Something to Die For
Studio album by
The Sounds
Released29 March 2011
GenreNew wave,[1] post-punk revival,[1] indie rock,[2] synth-pop[1]
Length41:17
LabelSideOneDummy
ProducerThe Sounds
The Sounds chronology
Crossing The Rubicon
(2009)		 Something to Die For
(2011)		 Weekend
(2013)
Singles from Something To Die For
  1. "Better Off Dead"
    Released: 1 February 2011
  2. "Something To Die For"
    Released: 22 February 2011

Something to Die For is the fourth studio album by the Swedish new wave band The Sounds. Unlike their previous albums it is dominated by electronic music[3] leaning towards house and synthpop[1] and was completely produced by The Sounds.[4]

Background

On January 6, 2011, the band announced that their next album would be titled Something To Die For, and was scheduled to be released the week of March 29, 2011.[5] Lead singer Maja Ivarsson has also been confirmed as appearing on pop punk band All Time Low's new album Dirty Work as a guest vocalist on the track "Guts".[6]

Singles

The first single from their new album, "Better Off Dead", was released on February 1, 2011. The track was promoted on their website with a competition, in which anyone could download the sheet music for the song, and submit their own version, to be voted on by fans (the winner's version will be included as the B-side on their upcoming 7"). Everyone who downloaded the sheet music also received the track for free 5 days early.[7]

The band released their second single, "Something To Die For", on February 22, 2011. The single was also featured in the American slasher horror film Scream 4.

The third single chosen was "Dance With The Devil". The official music video premiered on May 19, 2011.

The album's fourth single was "Yeah Yeah Yeah". The music video premiered on February 16, 2012.

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic54/100[8]
Review scores
SourceRating
AbsolutePunk68%[3]
AllMusic[1]
The Brock Press(neutral)[9]
motor.de(unfavourable)[3]
Musikexpress[4]
Plattentests.de3/10[10]
Sputnikmusic[1]

The album has received mixed reviews. While AllMusic praised the new dancefloor style and compared the album to a mix of Roxette, U2 and the Arctic Monkeys,[1] reviews from Germany criticised the change in style. The motor.de webzine noted the lack of originality in the album and its mainstream appearance, writing that a part of The Sounds had died with this release.[3] Also Plattentests.de noted the change from earlier Indie rock to mainstream pop and criticised frequent repetitions in themes, an overloaded keyboard sound and a lack of drive.[10] The overly dominant electronic noise and a lack of catchy riffs was marked by a review in The Brock Press which however called the album "radio-friendly" and compared singer Maja Ivarsson to Emily Haines from Metric.[9] The German Musikexpress magazine called the album a "failed attempt to conquer the world of Pop". This review attributed the one-dimensional sound of the album to the fact that Something To Die For had been produced by The Sounds themselves, but it also lauded the citations of 1980s' musical style like in "Won’t Let Them Tear Us Apart".[4]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."It's So Easy (Intro)"2:33
2."Dance with the Devil"4:47
3."The No No Song"3:53
4."Better Off Dead"4:55
5."Diana"3:35
6."Something to Die For"5:33
7."Yeah Yeah Yeah"3:58
8."Won’t Let Them Tear Us Apart"4:07
9."The Best of Me"4:48
10."Wish You Were Here"3:08
Total length:41:17

Soundtracks

The songs "Something to Die For" and "Yeah Yeah Yeah" are featured in the 2011 film Scream 4,[11] and included on the film's soundtrack. The track "The No No Song" is also featured in episode 19 of the first season of Hawaii Five-0.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Collar, Matt. "Something to Die For". Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-04-16.
  2. ↑ "The Sounds - Clash Music Artist Profile". Clash. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Pötzsch, Christine (15 April 2011). "The Sounds: Something to Die For". motor.de (in German). Motor Entertainment GmbH. Archived from the original on 11 February 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 Stengel, Franz (5 April 2011). "The Sounds: Something To Die For". musikexpress (in German). Axel Springer AG. Retrieved 16 April 2011. Misslungener Versuch, die große, weite Popwelt zu erobern.
  5. ↑ "The Sounds new album is Something to Die For". The Sounds official homepage. Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
  6. ↑ All Time Low Exposed. "Alex Gaskarth Talks Current Tour, Touring Plans, New Album & More!". YouTube.
  7. ↑ "The Sounds Contest "Better Off Dead"". SideOneDummy Records. Archived from the original on 2011-06-22.
  8. ↑ "Something to Die For by The Sounds Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
  9. 1 2 Matisz, John (3 March 2011). "The Sounds (Something to Die For)". The Brock Press. National College Newspaper Advertising. Archived from the original on 15 February 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
  10. 1 2 Maerten, Maik. "The Sounds - Something to die for". plattentests.de (in German). Armin Linder. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
  11. ↑ "Scream 4: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack". Amazon. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
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