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Hell Is What You Make It

Hell Is What You Make It is the third studio album by electronic post-hardcore duo Breathe Carolina. It was released on July 12, 2011 through Fearless Records. Recording for the album took place in Los Angeles, California between 2010-2011 whilst production was handled by Ian Kirkpatrick. Musically, the album uses elements of dance-pop, electrpop, electronic rock, pop punk, post-hardcore and dubstep. The album received generally positive reviews from music critics, who commended its "catchiness" and "radio-friendly" songs. It debuted at number 42 on the Billboard 200, as well as the top 10 of the Dance/Electronic, Rock, Alternative and Independent Albums charts. Promotion of the album was primarily through live concerts and television performances, such as Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Daily Habit. Its lead single, "Blackout", has since become a commercial success, peaking within the charts in Canada, New Zealand, Scotland, the United Kingdom and the United States, while being certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling more than 1 million copies. A deluxe edition titled Hell Is What You Make It: RELOADED is scheduled to be released on July 10, 2012, including two new original tracks, one remix, and a new version of "Last Night (Vegas)".

Background[]

Recording[]

On December 22, 2010, Fearless Records posted a video featuring a 30-second preview of the track "Blackout". Recording took place in Los Angeles, California in early 2011. It was officially announced on April 28, 2011 when the band launched a website to promote the album. The website contained a video featuring a forty-second preview of the track "Wooly" whilst displaying the album's title and release date in flash animation. On May 15, 2011, a demo of the track "Sweat It Out" was temporarily posted on YouTube before being shortly taken down. On May 19, the promotional website was updated, containing the album's cover art and track listing.

Release and Promotion[]

The album was released on July 12, 2011 through Fearless Records. The duo participated in the 2011 Scream It Like You Mean It Tour to promote the album. It debuted and peaked at number 42 on the Billboard 200, only one number higher than their previous album, Hello Fascination. It also charted within the Billboard Rock, Alternative, Dance and Independent Album Charts.

Prior to the album's release, "Wooly" and "Sweat It Out" were available for streaming on the duo's official social networking sites.

Critial Reception[]

The album has received generally positive reviews from music critics. Tim Sendra of AllMusic gave a positive review, scoring the album 3 and a half stars out of 5, saying, "Hell Is What You Make It finds the duo of Kyle Even and David Schmitt refining their amalgamation of sounds into something both slicker and more powerful than past efforts". The album's singles, "Blackout", "Last Night (Vegas)", and "Take It Back" were indicated as the AMG Track Picks. Alternative Press also gave a positive review, scoring the album 3 and a half stars out of 5, saying, "The band—and producer Ian Kirkpatrick—bring a lot of dishes to this sonic buffet—and most of them are to be consumed on the dancefloor". While praising "Blackout", an "irresistible synth-pop song", "Wooly", the opening track "where house-techno sequencers and melodic vocals parry with screamo-metal breakdowns and growling", and "Waiting", "the head-nod initiator" that "would sound sweet bumping at a hipster club at 4 a.m," they criticized the tracks "Last Night (Vegas)", "Take It Back", and "Chemicals", calling them a "smack of blatant careerism.

Singles[]

The album's lead single, "Blackout", was available for streaming via MTV Buzzworthy on June 13, 2011, and was released for digital download the following day. It has since become the duo's most commercially successful single to date, charting within Canada, New Zealand, Scotland, the United Kingdom and the United States, while also being certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling more than 500,000 copies. It has also received generally favorable reviews from music critics, with Alternative Press calling it an "irresistible synth-pop song". A lyric video was uploaded onto the duo's official YouTube account on June 24. An accompanying music video was released onto the duo's official Vevo page on YouTube on September 20, and has since garnered more than 1 million views. The video features shots of the duo partying and getting into trouble, as well as performing the song at a live event. It was shot during summer 2011 in Los Angeles, California. The duo also performed the song live on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in their first televised performance ever. An EP titled Blackout: The Remixes was released on September 27 via iTunes. "Hit and Run" exclusively premiered via Alternative Press on May 21, 2012, while being available for digital download the following day. It is featured on the deluxe edition of the album.

Track Listing[]

Standard Edition[]

  1. "Rebirth: An Introduction"
  2. "Wooly"
  3. "Blackout"
  4. "Edge of Heaven"
  5. "Last Night (Vegas)"
  6. "Sweat It Out"
  7. "Gone So Long"
  8. "They Say You Won't Come Back"
  9. "Get Off Easy"
  10. "Waiting"
  11. "Take It Back"
  12. "Chemicals"
  13. "Lauren's Song"

Reloaded Tracks[]

  1. "Hit and Run"
  2. "Reaching for the Floor"
  3. "Hit and Run" (Wideboys Remix)

Personnel[]

Breathe Carolina[]

  • Kyle Even - lead vocals
  • David Schmitt - clean vocals, guitars, drums and keyboards

Additional Musicians[]

  • Joshua Aragon - guitars, keyboards and background vocals
  • Eric Armenta - drums and percussion
  • Luis Bonet - keyboards

Production[]

  • Produced, Engineered and Mixed by Matt Squire and Ian Kirkpatrick
  • Programmed by Ian Kirkpatrick
  • Drum Engineering by Carlos De Garza
  • Artwork by Sol Amstutz
  • A&R by Shervon Esfahani and Chris Foitle
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Music Videos[]

Breathe_Carolina_-_Blackout

Breathe Carolina - Blackout

Breathe Carolina - Blackout







Breathe_Carolina_-_Hit_And_Run

Breathe Carolina - Hit And Run

Breathe Carolina - Hit and Run












References[]

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