The Reason (EP)

The Reason is the second major-label EP (and third overall) by American rock band X Ambassadors, released on January 27, 2014.[1] It spawned two singles: "Unsteady" and "Jungle".

The Reason
EP by
X Ambassadors
ReleasedJanuary 27, 2014
Genre
Label
X Ambassadors chronology
Love Songs Drug Songs
(2013)		 The Reason
(2014)		 VHS
(2015)

Composition

Musically, The Reason has been described as an album with elements of trap music and indie pop, with "a country vibe to it".[2] X Ambassadors member Sam Harris cited rock singer Bruce Springsteen as a big influence on the album.[2]

In an interview with The Emory Wheel, the band commented on their inspirations: "We've always tried to write songs for anyone who feels marginalized, underrepresented: [people] who feel like they're different or are unable to speak up for themselves. A lot of the songs off of VHS and our previous EP, The Reason, were written with that in mind."[3] According to Craig D. Lindsey of The News & Observer, the running theme through the EP is Sam Harris' struggling with self-doubt.[4]

On January 30, 2014, X Ambassadors posted a message on their Facebook account about the goal of the EP. They stated that The Reason is their attempt to tell a story "about someone who gave up chasing a dream and who had the courage to start over."[5]

Promotion and release

On January 23, 2014, the band released a three-minute preview of the upcoming EP.[6]

Critical reception

Jeffrey Howard of Campus Times described it as a "pretty interesting" album.[2] Tina Roumeliotis of Buzznet wrote a positive review about the EP, stating "[t]he bravery runs rampant in this release and it has me quite inspired".[5]

Track listing

All songs composed by X Ambassadors. [7]

The Reason track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Free & Lonely"4:08
2."The Business"4:20
3."Giants"3:57
4."Unsteady"3:12
5."Shining"3:38
6."Jungle" (with Jamie N Commons)3:09
Total length:22:24
Digital re-release 2015 [8]
No.TitleLength
1."Free & Lonely"4:08
2."The Business"4:20
3."Giants"3:57
4."Shining"3:38
Total length:16:03

Charts
Chart (2014) Peak
position
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[9] 7

References
  1. "X Ambassadors: The Reason". AllMusic. January 27, 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  2. Howard, Jeffrey (March 27, 2014). "X Ambassadors: taking from the past, looking to the future". Campus Times. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  3. Conway, Hannah (May 12, 2016). "X Ambassadors Talk Spontaneity, Willingness to Experiment". The Emory Wheel. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  4. Lindsey, Craig D. (October 16, 2014). "X Ambassadors: Out of the 'Jungle' and into Chapel Hill". The News & Observer. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  5. Roumeliotis, Tina (January 30, 2014). "REVIEW: X Ambassadors 'The Reason' EP". Buzznet. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  6. "LISTEN: X Ambassadors Preview New 'The Reason' EP". Variance. January 23, 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  7. The Reason - EP by X Ambassadors, retrieved 2019-12-28
  8. The Reason - EP by X Ambassadors, retrieved 2019-12-28
  9. "X Ambassadors Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 14, 2017.


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