Half Way There

In June 2017, Busted flew to Los Angeles to perform their first American gig as a reformed band at the Troubadour. During this trip, they also continued writing and began recording for their planned fourth studio album.{{cite web|url=https://www.troubadour.com/event/1462959-busted-los-angeles/|title=Busted - Tickets - Troubadour - Los Angeles, CA - June 2nd, 2017|website=Troubadour|accessdate=1 February 2019}}{{cite web|last1=BBC Radio 2|title="We're currently working on our fourth album in Los Angeles". @Busted talk summer festivals and a sold out US gig|url=https://twitter.com/BBCRadio2/status/864488382021472257|website=@BBCRadio2|publisher=Twitter|accessdate=4 June 2017|date=16 May 2017}} In April 2018, it was confirmed the album would release in Q1 2019, and the band would return to their original sound.{{cite news|url=http://www.musicweek.com/live/read/busted-sign-with-coda-for-live-representation/072200|title=Busted sign with Coda for live representation|last=Hanley|first=James|date=20 April 2018|work=Music Week|accessdate=20 April 2018}} In May that year, Cobus Potgieter, who had previously stood in as drummer on Busted's 2016 tour, announced that he would be the studio drummer for the upcoming fourth album.{{Citation|last=Cobus|title=RECORDING WITH BUSTED|date=2018-05-10|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzQIj5QJ9vI|accessdate=2018-05-10}}

On 26 October 2018, Busted announced that the album would be called Half Way There.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/busted-announce-new-album-and-uk-arena-tour-37461916.html|title=Busted announce new album and UK arena tour|last=Mapstone|first=Lucy|date=26 October 2018|publisher=independent.ie|accessdate=1 February 2019}} The album's title is a reference to a lyric in Busted's 2003 single "Year 3000": "Everybody bought our seventh album / It had outsold Michael Jackson".{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-46389081|title=Busted was 'the walking band of clichés'|first=Kev|last=Geoghegan|date=30 January 2019|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=1 February 2019}} James Bourne said in an interview, "Once you get halfway through the album, you're officially half way there".

According to the press release, the album is a return to the early pop-punk sound that the band originally became known for, after their previous album, Night Driver (2016), had a heavy electronic sound.

"A rush of melody and effervescent riffs that see the band blend huge arena-filling choruses with the classic pop-punk sound of Blink-182 and New Found Glory. Lyrically it's often reflective and nostalgic ('Reunion', 'All My Friends' and a mini Busted autobiography in the shape of 'It Happens'), but there are some fantastical flights of fancy too in the shape of 'Shipwrecked In Atlantis' and a tribute to Elon Musk in 'Race To Mars'."{{cite web|url=https://forum.chorus.fm/threads/busted-announce-new-album.45376/|title=Busted Announce New Album|website=chorus.fm}}

The track "Shipwrecked in Atlantis" is a continuation of the band's 2004 single "Air Hostess".{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/JamesBourne/status/1090996859534016512|title=Shipwrecked in Atlantis|first=James|last=Bourne|date=31 January 2019|publisher=Twitter|accessdate=1 February 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://celebmix.com/busted-half-way-there/|title=Busted are Half Way There - Album scoop and review.|date=1 February 2019|website=CelebMix|accessdate=1 February 2019}} It is also sonically similar to Blink-182's song "The Rock Show".

The track "What Happened to Your Band" was previously performed live by one of James Bourne's other bands, Son of Dork back in 2007. It was first recorded for the McBusted album back in 2014. The band recorded a new version featuring Simpson and without McFly for the album, as the band believed that it fit the album's themes of nostalgia, reflection, and their hearkening back to their earlier pop-punk sound due to the lyrics dealing with James Bourne's life after Busted initially broke up in 2005.

Of the return to the band's roots, Charlie Simpson said, "We couldn't have made this album 10 years ago. [...] I don't think the record label would have stood for it. It's a proper pop-punk record, so I always feel like this album is the band that Busted could have been. [...] It's like a rejuvenation of the old sound. [...] Night Driver was awesome, but I think it confused a lot of people. We loved it, but I think for a fan wanting to hear Busted again, people had to readjust their mind as to what they were hearing."{{cite web|url=https://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2019/01/31/busted-interview/|title=Busted Halfway There Interview|date=1 February 2019|work=Wonderland Magazine|accessdate=2 February 2019}}

Busted released the album's lead promo track, "Nineties", on 2 November 2018.

"Reunion" was released on 14 December 2018 as an instant download. "All My Friends" was released a day after for those who pre-ordered the album from the official website.

The first single, "Radio", was released on 9 January 2019, exclusively on BBC Radio 2.{{cite web |last1=BBC Radio 2 |title=@Busted are back and @realkenbruce is hitting play on their new single tomorrow morning!Make sure you're listening from 11am (GMT) when @mattjwillis will be joining us on the phone to introduce 'Radio' |url=https://twitter.com/BBCRadio2/status/1082602907290267648 |website=Twitter |publisher=BBC Radio 2 |accessdate=8 January 2019 |language=en |date=8 January 2019}} Bassist Matt Willis said of the single:

{{Quote

|text=This is our first official single off the record, the other stuff was kind of given out to [the] fan base to kind of entice them, but this is the first 'big boy' single, so enjoy it. It's called 'Radio".

|author=Matt Willis{{cite AV media| people = Ken Bruce, Matt Willis| date = 9 January 2019| title = Zoe Ball and Matt Willis| url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0001ym7| access-date = 18 January 2019| time = 1:44:55| publisher = BBC Radio 2}}}}

Adapted from the band's store.{{cite web|url=https://busted.tmstor.es/cart/product.php?id=40335|title=Half Way There Signed CD|website=busted.tmstor.es}}

{{Track listing

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| title1 = Nineties

| writer1 = {{hlist|James Bourne|Charlie Simpson|Matt Willis|Dougie Poynter}}

| extra1 = Gil Norton

| length1 = 3:02

| title2 = Reunion

| writer2 = {{hlist|J. Bourne|Simpson|Willis|Joshua Wilkinson}}

| extra2 = Norton

| length2 = 3:26

| title3 = What Happened to Your Band

| writer3 = {{hlist|J. Bourne|Michael Raphael}}

| extra3 = {{hlist|Norton|Fields}}

| length3 = 4:03

| title4 = Shipwrecked in Atlantis

| writer4 = {{hlist|J. Bourne|Simpson|Willis|Chris Bourne}}

| extra4 = Norton

| length4 = 3:21

| title5 = Race to Mars

| writer5 = {{hlist|J. Bourne|Simpson|Willis|Wilkinson|C. Bourne}}

| extra5 = Norton

| length5 = 3:21

| title6 = All My Friends

| writer6 = {{hlist|J. Bourne|Simpson|Willis|Fields}}

| extra6 = {{hlist|Norton|Fields}}

| length6 = 3:51

| title7 = MIA

| writer7 = {{hlist|J. Bourne|Simpson|Willis|C. Bourne}}

| extra7 = Norton

| length7 = 3:25

| title8 = Radio

| writer8 = {{hlist|J. Bourne|Simpson|Willis|Wilkinson}}

| extra8 = Norton

| length8 = 4:03

| title9 = Nostalgia

| writer9 = {{hlist|J. Bourne|Simpson|Willis|C. Bourne}}

| extra9 = Norton

| length9 = 3:32

| title10 = It Happens

| writer10 = {{hlist|J. Bourne|C. Bourne}}

| extra10 = Norton

| length10 = 4:25

| total_length = 36:29

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Busted

• Charlie Simpson – vocals, lead guitar, programming, percussion
• James Bourne – vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards
• Matt Willis – vocals, bass

Additional musicians{{Cite AV media notes|title=Half Way There|year=2019| page= 9 | type = CD liner notes | publisher = Juno Music}}

• Cobus Potgieter – drums
• Josh Wilkinson – programming (track 5), piano (track 8)
• Chris Bourne – guitar (track 5)

{{reflist}}

{{Busted}}

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Category:2019 albums

Category:Busted (band) albums

Category:East West Records albums

Category:Albums produced by Gil Norton