What It Is to Burn


What It Is to Burn is the debut album by American rock band Finch. After finalizing their line-up, Finch signed to independent label Drive-Thru Records. Recording for their debut album took place between June and September 2001 with producer Mark Trombino. A music video for "Letters to You" appeared in January 2003, prior to What It Is to Burn being released jointly in March through MCA and Drive-Thru Records. Initial touring to promote the album consisted of several stints in the US and the UK with the likes of Moth, the Starting Line and New Found Glory. The band also appeared at the 2002 Warped Tour and at the Reading and Leeds Festivals. The album's title-track was released as a radio single in January 2003, followed by "Letters to You" in April. Double A-sided single "New Beginnings"/"What It Is to Burn" was released in August.
What It Is to Burn is primarily a pop punk/emo release, that is also classed as hardcore punk and post-hardcore. It received a positive reaction from music critics, with many finding it an enjoyable listen. The album charted at number 99 on the Billboard 200 in the US and at number 177 in the UK. As of October 2007, album sales stood at over 400,000 copies. "Letters to You" charted on the UK top 40 singles chart, while "What It Is to Burn" charted within the top 40 on the Alternative Songs and Mainstream Rock charts. The album has since been viewed as a landmark release for the emo/post-hardcore scene. The band went on a celebratory 10th anniversary tour for the album in 2013 through the US, Europe, Japan and Australia.

Background and production

Finch originally formed under the name Numb with Nate Barcalow on vocals, Alex Linares on guitar, Derek Doherty on bass and Alex Pappas on drums. It was thought that Numb was a Deftones cover band, though Finch has since denied this claim, referring to the rumor as a "misquote that's haunted us for years." Guitarist Randy Strohmeyer was invited to join Finch after they saw him play with his band Evita Fresh. Strohmeyer became friends with Drive-Thru Records' owner Richard Reines following a fan letter he had sent in a few years earlier. When he mentioned this to the other members of Finch, they were enthusiastic about potentially signing with the label. Reines offered the group a chance to perform and subsequently invited his sister, and co-label owner, Stefanie to the performance. The pair were impressed and signed the group.
Pre-production and demos were done at DML Studios in Escondido, California, in February and April 2001. They began recording What It Is to Burn in June at Big Fish Studios in Encinitas, California, with producer Mark Trombino. The band started tracking guitars in July. Strohmeyer used Fender guitars and Marshall amplifiers. Linares used ESP guitars and Mesa amplifiers. Trombino helped with the album's with guitar effects. Recording continued into August and September. Daryl Palumbo of Glassjaw performs guest vocals on "Grey Matter" and "Project Mayhem". The group met Palumbo at a Deftones show and had kept in contact with him. While they were recording, they asked him if he wanted to participate. Trombino did programming before he mixed the recordings at The Robot Factory in Los Angeles, California; Stephen Marcussen mastered the tracks at Marcussen Mastering.

Composition

Musically, the album has been classed as emo, hardcore punk, pop punk and post-hardcore, with sporadic touches of electronic music. The release drew comparisons to Glassjaw, New Found Glory, Linkin Park and Blink-182. Barcalow switches between crooning and screaming; though he has a pop punk-inspired vocal delivery, his screams were compared to the likes of Palumbo and Deftones frontman Chino Moreno. The writing process revolved around the group jamming. Linares said they could write a song in two hours, and at other times take a whole day. Collectively, Strohmeyer said it took a year to write all the material on the album.
The opening track, "New Beginnings", begins with a distorted guitar fading in, before shifting to aggressive power chords and octave parts. It sets the tone for the album with its memorable melodies' parts and tuneful choruses. Barcalow's vocals on "Letters to You" bordered on near-screamo in places. Despite the track having three-part harmonies, it was written when the only members in the band who could sing were Barcalow and Strohmeyer. Palumbo's singing voice on "Grey Matter" recalled Bad Brains frontman H.R.
"Awake" was one of the group's oldest songs, which Barcalow said was about a couple resolving an argument. "Project Mayhem" initially existed as a two-minute track, before Trombino altered it into the final version, and incorporated programming. "Ender" begins with a subdued intro that steadily coalesces by the third minute, when it progresses with a constant piano part. "What It Is to Burn" is written from the perspective of a man in hell addressing a letter to his partner.

Release

The Falling into Place EP was released in October 2001, featuring early versions of "Letters to You" and "Perfection Through Silence". A music video was released for "Letters to You" in January 2002. Doherty said the video was "trocious", while Linares called it "asically a piece of shit." On January 13, "Untitled" was posted online. What It Is to Burn was released on March 12, 2002, as a joint release between MCA and Drive-Thru Records. The artwork features an ice bucket and measurements. The back cover features a beaker with boiling liquid. Doherty said they "just wanted some cool imagery". The art direction and design were done by P.R. Brown, who also did the photography with Kris McCaddon. Initial pressings of the album contained a demo version of "What It Is to Burn", produced by Chris Fuderich. It was replaced on later pressings with a re-recorded version, produced by Trombino. The UK edition, released on June 2, 2002, included an acoustic version of "Letters to You" and the "What It Is to Burn" demo as bonus tracks.
The group filmed another music video for "Letters to You" in mid-April 2002 in a hostel basement in Hollywood. It was directed by Richard Reines and Brad Scott. The video premiered on Refused TV on May 24. Around the end of 2002, the group signed to MCA Records. MCA had a distribution deal that allowed them to acquire Drive-Thru Records' bands over time. It was aided by the assistance of Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge of Blink-182, who had signed Finch to their management company, as they contacted the label about signing them. In January 2003, "What It Is to Burn" was released as a radio single and a music video was filmed for the track with director Alexander Kosta. The video was posted online on February 21, 2003. In March, Punknews.org held a contest where fans could win a copy of the album on vinyl. On April 22, "Letters to You" was released as a single. Two versions of the CD single were released: the first with "Worms of the Earth" and "New Kid" as extra tracks, and the second with live versions of "Perfection Through Silence" and "Letters to You". Following this, "New Beginnings" and "What It Is to Burn" were released as a double A-sided single on August 25.

Touring

Following the album's release, the group went on tour with Moth. In April and May 2002, the group went on tour with Brand New and the Starting Line. Following this, the group went on a UK tour with New Found Glory. Between late June and mid-August, the group performed on the 2002 Warped Tour as part of the Drive-Thru Records Stage. In late August, the group performed at the Reading and Leeds Festivals in the UK. In September, the group performed a few shows in Japan. In October and November, the band went tour across the US alongside New Found Glory, Something Corporate and Further Seems Forever. In November and December, the group went on a UK tour with From Autumn to Ashes and Coheed and Cambria.
The band toured with From Autumn to Ashes across the US in January and February 2003. Allister were initially planned to support before being replaced by Steel Train. In February, the band went on a co-heading US tour with the Used. Following this, the group continued touring with the Movielife, Senses Fail and A Static Lullaby until early March. In March, the group went on a tour of the UK with Brand New. In April, the group performed at Skate and Surf Fest. In early May, the band performed at two shows as part of MTV's Campus Invasion tour. In June, the band appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and performed at KROQ's Weenie Roast festival. In early July, the group appeared on Last Call with Carson Daly. In August, the group performed at Furnace Fest, before playing on the main stage at the Reading and Leeds Festivals.

Reception

Critical response

What It Is to Burn was received positively for the most part by music critics. AllMusic reviewer Jason D. Taylor opened his piece by calling the release "phenomenal", noting that the group rode the "thin line" between hardcore punk and pop punk, preserving a "trademark sound that stands out from the crowd." The record "exemplifies everything that is right in the punk scene", going on to list its emotional vulnerability, the "agonizing fury of hardcore" and the positive "tones of pop-punk." Amy Sciarretto of CMJ New Music Report was impressed with the band's ability to not be pigeon-holed into one specific sound. The album showcases the group's "delicious blend of infection and perky rock" incorporating Glassjaw, Thursday and Jimmy Eat World "into a potent Molotov cocktail."
Drowned in Sound writer Peter White referred to the release as an "absolutely gut smokingly fantastic record." FasterLouder Roby Anson described it an "album of sadness, gladness, big chunky guitar riffs, smart chord progressions and a rhythm section that chugs along nicely in each song." LAS Magazine writer Andy Vaughn noted the Glassjaw influence added "a great deal of intensity" to the release which he felt "would be missing otherwise." He commended the band for making an "extremely strong debut." Melodic webmaster Johan Wippsson said it had "perfect mix of good melodies with the extra edge", and complimented Trominbo's "great" production style. He lauded the "very consistent" nature of the tracks, "which are on a very high level all the time." Ultimate Guitar hailed the release, saying it "kicks so much ass" and lacked any skippable tracks.
Sputnikmusic emeritus Ryan Flatley praised "Grey Matter" and "Project Mayhem" for their energy, but said that the album turned out to be a bit of a disappointment due to the large amount of hype surrounding its release. Exclaim! Amber Authier said the group "doesn't do a bad job" of merging punk rock and metal together. However, she felt the lyrics came across as a "little too deep, separating the two styles instead of blending them into something a little different." Lina Lecaro of the Los Angeles Times said the group bounced "between soothing croons and throat-burning wails, metallic riffs and bubbly beats", a fusion which "kept things interesting ... even if the shifts weren't always seamless." "Though Barcalow proved himself to be a versatile vocalist on tunes ... his range didn't quite make up for his lack of charisma", he added. Kerrang! reviewer Paul Travers criticized the song titles, saying that the band were "in need of a good slap ... you can almost taste the salty tang of tears spilling out of the speakers."

Commercial performance and legacy

What It Is to Burn charted at number 99 on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Heatseekers Albums charts. It also charted at number 177 in the UK. "Letters to You" charted in the UK at number 39. "What It Is to Burn" charted at number 15 on the Alternative Songs chart and number 35 on the Mainstream Rock chart. By April 2003, the album had sold over 200,000 copies in the US. By October 2007, the album had sold over 400,000 copies. Metal Hammer ranked the album at number 17 on their best albums of 2002 list. Loudwire included the album's title-track on their list of the best hard rock songs of the 21st century.
Shezhaad Jiwani of Chart Attack said the album was one of emo's landmark releases, leading the genre alongside albums by Glassjaw and the Used. In 2013, the group celebrated the album's 10th anniversary by performing it in its entirety. It was initially intended for one show, before being expanded to two US tours, a European tour, and performances in Japan and Australia. Independent label Tragic Hero Records released a live/video album from this tour in January 2014.
The album has been a massive influence on Saosin's Saosin, Young Guns' All Our Kings Are Dead, A Day to Remember's What Separates Me from You, D.R.U.G.S.'s D.R.U.G.S., and the Amity Affliction's Chasing Ghosts. Alternative Press said the title-track was "one of the landmark moments" for the post-hardcore genre. Sleeping with Sirens frontman Kellin Quinn singled out Finch's use of screaming and singing vocal parts on the song as an influence on him. Equally, Jeremy McKinnon said the album is the reason A Day to Remember formed.

Track listing

All songs written by Finch.

Personnel

Personnel per booklet.
Finch
Additional musicians
Production

Citations

Works cited