Black Cat (Never Shout Never album)

On June 9, 2015, it was announced that Never Shout Never would be releasing their seventh studio album, Black Cat on August 7, 2015.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.altpress.com/never_shout_never_to_release_new_album_black_cat_in_august/|title=Never Shout Never to release new album, 'Black Cat,' in August|magazine=Alternative Press|date=June 9, 2015|access-date=December 2, 2023}} Along with this announcement, he released the lead single from the album, "Hey! We Ok". Christofer Drew stated, "This is our first fully realized album. It felt like we had the training wheels on for a long time. I was a lot more open to ideas from other people than I ever have been which I feel is me hitting a certain maturity level... I think it's cool how it turned out; it's maybe more pop than we expected but I dig it." In support of the album, the band embarked on the Black Cat Tour in January 2016.{{cite web|url=https://www.digitaltourbus.com/news/never-shout-never-announces-the-black-cat-tour/|title=Never Shout Never Announces the Black Cat Tour|website=Digital Tour Bus|date=November 7, 2015|access-date=December 2, 2023}} The group later headlined a US tour in June 2016 with support from Hundred Handed and Me Like Bees.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.altpress.com/never_shout_never_announce_headlining_tour/|title=Never Shout Never announce headlining tour|magazine=Alternative Press|date=May 24, 2016|access-date=December 2, 2023}}

Black Cat was recorded in the DTLA Recording Studio in Los Angeles, California and was produced by Dennis Herring. Drew described the album as a "pop record" and that pop music was the album's inspiration in production. Speaking about writing the songs, he stated, "We just wrote some fun hangout kind of songs, which was cool. I feel like we've been writing a lot of love songs still, which is just kind of a classic mood."{{cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/black-cat-chatting-with-n_b_8009876|title=Black Cat: Chatting With Never Shout Never's Christofer Drew, Plus Dawn & Hawkes and Geoff deBree Exclusives|website=HuffPost|author=

Mike Ragogna|date=August 19, 2015|access-date=December 2, 2023}}

"Hey! We Ok" was released as the first single from the album on June 9, 2015.{{cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/es/album/hey-we-ok-single/1002208440?l=en|title=Hey! We OK - Single by Never Shout Never|website=Apple Music|access-date=February 15, 2022}} It was nominated at the 2016 Alternative Press Music Awards for "Song of the Year".{{cite magazine|url=https://www.altpress.com/news/and_the_nominees_for_the_2016_apmas_are/|title=Here are all the 2016 APMAs nominees!|magazine=Alternative Press|date=March 17, 2016|access-date=February 15, 2022}} On June 17, the group released "Boom!" as the first promotional single from the album.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.altpress.com/never_shout_never_release_new_song_boom/|title=Never Shout Never release new song, "Boom"|magazine=Alternative Press|date=June 17, 2015|access-date=December 2, 2023}} On July 16, the band premiered a new track titled, "Red Balloon" and was released as the album's second promotional single.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.altpress.com/never_shout_never_touches_his_roots_with_bouncy_red_ballon_single/|title=Never Shout Never touch roots with bouncy "Red Balloon" single|magazine=Alternative Press|date=July 16, 2015|access-date=December 2, 2023}} It was later released as the official second single from the album on February 5, 2016.{{cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/red-balloon-single/1078897554|title=Red Balloon - Single by Never Shout Never|website=Apple Music|access-date=February 15, 2022}} A music video for the song was released on February 11, 2016.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.altpress.com/never_shout_never_get_whimsical_in_new_red_balloon_music_video/|title=Never Shout Never get whimsical in new 'Red Balloon' music video|magazine=Alternative Press|date=

February 11, 2016|access-date=December 2, 2023}} Drew stated that the song, "tells a story of a balloon that's alone, ashamed and tied down to all of its troubles and worries in the world."

{{Music ratings

|rev1 = AllMusic

|rev1score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/black-cat-mw0002857064|title=Never Shout Never - Black Cat Review by Matt Collar|author=Matt Collar|website=AllMusic|access-date=December 2, 2023}}

| rev2 = The Tech

| rev2Score ={{Rating|3|5}}{{cite web|url=https://thetech.com/2015/08/27/blackcat-v135-n19|title=Never Shout Never is back with Black Cat|author=Charlie J. Moore|website=The Tech|date=August 27, 2015|access-date=December 2, 2023}}

}}

Black Cat was met with generally positive reviews from music critics. Matt Collar of AllMusic called the record, "their most mature and sonically sophisticated album to date." He stated, "Cuts like the leadoff 'Hey! We OK' and the driving 'Awkward Conversations (Best Day)' borrow the fuel-injected '70s power pop craftsmanship of classic bands like The Cars and Cheap Trick." Alternative Press remarked, "this is Drew's absolute career pinnacle, sporting everything from slice-of-life vignettes ('Fone Tag', 'Post Surrealism'), heartfelt sentiment ('All Is Love', 'Peace Song'), arena-rock pomp ('WooHoo') and straight-up weirdness ('Boom!'). The hooks are big, Drew's vocals are louder and prouder than previous releases and the songs (barring the occasional f-bomb) are commercial as hell."{{cite magazine|url=https://www.altpress.com/christofer_drew_has_embodied_everything_from_a_60s_hippie_to_an_amps_to_11/|title=Christofer Drew has embodied everything from a '60s hippie to an amps-to-11 rocker on 'Black Cat'|magazine=Alternative Press|date=August 7, 2015|access-date=December 2, 2023}} Charlie J. Moore of The Tech praised Drew's vocals but criticized the lyrics and called some tracks, "borderline boring."

Track listing according to iTunes.{{cite web|url=http://store.nevershoutnever.com/music-1/black-cat-cd-bundle.html|title=Black Cat CD Bundle|work=nevershoutnever.com|access-date=2015-07-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150831004644/http://store.nevershoutnever.com/music-1/black-cat-cd-bundle.html|archive-date=2015-08-31|url-status=usurped}}

{{tracklist

| total_length =

|title1 = Hey! We Ok

|length1 = 3:03

|title2 = Fone Tag

|length2 = 3:31

|title3 = Red Balloon

|length3 = 3:30

|title4 = Happy New Year

|length4 = 3:28

|title5 = Awkward Conversations (Best Day)

|length5 = 3:28

|title6 = Black Cat

|length6 = 4:09

|title7 = Peace Song

|length7 = 3:59

|title8 = WooHoo

|length8 = 3:08

|title9 = Boom!

|length9 = 2:39

|title10 = All Is Love

|length10 = 3:50

}}

Credits for Black Cat adapted from AllMusic.{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/black-cat-mw0002857064#credits|title=Never Shout Never - Black Cat Credits|website=AllMusic|access-date=December 2, 2023}}

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Never Shout Never

• Christofer Drew – bass, composer, glockenspiel, guitar, keyboards, percussion, programming, ukeke, lead vocals, background vocals, whistle
• Hayden Kaiser – background vocals, composer, drums, guitar, percussion
• Ian Crawford – background vocals, composer, guitar, percussion, piano
• Taylor MacFee – background vocals, bass, composer, percussion

Additional musicians

• Dave Elitch – drums
• Dennis Herring – background vocals, composer, guitar, piano, programming
• Jill Lamoureaux – additional vocals
• Kenny Carkeet – bass, beats, guitar, keyboards
• Kiel Feher – drums
• Mark Needham – synthesizer
• Misha Hercules – piano
• Simon Katz – beats
• Spencer Ludwig – trumpet

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Production

• Austin Keen – assistant
• Ben O'Neill – assistant
• Csaba Petocz – engineering
• Daniel Morton – assistant
• Dennis Herring – mixing, producer
• Donny Phillips – illustrations
• Frank Maddocks – photography
• Jeff Sosnow – A&R
• Kahlil Pipersburg – assistant
• Mark Needham – mixing
• Misha Hercules – assistant, engineering
• Rachel Many – art direction, design
• Ryan Gilligan – mixing
• Stephen Marcussen – mastering

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Category:2015 albums

Category:Never Shout Never albums

Category:Albums produced by Dennis Herring

Category:Warner Records albums