Post-Nothing

The band self-financed the recording of Post-Nothing in the summer of 2008, with the intention of self-releasing it in 2009.Lindsay, Cam [http://www.exclaim.ca/Features/OnTheCover/japandroids-no_fun_city_rockers "No Fun City Rockers"], Exclaim!, May 2009 accessed 10 November 2010. However, by the fall of 2008, King and Prowse had become convinced that the band was going nowhere, and mutually decided to call it quits at the end of the year. It was agreed that they would self-release the album early in 2009, but would not promote it.

In January 2009, Japandroids signed to independent Canadian label Unfamiliar Records, who were eager to release the album, despite the band's reservations about continuing. Frustrated by label interest only after they had decided to break-up, King and Prowse reluctantly agreed to continue Japandroids temporarily, and began performing live again. In March 2009, taste-making website Pitchfork awarded the song "Young Hearts Spark Fire" a 'Best New Music' designation, instantly exposing the band to a large audience outside of Canada.Hogan, Marc [https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/11067-young-hearts-spark-fire/ "Single Review: Young Hearts Spark Fire"], Pitchfork Media, 4 March 2009 accessed 10 November 2010.

Chris Morgan of Yardbarker assessed the style on Post-Nothing: "While Vampire Weekend were taking indie in one direction, Japandroids went down a completely different path. The duo was loud, sloppy and infectious. They yelped out lengthy songs about being young and partying. Post-Nothing [...] brought some of the lo-fi, DIY fire back to indie."{{Cite web |date=2025-04-18 |title=The most impactful indie album by year since 1993 |url=https://www.yardbarker.com/entertainment/articles/most_influential_indie_albums_by_year_since_1993/s1__26667479 |access-date=2025-06-09 |website=Yardbarker |language=en}}

{{Infobox concert |

| concert_tour_name = Post-Nothing Tour

| image =

| image_caption =

| artist = Japandroids

| type = World

| album =

| location = North America
Europe

| start_date = 13 June 2009
Vancouver, Canada

| end_date = 27 October 2010
Hoboken, NJ, USA

| number_of_legs = 9

| number_of_shows = 229
North America (164)
Europe (65)

| last_tour =

| this_tour = Post-Nothing Tour
(2009-2010)

| next_tour = Celebration Rock Tour
(2012-2013)

}}

Post-Nothing was released in Canada on 28 April 2009, by Unfamiliar Records, originally on vinyl only (Unfamiliar had offered to press Post-Nothing on either CD or LP, but not both, with the band opting for an LP release). Pitchfork immediately championed the album, awarding it a 'Best New Music' designation, and praising its rawness, energy and reckless abandon. Japandroids were subsequently signed to Polyvinyl Record Co. in June 2009.Dombal, Ryan. [https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/12965-post-nothing/ "Japandroids Sign To Polyvinyl"], Pitchfork Media, 5 June 2009. Retrieved on 5 February 2019. On 16 June 2009, Japandroids recorded a live in-studio session at KEXP in Seattle.Cole, Kevin. [https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113064039 "Japandroids: A Frantic Invasion"], NPR Music, 22 September 2009. Retrieved on 5 February 2019. On 20 July 2009, "Wet Hair" was released as a single in Europe to promote the album ahead of its release, as well as Japandroids’ first-ever European tour. The album was re-released worldwide by Polyvinyl on 4 August 2009.Thiessen, Brock. [http://exclaim.ca/music/article/japandroids_sign_worldwide_deal_with_polyvinyl "Japandroids Sign Worldwide Deal with Polyvinyl"], Exclaim!, 5 June 2009. Retrieved on 5 February 2019.

In October, 2009, Japandroids performed their first-ever shows in the UK with a 4-night stand in London, including an in-store performance at Rough Trade East.CMU Editorial. [https://completemusicupdate.com/article/japandroids-to-play-rough-trade-east/ "Japandroids to play Rough Trade East"], Complete Music Update, 08 October 2009. Retrieved on 05 February 2019. On January 4, 2010, Japandroids made their television debut, performing the song "Wet Hair" on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.Singh, Amrit. [https://www.stereogum.com/107401/japandroids_bring_their_wet_hair_to_fallon/video/ "Japandroids bring their "Wet Hair" to Fallon"], Stereogum, 5 January 2010. Retrieved on 5 February 2019. In March, 2010, the band made their first of many SXSW appearances, performing 8 shows over 4 days in Austin.Polyvinyl Record Co.. [https://www.polyvinylrecords.com/news/581 "Polyvinyl @ SXSW - Complete Schedule"], Polyvinyl Record Co., 12 March 2010. Retrieved on 5 February 2019. On 16 April 2010, the band recorded an episode of Morning Becomes Eclectic at KCRW in Los Angeles, which included a 6-song live in-studio performance.Litt, Anne. [https://www.kcrw.com/music/shows/morning-becomes-eclectic/japandroids "Morning Becomes Eclectic: Japandroids"], Morning Becomes Eclectic, 16 April 2010. Retrieved on 5 February 2019. On 16 June 2010, the band performed "Young Hearts Spark Fire", "Art Czars", and "Younger Us" on MTV Live. On 15 August 2010, Japandroids’ show at The Fonda Theatre in Hollywood was filmed by Last Call with Carson Daly, with their performances of "Young Hearts Spark Fire" and "Art Czars" airing during episodes on 30 September 2010, and 16 November 2010, respectively.Dombal, Ryan. [https://pitchfork.com/news/40746-watch-japandroids-stop-by-carson-daly/ "Watch: Japandroids stop by Carson Daly"], Pitchfork Media, 17 November 2010. Retrieved on 5 February 2019.

Japandroids toured extensively to promote the album, earning praise for their energetic live performances.Caramanica, Jon. [https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/13/arts/music/13cameo.html "Kinetic, Exuberant and Loud on the Topic of Romance"], The New York Times, 12 July 2009. Retrieved on 5 February 2019. The Post-Nothing Tour consisted of 9 individual legs, and included over 200 shows in more than 20 countries.[http://www.bandsintown.com/Japandroids/past_events "Bandsintown – Tour History 2009–2019 (Japandroids)"] While primarily headlining their own shows, Japandroids also supporting acts such as A Place To Bury Strangers and Health in Europe, and The Walkmen in North America.BrooklynVegan Staff. [http://www.brooklynvegan.com/japandroids-2/ "Japandroids - 2009 Tour Dates"], BrooklynVegan, 15 July 2009. Retrieved on 5 February 2019.BrooklynVegan Staff. [http://www.brooklynvegan.com/japandroids-add/ "Japandroids add a 2nd Merc show – updated 2009 Tour Dates"], BrooklynVegan, 15 September 2009. Retrieved on 5 February 2019.BrooklynVegan Staff. [http://www.brooklynvegan.com/japandroids-2-1/ "Japandroids - 2010 Tour Dates"], BrooklynVegan, 4 September 2010. Retrieved on 5 February 2019.

Following a handful of warm-up shows in Vancouver and an appearance at CMW in Toronto, Japandroids' first full-scale North American tour was originally scheduled to begin on 23 April 2009, in Calgary.Thiessen, Brock. [http://exclaim.ca/music/article/japandroids_announce_full-length_debut_cmw_dates " Japandroids Announce Full-Length Debut, CMW Dates"], Exclaim!, 17 February 2009. Retrieved on 5 February 2019. After performing one show, they were forced to postpone and reschedule the remainder of the tour due to a health emergency. On the morning of 24 April 2009, King was checked into Calgary's Foothills Medical Center to undergo emergency surgery for a life-threatening perforated ulcer.Usinger, Mike. [https://www.straight.com/article-220263/local-boys-make-good "Vancouver's Own Japandroids Make Good"], The Georgia Straight, 14 May 2009. Retrieved on 5 February 2019. Touring resumed 13 June 2009 after King's recovery with a performance at Vancouver's Music Waste festival, and continued uninterrupted through to the final show 27 October 2010 at Maxwell's in Hoboken, New Jersey.

The Post-Nothing Tour informally ended with two performances at Schubas Tavern in Chicago, on 31 December 2010, and 1 January 2011.Warwick, Kevin. [https://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2010/11/04/early-warnings-roundup "Early Warnings Roundup"], Chicago Reader, 4 November 2010. Retrieved on 5 February 2019. Following these performances, Japandroids returned to Vancouver to begin work on their second album, and did not perform live again until August 2011.Adams, Gregory. [http://exclaim.ca/music/article/japandroids_announce_north_american_tour "Japandroids Announce North American Tour"], Exclaim!, 6 June 2011. Retrieved on 5 February 2019.

Among the dates of the Post-Nothing Tour were numerous festival appearances, including Sled Island, North by Northeast, Pop Montreal, Hillside Festival, Osheaga Festival, and Halifax Pop Explosion in Canada, Pitchfork Music Festival, Siren Music Festival, South by Southwest, Sasquatch!, Bonnaroo, Bumbershoot, Musicfest NW, and Capitol Hill Block Party in the United States, and The Great Escape, Roskilde, Pohoda Festival, Hove Festival and Primavera Sound in Europe.Young, Alex. [https://consequence.net/2009/07/japandroids-prove-health-is-no-issue-extend-post-nothing-tour/ "Japandroids prove health is no issue, extend Post-Nothing tour"], Consequence of Sound, 14 June 2009. Retrieved on 5 February 2019.Cosores, Phillip. [https://consequence.net/2010/06/japandroids-rule-will-continue-to-rule-throughout-summer-2/ "Japandroids rule; will continue to rule throughout summer"], Consequence of Sound, 10 June 2010. Retrieved on 5 February 2019.

Initially, the band had desired to include several more tracks on the album, but were unable due to insufficient funds. Many of the un-included tracks that the duo had written for the album were later recorded and released in 2010 as series of limited edition 7" singles.Breihan, Tom. [https://pitchfork.com/news/37860-japandroids-announce-singles-series/ "Japasndroids Announce Singles Series"], Pitchfork Media, 11 February 2010. Retrieved on 5 February 2019. These tracks include "Art Czars", "Younger Us", and "Heavenward Grand Prix". In an interview with The Village Voice, King explained the concept, and how the Post-Nothing Tour affected their release:

{{blockquote|style=font-size:smaller|When we recorded our album, we had a bunch of other songs at different stages of completion. I’m a fan of very cohesive albums, that sound like a certain time and place, and I didn’t want our second album to be made up of songs that we wrote in 2007 or 2008, songs didn’t make it onto Post-Nothing. So if we didn’t record them now, it felt like they were just going to die. And I didn’t really want that to happen, because we play them in our set and we like them a lot. So this was a way for some of those songs to live rather than die. Once we started touring heavily, we knew that there was no way to record a second album until we actually stopped and came home for a good chunk of time. But the more we toured, the more opportunities we got to continue touring, and we just couldn’t say no. So we thought, at the very least, whenever we came home for a week or two, we could try to record a seven-inch single. It was our way of having new music trickle out in spite of all that touring.Tedder, Michael. [https://www.villagevoice.com/2010/10/26/qa-japandroids-brian-king-on-their-single-series-disappointing-pj-harvey-and-that-siren-festival-rumor/ "Q&A: Japandroids’ Brian King on Their Single Series, Disappointing PJ Harvey, and That Siren Festival Rumor"], The Village Voice, 26 October 2010. Retrieved on 05 February 2019.}}

Japandroids had originally planned to release five singles, but abandoned the project after only three in order to focus on writing and recording their second album. A fourth 7" single, their final for Polyvinyl, was eventually released on 15 May 2012, for "The House That Heaven Built", the lead single from their second album Celebration Rock.Hudson, Alex. [http://exclaim.ca/music/article/japandroids_announce_north_american_tour_play_toronto_montreal_vancouver "Japandroids Share 'Celebration Rock' Release Details and New Track, Announce North American Tour"], Exclaim!, 26 March 2012. Retrieved on 5 February 2019.

{{Music ratings

| ADM = 6.7/10{{cite web|url=http://www.anydecentmusic.com/review/735/Japandroids-Post-Nothing.aspx|title=Post-Nothing by Japandroids reviews|publisher=AnyDecentMusic?|accessdate=8 January 2020}}

| MC = 82/100{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/post-nothing/japandroids|title=Reviews for Post-Nothing by Japandroids|publisher=Metacritic|accessdate=10 November 2010}}

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1Score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/post-nothing-mw0000819283|title=Post-Nothing – Japandroids|publisher=AllMusic|accessdate=10 November 2010|last=Lymangrover|first=Jason}}

| rev2 = The A.V. Club

| rev2Score = A{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/review/japandroids-empost-nothingem-28384|title=Japandroids: Post-Nothing|work=The A.V. Club|date=26 May 2009|accessdate=10 November 2010|last=Bevan|first=David}}

| rev3 = Chicago Sun-Times

| rev3Score = {{rating|3.5|4}}{{cite news|url=http://blogs.suntimes.com/derogatis/2009/08/japandroids_post-nothing_polyv.html|title=Japandroids, 'Post-Nothing' (Polyvinyl)|work=Chicago Sun-Times|date=4 August 2009|accessdate=10 November 2010|last=DeRogatis|first=Jim|author-link=Jim DeRogatis|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100106220600/http://blogs.suntimes.com/derogatis/2009/08/japandroids_post-nothing_polyv.html|archivedate=6 January 2010}}

| rev4 = Entertainment Weekly

| rev4Score = B{{cite magazine|url=https://www.ew.com/article/2009/07/29/post-nothing|title=Post-Nothing|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=29 July 2009|accessdate=10 November 2010|last=Greenblatt|first=Leah}}

| rev5 = Los Angeles Times

| rev5Score = {{rating|3.5|4}}{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-aug-05-et-recordrack5-story.html|title=A joyful frenzy is listener friendly|work=Los Angeles Times|date=5 August 2009|access-date=10 November 2010|last=Kot|first=Greg|author-link=Greg Kot}}

| rev6 = NME

| rev6Score = 8/10{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/japandroids/10908|title=Album review: Japandroids – 'Post-Nothing'|work=NME|date=16 October 2009|accessdate=1 July 2011|last=Edwards|first=Tom}}

| rev7 = Pitchfork

| rev7Score = 8.3/10{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/12965-post-nothing/|title=Japandroids: Post-Nothing|work=Pitchfork|date=27 April 2009|accessdate=10 November 2010|last=Cohen|first=Ian}}

| rev8 = Rolling Stone

| rev8Score = {{rating|3.5|5}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/28067922/review/29237229/postnothing|title=Japandroids: Post-Nothing|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=3 August 2009|accessdate=10 November 2010|last=O'Donnell|first=Kevin|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090806181838/http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/28067922/review/29237229/postnothing|archivedate=6 August 2009}}

| rev9 = Slant Magazine

| rev9Score = {{rating|5|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/japandroids-post-nothing/1796|title=Japandroids: Post-Nothing|work=Slant Magazine|date=2 August 2009|accessdate=10 November 2010|last=Cole|first=Matthew}}

| rev10 = Spin

| rev10Score = 7/10{{cite journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dQNfU0m3UX0C&pg=PA91|title=Japandroids: Post-Nothing|journal=Spin|volume=25|issue=6|date=June 2009|accessdate=10 November 2010|last=Kornhaber|first=Spencer|page=91}}

}}

Post-Nothing was released to critical acclaim in Canada, with Exclaim! naming it the second best album of 2009.Gormely, Ian [http://www.exclaim.ca/Features/YearInReview/pop_rocks_year_in_review_2009/? "Pop Rocks: Year In Review 2009"], Exclaim!, December 2009 accessed 10 November 2010. The album was long-listed for the Polaris Music Prize and nominated for Alternative Album of the Year at the Juno Awards.Polaris Music Prize [https://polarismusicprize.ca/2009-nominees/ Polaris Music Prize: 2009 Nominees], Polaris Music Prize, 27 April 2009. Retrieved on 5 February 2019.Juno Awards [http://junoawards.ca/submissions/nominees/#altAlbum Juno Awards: 2010 Nominees], Juno Awards, 3 March 2010. Retrieved on 5 February 2019.

The album was also well-received internationally, appearing on many year-end lists, including those of Pitchfork (#15),Hogan, Marc [https://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/7744-the-top-50-albums-of-2009/4/ "Staff Lists: Top 50 Albums of 2009"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140926080502/http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/7744-the-top-50-albums-of-2009/4/ |date=26 September 2014 }}, Pitchfork Media, 17 December 2009 accessed 10 November 2010. Spin (#16),Marchese, David [http://www.spin.com/gallery/40-best-albums-2009?page=25#main "The 40 Best Albums of 2009"], SPIN, 7 December 2009 accessed 10 November 2010. NME (#39),Edwards, Tom [https://www.nme.com/list/50-best-albums-of-2009/159978/article/160247#article "The 50 Best Albums of 2009"], NME, 9 December 2009 accessed 10 November 2010. The A.V. Club (#25),Ryan, Kyle [https://www.avclub.com/the-top-25-albums-of-2009-1798220863 "The Top 25 Albums of 2009"], The A.V. Club, 9 December 2009 accessed 10 November 2010. PopMatters (#35),Fortune, Drew [https://www.popmatters.com/pm/feature/117680-best-60-albums-of-2009/P2 "The Best 60 Albums of 2009"], Pop Matters, 18 December 2009 accessed 10 November 2010. and Stereogum (#21).{{fact|date=January 2025}}

The album peaked at number 22 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers Albums chart.Billboard [{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=japandroids|chart=all}} "Billboard Heatseekers Chart History"], Billboard, 22 August 2009 accessed 10 November 2010.

{{track listing

| collapsed =

| headline = CD/LP edition

| all_writing = Japandroids (Brian King and David Prowse)

| title1 = The Boys Are Leaving Town

| length1 = 4:01

| title2 = Young Hearts Spark Fire

| length2 = 5:05

| title3 = Wet Hair

| length3 = 3:12

| title4 = Rockers East Vancouver

| length4 = 4:32

| title5 = Heart Sweats

| length5 = 4:25

| title6 = Crazy/Forever

| length6 = 6:04

| title7 = Sovereignty

| length7 = 3:34

| title8 = I Quit Girls

| length8 = 4:55

}}

• "Young Hearts Spark Fire" (9 March 2009)
• Digital download (US)
• "Wet Hair" (20 July 2009)
• Digital download (UK/EU)
• CD single b/w: "Young Hearts Spark Fire" (UK/EU)

;Japandroids

• Brian King – guitar, lead vocals (1,2,3,5,6,7,8), backup vocals (4)
• David Prowse – drums, backup vocals (1,2,3,5,6,7), lead vocals (4)

;Technical personnel

• Jesse Gander – engineering

{{reflist}}

{{Japandroids}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:2009 debut albums

Category:Japandroids albums

Category:Polyvinyl Record Co. albums