Title: “This Is A Hostile Takeover”By: Riot! In The Boulevard
From: Boycott Love (TBC, 2015)
Release Date: April 25, 2015
Length: 5:42
Format: CD Single, Digital Download, 7” Single, Weekly Airplay
Recorded: Half-Moon Studios, Las Vegas, Nevada - February 2015
Genre: Pop-Punk, Alternative Rock
Label: Studio60 Records
Written: January 2015
Writer(s): Amy Meyer, Adam Benjamin, Jason Greenberg
Producer(s): Riot! In The Boulevard, Avil Hartman
“This Is A Hostile Takeover” is a song written and recorded by American rock band ‘Riot! In The Boulevard’, released as the lead single from their fifth studio album, titled “Boycott Love”. It serves as the band’s first single following a two year gap since the release of their last single “You’re the Poison, I’m the Antidote” which was released in November 2013. The track will be released on 25 April, 2015 worldwide to coincide with the official news that the band are officially back together. Early reviews state that their latest single bridges the gap between their last album and their heavily pop-punk influenced debut album.
The music was written and composed by Amy Meyer, Adam Benjamin and Jason Greenberg, changing things up from previous albums where the band would work on the music together with Amy taking the majority of the songwriting responsibility. The song was produced by the band as a whole in collaboration with Avil Hartman once more, whom also handled production on their previous studio album “Wild Young Things” (2013).
The announcement of the brand new single from ‘Riot! In The Boulevard’ came as a surprise to their fans as the band have recently been on a break, with their members focussing on their solo careers and other outside of music projects. Having not released any new material since November 2013 the announcement was always going to come as a major surprise to many as Riot! Were expected to be on hiatus for a longer period of time, but with re-charged batteries it looks like they’re ready to go again. However, the announcement of this single does mark the first official release from the band as a trio, following the departures of former lead guitarist and drummer, Justin Mullen and Nathan Mullen after their release of their last studio album.
Very little has been spoken about their departures from either party, although it’s known that things didn’t end on the best of terms, with Justin Mullen reportedly holding a lot of frustration and anger with his former band mates and more specifically lead singer ‘Amy Meyer’ who was the subject of a Culture Uncut rant not long after leaving the band. During several interviews Amy Meyer has took the option not to speak about her former friends and band mates, preferring to focus on the bands future. It’s worth noting that the current trio have not had any form of contact with either Justin or Nathan since their abrupt departure.
The song was written around January 2015 when the three members of the band spent time together in their home-town of Las Vegas, Nevada. It was the first time they had properly spent a large amount of time together since the end of their last tour and led to them talking about the possibility of working on new music, this led to impromptu writing sessions and later in February a string of studio sessions, Amy Meyer recently spoke about this off-the-record to Rolling Stone,
“There wasn’t any expectation that we’d wanna put things back together so soon. We just sort of stepped away from Riot! And agreed that we all needed a break from that. But meeting up together again back home over the winter just re-ignited that fire and excitement that we always had with Riot!, we said while the three of us are back home we should hang out, maybe try writing a little something together and the creative juices started flowing and it was like we never stepped away from the game, we wrote some stuff that we believe is more than capable of standing up against our back catalogue and we found ourselves extremely excited about the possibility of writing another album together. It’s a little insane to me that we’re talking about the fifth Riot! Album but here we are and we feel ready once more.”As well as this being Riot! In The Boulevard’s first single since 2013, it also marks the trio’s first single under Studio60 Records following the closure of former label ‘North Hill Records’. Although yet to be announced by the industry’s biggest record label, the band have recently signed on with the label for their next studio album and likely beyond. It’s thought that an announcement from the label in regards to their signing of Riot! Would have taken away the element of surprise from the bands fanbase. Instead they decided to conduct all business matters in secret in the same way that they kept their writing and recording sessions secretive. Although the actual length of their contract with Studio60 is yet to be confirmed it’s thought that it will be an album by album deal which will give both parties the option to either continue or part way as opposed to having a fixed term album contract.
”This Is A Hostile Takeover” will be the lead single from their upcoming fifth studio album “Boycott Love” (2015) and fourteenth overall single in their career to date, six of which being number one singles. The announcement of the single has sent the bands fanbase into a frenzy, making the single one of the most anticipated releases in the bands four year history. The single was written in January 2015 by the band as a collaborative collective and it was recorded at Half-Moon Studios in Las Vegas, Nevada during secret recording sessions in February 2015 with producer Avil Hartman. The single will be released as a CD Single, Digital Download, 7” Vinyl and will be made available to Weekly Airplay on 25 April, 2015 and will be distributed by Studio60 Records.
BACKGROUND & SONG DESCRIPTION;Riot! In The Boulevard reconvened secretly around January and begun writing some songs together, this led to the trio deciding to head into their recording studio for the first time since 2013. The trio felt positively about the material that they had written, so much so that they found themselves yearning to get Riot! Back in the fold. It’s noted that they came to the decision to get back to work as a group at the end of February and within a month they had already made a number of decisions for their future. They had meetings with record label ‘Studio60 Records’ which led to them signing with the label and headed back into the recording studio to finish off creating the lead single from their next studio album.
They have confirmed that their fifth studio album will be titled “Boycott Love” and will be recorded throughout the summer and already have a number of completed songs ready to be recorded for that album. “This Is A Hostile Takeover” being the only one which has been recorded so far, but the bands lead singer Amy Meyer felt that it was the ideal song to return with, recently stating,
“We were looking at three songs potentially as the lead single, but as soon as we had finished writing “Takeover” we felt like this was the one that we needed to put out first. I think lyrically it works best because it’s not a song about love or heartbreak which if you look at the industry now, it’s almost become saturated by those two topics. This song is sort of like a statement song and I think that felt right for us to return with, there’s lyrics in there that reference us as a band. We know where we came from, we know what our fans expect from us and we’re sorry for the time that we spent away. This is our song to our fans that basically says, okay, it may have sucked for little while there, but hopefully with this new music that we’re creating you will all notice that it’s actually been beneficial to take a step away from Riot! And do other things. I believe that if we had followed up “Wild Young Things” last year then it would have been a mess of an album, it would have been half-hearted and that’s not the way we want to do things. We needed that time apart, to regroup and become re-inspired and that’s how we feel right now. We’re ready for this again and that is what the song is pretty much all about, it’s a statement from us in the form of a song that says, ‘okay, we’re ready to go at it again, join us for the ride’!” The song begins with a pounding drum beat provided by the bands session/touring drummer Billie Langdon and is followed by the combination of both bass guitar and lead electric guitar provided by Jason Greenberg and Adam Benjamin respectively, this gives the song a dramatic feelings as all three major instruments are heard very early on in the songs opening, as we reach the thirteen second mark we hear the voice of Amy Meyer and her familiar energetic rock vocals as she delivers the opening lyrics,
“We aren’t the gutter punk kids of this corporate generation/We’re the poet laureates of the young-blood nation/We’ll give you the songs to sing to/Ones that you can believe in/We’ll give you the songs that you can sing to/To save this young-blood nation/Save this young-blood nation.” which is heard over the pop-punk backdrop provided by her band mates, the instrumental delivery showcasing Amy’s voice perfectly to close out the opening verse of the bands comeback song.
As the first verse ends, the band unexpectedly jump ahead to the chorus rather swiftly, the dominance of lead guitar and drums feature heavily during the songs chorus as Amy sings against the backdrop
“This is not a call to arms, this is a hostile takeover/This is not a call to arms, this is a hostile takeover/This is not a call to arms, this is a hostile takeover/Did you really think we’d be gone for long?/Guess what ... the breaks over!.”Amy shows her front woman credentials as she bellows out the lyrics with passion, which helps to give the song an anthemic feel to it, once again helped by the instrumental performance from her cohorts. The verse after the chorus is catchy and energetic and one that could no doubt become a high point of live shows, there’s interesting imagery used in the songs lyrics as Amy once again sings,
“Put your weapons on the ground/Place your hands into the air/There’s no use in fighting for the lost and lonely/We’re sorry that we weren’t there.” which sees the band using rhyme to their advantage as they have done so successfully in the past, but it’s the reference of the fact that the band took time off which is really worth noting with the lines,
“We’re sorry that we weren’t there/But we’re back now/We don’t need the throne/We know where we came from/It feels good to be back home.” which not only sees the band sort of give an apology for the brief time they spent apart but also sees them emphasizing the fact that they have not forgotten their roots or became too big for their audiences.
The following verse sees the pace of the music slower briefly as we reach the ‘breakdown’ of the song, the vocals from Amy are wistful and emotive to go with the lyrics of the bands own strength and humility, she sings out,
“See, we crafted psalms in the pop-punk playbook/But we’re re-writing our own history now/We’re the epitome of never giving up against the odds/And I guess this is our sacred vow/We’re swinging for the fences/Aiming for those stars in the sky/Home-runs and touchdowns/Glory only ever comes to those who try.” and it feels refreshing to hear positive lyrics, those words have a more meaningful effect when they’re coming from a group of friends who not only made it but set the bar along the way.
With the close of that final verse, the music picks up again and we’re treated to Riot! At their pop-punk best, rapid-fire guitar riffs and a drumming delivery that encourages you to move your body to the beat, the repetitive lyrics and delivery from Amy Meyer close out the song and deliver on the intention of letting everybody know that Riot! Are most definitely back.
REVIEW;“Riot! Fans everywhere can rejoice once again as their favourite pop-punk threesome make a triumphant and ballsy return to the music industry with a brand new single and that familiar ‘let’s take over the world’ attitude. So how has things changed since Riot! Last released new music (back in 2013), rock bands have managed to find success, Reported Failure, The Enlightened and many others have managed to achieve chart success rather consistently with very little pop elements to it. Female pop stars have followed the Glamazon route, creative songwriting that goes beyond the standard blueprint, while male pop stars continue with an old-age blueprint of love songs and heartbreak songs. I personally believe that there is a good chance that Riot! Could struggle to fit into the industry as it is right now, sure they have their fanbase that will no doubt remain loyal to them, but beyond that I’m not sure how they will find a way to add to this fanbase at an age where promotion is often key.
But one thing is obvious ... they’re going to do things their way only!
Souring guitar riffs and drum beats dominate their brand new single “This Is A Hostile Takeover” early on in the song and that familiar Riot! Sound is refreshing thing to here these days. Straight off the bat, the bandmates have answered the questions of how they’re going to manage without two original members Justin and Nathan Mullen, the trio’s performance from the get go instantly washes away any thoughts of that nature and Amy’s vocal delivery in a pop-punk environment is a very welcome return. Any fan of the band will note the growth between albums, they’ve evolved with each record, their debut being one of the catchiest pop-punk records in recent memory while their fourth album “Wild Young Things” saw the band experiment with different imagery from a lyrical point of view as well as instrumentally with a much more beat driven record.
So the question is, where does their latest single and (likely) their next record stand against their previous work? Well judging from this brand new song, it would appear that the band are expanding their lyrical and thematic visions once again, this song could have found a place on their previous record with a lyrical style that is so uniquely Riot! In The Boulevard.
So, are their any major concerns with this new effort? Relate-ability, perhaps? Riot! Have always been a band that provided the songs for the lost youngsters of the world. This isn’t a song about sadness or love or desperation, but instead it feels at times like it is maybe perhaps a little self-indulgent. Essentially the band are making a point of being back together and maybe I’m reading it wrong, but it sounds like they’re viewing themselves as some sort of pop-punk saviours. Sure they had an incredible run and saviours they may very well be, but back then, they would certainly never point it out. There’s also a few choice lyrics that grate on me, “We’re the poet laureates of the young-blood nation” which you could maybe agree and say, yeah there was a time when they were the voice of a generation of young people and teenagers, again though I feel like they never would have pointed that out.
Overall opinion? Okay, so we weren’t expecting “Cradle to the Grave pt. II” but there is evidence that the band have become a little too big and a little too adventurous. Kudos to them for trying things a little outside of the norm and continuing to do things their own way. Right now, there is nobody out there that this song could work for, other than Riot! And so although I feel a little underwhelmed by this new song and a little disappointed that this isn’t the triumphant return I had envision for them, it is at least a good thing to hear them putting out new music now and no doubt in the coming months.”
LYRICS;“We aren’t the gutter punk kids of this corporate generation
We’re the poet laureates of the young-blood nation
We’ll give you the songs to sing to
Ones that you can believe in
We’ll give you the songs that you can sing to
To save this young-blood nation
Save this young-blood nation
This is not a call to arms, this is a hostile takeover
This is not a call to arms, this is a hostile takeover
This is not a call to arms, this is a hostile takeover
Did you really think we’d be gone for long?
Guess what ... the breaks over!
Put your weapons on the ground
Place your hands into the air
There’s no use in fighting for the lost and lonely
We’re sorry that we weren’t there
But we’re back now
We don’t need the throne
We know where we came from
It feels good to be back home
See, we crafted psalms in the pop-punk playbook
But we’re re-writing our own history now
We’re the epitome of never giving up against the odds
And I guess this is our sacred vow
We’re swinging for the fences
Aiming for those stars in the sky
Home-runs and touchdowns
Glory only ever comes to those who try
This is not a call to arms, this is a hostile takeover
This is not a call to arms, this is a hostile takeover
This is not a call to arms, this is a hostile takeover
Did you really think we’d be gone for long?
Guess what ... the breaks over!
We aren’t the gutter punk kids of this corporate generation
We’re the poet laureates of the young-blood nation
We’ll give you the songs to sing to
Ones that you can believe in
We’ll give you the songs that you can sing to
To save this young-blood nation
Save this young-blood nation
This is not a call to arms, this is a hostile takeover
This is not a call to arms, this is a hostile takeover
This is not a call to arms, this is a hostile takeover
Did you really think we’d be gone for long?
Guess what ... the breaks over!”
SOUND ALIKE;FALL OUT BOY - “THIS AIN’T A SCENE, IT’S AN ARMS RACE”
PERSONNEL;Amy Meyer - lead vocals, lyrics, composition, production
Adam Benjamin - lead guitar, backing vocals, lyrics, composition, production
Jason Greenberg - bass guitar, lyrics, composition, production
Billie Langdon - drums, percussion
Avil Hartman - production, mixing, engineering
