975 On Us?". MTV. Viacom. 14 September 2015. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  28. Ralph, Caityln (26 February 2016). "As It Is Announce New Song with Deluxe Edition of 'Never Happy, Ever After'". Alternative Press. Alternative Press. Archived from the original on 26 February 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  29. Ralph, Caitlyn (7 April 2016). "Listen to a new As It Is song". Alternative Press. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  30. Kamada, Yuji. "As It Is - Never Happy, Ever After AltPress Album Review". altpress.jp. Archived from the original on 27 June 2015. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  31. "As It Is - Timeline Photos". Facebook.com. Archived from the original on 2015-08-12. Retrieved 2015-05-04.
  32. Whitt, Cassie (28 January 2015). "12 New Songs You Need To Hear From January 2015". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on 16 August 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  33. Bird, ed. 2016, p. 26
  34. "Never Happy, Ever After (Deluxe Edition) by As It Is on iTunes". iTunes. Apple. Archived from the original on 16 March 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  35. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". officialcharts.com. Archived from the original on 12 June 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  36. "AS IT IS". officialcharts.com. Archived from the original on 6 June 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  37. "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". officialcharts.com. Archived from the original on 12 June 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  38. "Official Albums Sales Chart Top 100". officialcharts.com. Archived from the original on 13 January 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  39. "Official Physical Albums Chart Top 100". officialcharts.com. Archived from the original on 12 June 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  40. "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". officialcharts.com. Archived from the original on 12 June 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  41. "As It Is - Chart history (Billboard 200)". billboard.com. Archived from the original on 12 August 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  42. "As It Is - Chart history (Alternative Albums)". billboard.com. Archived from the original on 12 August 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  43. "As It Is - Chart history (Heatseekers Albums)". billboard.com. Archived from the original on 12 August 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  44. "As It Is - Chart history (Independent Albums)". billboard.com. Archived from the original on 12 August 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  45. "As It Is - Chart history (Top Album Sales)". billboard.com. Archived from the original on 12 August 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  46. "As It Is - Chart history (Top Rock Albums)". billboard.com. Archived from the original on 12 August 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
Sources
  • Biddulph, Andy (April 2015). Bird, Ryan (ed.). "New Noise: As It Is". Rock Sound. London: Freeway Press Inc. (198). ISSN 1465-0185.
  • Bird, Ryan, ed. (January 2016). "Top 50 Releases of the Year". Rock Sound. London: Freeway Press Inc. (208). ISSN 1465-0185.
  • McMahon, James, ed. (8 August 2015). "Rock's Biggest Secrets Revealed!". Kerrang!. London: Bauer Media Group (1580). ISSN 0262-6624.
  • Ritchie, Andy (February 2015). Bird, Ryan (ed.). "The Sounds of 2015: As It Is". Rock Sound. London: Freeway Press Inc. (196). ISSN 1465-0185.
  • Sayce, Rob (Summer 2015). Bird, Ryan (ed.). "Hall of Fame: Nothing Personal". Rock Sound. London: Freeway Press Inc. (203). ISSN 1465-0185.
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