Breakfast with Girls#Brunch

For his debut album, Subliminal Plastic Motives (1995), Self's lead member Matt Mahaffey focused on guitar arrangements and incorporating rock music. Following its release, he frequently appeared at rock radio stations, performed at venues within the genre,{{cite magazine |last=Eliscu|first=Jenny|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rikEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA18|title=On The Verge|magazine=CMJ New Music Monthly|issue=72|pages=18|date=August 1999|access-date=December 27, 2024}} and received invitations to strip clubs from radio personalities and other music industry colleagues. Mahaffey's strong disinterest in this lifestyle led him to drop his guitar usage on his second album, The Half-Baked Serenade (1997),{{cite web |last=Harkey|first=Scott|url=https://silentuproar.com/interviews/3/self/|title=Self / Interviews|website=Silent Uproar|language=en|date=September 11, 2000|accessdate=December 27, 2024}} citing the first album as a bad first impression. He continued to hold the mindset when making his third album, declaring the project to be "anti-rock".

{{multiple image

| align = left

| total_width = 300

| image1 = Richard Dodd, Abbey Road Studios.jpg

| image2 = Ken Andrews 2014 (cropped).jpg

| footer = Richard Dodd (left) and Ken Andrews (right) helped engineer and produce Breakfast with Girls.

}}

After signing to DreamWorks Records, a larger budget allowed Mahaffey to work with various acclaimed engineers and producers for the album, including Ken Andrews of Failure, Richard Dodd, and Hugh Padgham. He additionally recorded with a full orchestra for some songs, led by the Nashville String Machine.{{cite web |last=Duritz|first=Darius|url=http://www.pigpublications.com/Archives/selfpart1.htm|title=The PiG Interview with Matt Mahaffey|website=PiG Publications|language=en|date=March 10, 2000|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010419103014/http://www.pigpublications.com/Archives/selfpart1.htm|archive-date=April 19, 2001|accessdate=December 27, 2024}} Sessions primarily took place at Ocean Way in Nashville, Tennessee, with additional recording done at the Bennett House in Franklin, Tennessee, Mahaffey's home in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and Treasure Isle in Nashville.{{cite AV media notes |title=Breakfast with Girls|others=Self|year=1999|publisher=DreamWorks Records, Spongebath Records}} Mahaffey composed each song's instrumental before writing lyrics, prioritizing a wide range of expression.

Mahaffey spent his weekdays working on Breakfast with Girls while allotting weekends to work on Gizmodgery (2000), an album recorded entirely with toy instruments.{{cite web |last=Olmstead|first=Todd|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/self-interview-premiere-super-fake-nice/|title=Self, a.k.a. the Dude Who Made the Expedia Dot Com Jingle, Is Back|website=Vice|language=en|date=July 24, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208074254/https://www.vice.com/en/article/rqywxr/self-interview-premiere-super-fake-nice|archive-date=December 8, 2022|accessdate=December 27, 2024}} Mahaffey wrote and recorded "Suzie Q Sailaway" for inclusion on the latter, but was requested by the label to put it on the former. He subsequently re-recorded the song with a full band, wishing to contain toy songs to Gizmodgery. This process delayed the release of Breakfast with Girls, which, combined with the track's shift in style, led to a retroactive dissatisfaction. Despite having Self under contract, DreamWorks decided against releasing Gizmodgery under the label.{{cite web |last=Heisel|first=Scott|url=https://www.altpress.com/we_never_broke_up_but_we_got_burned_outmatt_mahaffey_on_the_return_of_self|title="We never broke up, but we got burned out"—Matt Mahaffey on the return of Self|website=Alternative Press|date=August 27, 2014|access-date=December 27, 2024}}

Late in development, DreamWorks executives told Mahaffey that the album didn't have any viable singles. In retaliation, he wrote "Uno Song" in two days as the "prettiest pop song" possible. Named after the card game Uno, it was intended to appeal to the band's female audience and become a hit single.{{cite web |last=Conant|first=Brian|url=http://www.colleges.com/Umagazine/articles.taf?category=arts&article=F1_self|title=Self's frontman knows art when he hears it|website=U. Magazine|language=en|date=July 21, 1999|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020611181718/http://www.colleges.com/Umagazine/articles.taf?category=arts&article=F1_self|archive-date=June 11, 2002|accessdate=January 1, 2025}} The song is Mahaffey's first project in Pro Tools, thus the album's only non-analog song. The track's files were lost during production, leading the song's final version to be a rough mix.{{cite web |last=Parker|first=Lyndsey|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/live/self-awareness--rediscover-matt-mahaffey-s-returning-cult-band-self-213920574.html|title=Self-Awareness! Rediscover Matt Mahaffey's Returning Cult Band Self|website=Yahoo! Music|date=August 15, 2014|accessdate=December 28, 2024}} Instead of "Uno Song", the label chose "Meg Ryan" as a single, a love song centered around the actress of the same name. Overall, Self spent two years creating Breakfast with Girls.

File:Self (band) logo.svg

A demo of "It All Comes Out in the Wash" appeared in volumes one and two of Soaking in the Center of the Universe, sampler albums released by Spongebath Records in January 1998 and March 1998, respectively. The second volume additionally featured a demo of "Placing the Blame".{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}} The lead single of Breakfast was Girls was "Paint by Numbers", which is included on the soundtrack of the film Dead Man on Campus (1998).{{Cite web |last=Henson|first=E. A.|url=https://biffbampop.com/2022/08/04/bbps-album-of-the-week-breakfast-with-girls-self-1999/|title=BBP!'s Album of the Week: "Breakfast With Girls," Self (1999)|website=Biff Bam Pop!|language=en-US|date=August 4, 2022|access-date=September 9, 2023}} It released through MTV and DreamWorks Records on July 21, 1998. Director Alan Cohn picked the song as a theme for the main character, Josh Miller (Tom Everett Scott).{{cite magazine |last=Olson|first=Catherine Applefeld|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bw4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA17|title=Soundtracks and Film Score News|magazine=Billboard|volume=110|issue=23|pages=17|date=June 6, 1998|access-date=December 27, 2024}} A website for the band later launched in promotion of Breakfast with Girls, advertised to feature new MP3 files daily. "Meg Ryan" was released as the album's third and final single on May 25, 1999, marketed as the album's main single.{{cite web |last=Anthony|first=Christopher|url=https://thefirenote.com/reviews/self-super-fake-nice-album-review/|title=sElf: Super Fake Nice [Album Review]|website=The Fire Note|date=August 12, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211201041532/https://thefirenote.com/reviews/self-super-fake-nice-album-review/|archive-date=December 1, 2021|accessdate=December 28, 2024}}

Breakfast with Girls was delayed multiple times, first reported by CMJ to have a release date of August 25, 1998.{{cite magazine |last=Eliscu|first=Jenny|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-ykEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA86|title=Just Out - New Music|magazine=CMJ New Music Monthly|issue=61|pages=86|date=September 1998|access-date=January 1, 2025}} In later issues, the magazine projected release dates of March 2,{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-GfsnLZugi0C&pg=PA40|title=Upcoming Releases|magazine=CMJ|volume=57|issue=607|pages=40|date=March 1, 1999|access-date=January 1, 2025}} June 29,{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-9lAG_kLMQAcC&pg=PA41|title=Upcoming Releases|magazine=CMJ|volume=58|issue=619|pages=41|date=May 24, 1999|access-date=January 1, 2025}} and July 14, 1999. The album eventually released on July 13, 1999, published through DreamWorks and Spongebath.{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bzN6AY_LLbwC&pg=PA19|title=Radio 200 Adds|magazine=CMJ|volume=59|issue=626|pages=19|date=July 12, 1999|access-date=December 28, 2024}} It is the only studio album Self released through the former.{{cite web |last=Paulson|first=Dave|url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2018/10/11/matt-mahaffey-ninja-turtles-theme-song-rise-tmnt-shrek-soundtrack/1357399002/|title=Matt Mahaffey: the Nashville music genius behind the new 'Ninja Turtles'|website=The Tennessean|language=en|date=October 11, 2018|accessdate=December 27, 2024}} Breakfast with Girls was distributed on CD, cassette, and vinyl. The latter was delayed in production due to a lack of commercial demand. Reissues of the album on streaming services are managed by Geffen Records, who absorbed DreamWorks once the label shut down.

The cover artwork of Breakfast with Girls shows Mahaffey and a woman walking together, largely obscured by the band's logo on a black background. Physical copies feature numerous more photos, each focusing on different band members. This design was conceived by Brian Bottcher, who previously did artwork for Subliminal Plastic Motives. He was inspired by the 1968 film The Party and its promotional cardboard lobby cards to make Breakfast with Girls{{'}} artwork resemble a film poster.

{{Music ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1Score ={{Rating|2.5|5}}{{cite web |last=Jeffries|first=Vincent|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/breakfast-with-girls-mw0000238835|title=Breakfast with Girls Review|website=AllMusic|language=en|accessdate=December 27, 2024}}

| rev2 = Pitchfork

| rev2Score = 6.5/10{{Cite web |last=Mirov|first=Nick|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/7068-breakfast-with-girls/|title=Self: Breakfast with Girls Album Review|website=Pitchfork|language=en-US|date=July 13, 1999|access-date=September 8, 2023}}

| rev3 = Spin

| rev3Score = 7/10{{cite magazine |last=Walters|first=Barry|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bGjsvmNt8UgC&pg=PA201|title=Self: Breakfast With Girls|magazine=Spin|volume=15|issue=9|pages=201|date=September 1999|access-date=December 27, 2024}}

}}

The album received mixed reviews upon release. Gabe Besecker of Woof Magazine stated that the rock focus of Subliminal Plastic Motives led Breakfast with Girls to initially receive a negative reception for its power pop style, but is retrospectively regarded as "a masterpiece".{{cite web |last=Besecker|first=Gabe|url=https://woof-mag.com/2023/12/11/self-indulgent-a-retrospective-on-the-band-that-started-matt-mahaffeys-career/|title=sElf-Indulgent: A Retrospective on the Band That Started Matt Mahaffey's Career|website=Woof Magazine|language=en|date=December 11, 2023|accessdate=December 27, 2024}} Barry Walters of Spin reviewed Breakfast with Girls with a 7 out of 10 rating, complimenting Mahaffey's creativity and style fusions alongside the project's emotional vulnerability and quirkiness. Carlene Bauer of CMJ also praised the album's glossy, hook-driven pop, appreciating its fun instrumentation and mix of heartfelt and ironic lyricism.

Vincent Jeffries of AllMusic gave Breakfast with Girls 2.5 stars out of 5, criticizing its overly intricate presentation and lack of melodic appeal while commending its diverse musical styles and experimental composition. Nick Mirov of Pitchfork rated the album a 6.5 out of 10, highlighting Mahaffey's ambitious production and clever songwriting but stating that it often suffers from overcrowded ideas and mismatched elements. At the 1999 Nashville Music Association Awards, "Paint by Numbers" was nominated for Song of the Year,{{cite magazine |last=Flippo|first=Chet|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LgoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA79|title=Earle, Williams Lead Nashville Music Assn. Noms|page=79|volume=110|issue=49|issn=0006-2510|magazine=Billboard|date=December 5, 1998|access-date=December 28, 2024}} but lost to Faith Hill's "This Kiss".{{cite magazine |last=Flippo|first=Chet|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AQ4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA34|title=Williams, Others Score At Nashville Music Awards; Hall Of Fame Gets Grandpa's Boots|page=34|volume=111|issue=9|issn=0006-2510|magazine=Billboard|date=February 27, 1999|access-date=December 28, 2024}}

{{track listing

| headline = Breakfast with Girls track listing

| all_writing = Matt Mahaffey, except where noted

| total_length = 48:22

| title1 = The End of it All

| length1 = 4:48

| title2 = Kill the Barflies

| length2 = 4:16

| title3 = Meg Ryan

| length3 = 3:59

| title4 = Suzie Q Sailaway

| writer4 = {{hlist|Matt Mahaffey|Mike Mahaffey|Mac Burrus|Chris James|James Rawling}}

| length4 = 2:25

| title5 = Uno Song

| length5 = 2:56

| title6 = Paint by Numbers

| length6 = 3:07

| title7 = What Are You Thinking?

| writer7 = {{hlist|Mahaffey|James Robbins|Ella Fitzgerald|Buck Ram|Chick Webb}}

| length7 = 4:53

| title8 = Sucker

| length8 = 4:18

| title9 = Breakfast with Girls

| writer9 = {{hlist|Mahaffey|Hank Shocklee|Keith Shocklee|Eric Sadler|J.T. Smith}}

| length9 = 3:12

| title10 = Better Than Aliens

| length10 = 1:53

| title11 = It All Comes Out in the Wash

| writer11 = {{hlist|Mahaffey|Chester Burnett}}

| length11 = 4:00

| title12 = Callgirls

| length12 = 3:29

| title13 = Placing the Blame

| length13 = 5:00

}}

{{track listing

| headline = Vinyl edition

| title14 = Fliptop Box

| length14 = 3:45

| title15 = You're a Drug

| length15 = 3:22

| title16 = Happy Accidents

| length16 = 4:09

| title17 = Rusted and Used

| length17 = 4:24

| title18 = Crashing Parties

| length18 = 4:22

| total_length = 68:24

}}

Sample credits

• "What Are You Thinking?" embodies portions of "Chew, Chew, Chew, Chew Your Bubble Gum", written by Ella Fitzgerald, Buck Ram and Chick Webb, as performed by Ella Fitzgerald.
• "Breakfast with Girls" contains samples of "It Gets No Rougher", written by Hank Shocklee, Keith Shocklee, Eric Sadler and J.T. Smith, as performed by LL Cool J.
• "It All Comes Out in the Wash" contains samples of "Moanin' at Midnight", written by Chester Burnett, as performed by Howlin' Wolf.

Self

• Matt Mahaffey – lead vocals, instruments
• Mike Mahaffey – electric guitar, acoustic guitar (all tracks), bass (6, 12, 13), xylophone, clarinet samples (8)
• Mac Burrus – bass (all tracks), toilet (1), harmonica (2), double bass (9), trombone (11)
• Chris James – piano (1, 4, 6, 7), B-3, vox (2, 6), toy piano, xylophone (4)
• Jason Rawlings – drums (4, 7, 11), percussion (6, 12)

Additional musicians and arrangement

{{div col}}

• Nashville String Machine – strings (7, 13)
• Richard Griffith – saxophone (9)
• David Jellema – horns (11)
• Chuck Lee – string arrangement (7)
• Ron Huff – conductor (7)
• Chris McDonald – string arrangement, conductor (13)

{{div col end}}

Technical

{{div col}}

• Matt Mahaffey – production, engineer (all tracks), mixing engineer (5)
• Hugh Padgham – mixing engineer (1–3, 6–13)
• Csaba Petocz – mixing engineer (4)
• Bob Ludwig – mastering engineer
• Richard Williams – executive producer
• Richard Dodd – engineer
• Bobby Dufresne Jr. – engineer
• Jeff Balding – engineer
• Ken Andrews – engineer (all tracks), production (13)
• Shawn McLean – engineer (all tracks), string engineer (13)
• Joe Baldridge – engineer
• Chris James – engineer
• Glenn Spinner – assistant engineer
• Aaron Swihart – assistant engineer
• Joe Costa – assistant engineer
• Brian Garten – assistant engineer
• John Saylor – assistant engineer
• Allen Sides – string engineer (7)

{{div col end}}

Other

{{div col}}

• Michael Ostin – artists and repertoire
• Brian Bottcher – art direction and design, photography
• Brooke Niessner – art and photo assistance
• Kathy Morgan – photography
• Doug Payne – photo assistance
• Zumwalt, Almon & Hayes – legal

{{div col end}}

{{Infobox album

| name = Brunch

| type = EP

| artist = Self

| cover = Brunch.svg

| alt =

| released = August 14, 1999

| recorded = 1997–1998

| venue =

| studio =

| genre =

| length = 12:16

| label = *DreamWorks

• Spongebath

| producer = Matt Mahaffey

| prev_title = Breakfast with Girls

| prev_year = 1999

| next_title = Gizmodgery

| next_year = 2000

| misc =

}}

Brunch is the first EP by American pop rock band Self, released through DreamWorks Records and Spongebath Records. It was given to fans who pre-ordered Breakfast with Girls as consolation for its multiple delays.

Mahaffey originally wrote and produced eighteen songs for Breakfast with Girls, but DreamWorks Records cut five. Some of these were picked to appear on Brunch, while all five appear as bonus tracks on vinyl copies of the album. The first song, "Fliptop Box", consists solely of indirect references to smoking. Mahaffey struggled with addiction at the time, so he wrote the song in a failed attempt to quit.

{{track listing

| headline = Brunch track listing

| title1 = Fliptop Box

| length1 = 3:45

| title2 = Crashing Parties

| length2 = 4:22

| title3 = Happy Accidents

| length3 = 4:09

| total_length = 12:16

}}

{{clear}}

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-end}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{Discogs master|108648|Breakfast with Girls|type=album}}
• {{Discogs release|549632|Brunch}}

{{Self (band)}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1999 albums

Category:1990s concept albums

Category:Self (band) albums

Category:DreamWorks Records albums