Violent Things

In contrast to the Brobecks' previous three albums, Dallon Weekes is the sole writer of Violent Things.{{cite web |last=Becker|first=Sarah|url=https://audiophix.com/posts/hacked-dallon-weekes-account-slanders-taylor-swift-others-01j0c1bej867|title=Hacked Dallon Weekes account slanders Taylor Swift and others|website=AudioPhix|language=en|date=June 16, 2024|accessdate=August 1, 2024}} Weekes recorded the album's 15 songs over a week-and-a-half period with producer Casey Crescenzo in his home basement studio in Boston, Massachusetts. It was published without mixing or mastering due to budget constraints, leading to a retroactive dissatisfaction with the album.{{cite web |last=Riddell|first=Rose|url=https://www.coupdemainmagazine.com/dallon-weekes/13127|title=Interview: I Don't Know How But They Found Me's Dallon Weekes on his upcoming album.|website=Coup De Main Magazine|language=en|date=August 21, 2017|accessdate=August 1, 2024}}

Although the album had little success upon release, it became a trend on TikTok in the early 2020s.{{cite web |last=Shutler|first=Ali|url=https://readdork.com/features/idkhow-interview-mar24/|title=iDKHOW: "You think I'm going to do one thing, so I'm going to do something else"|website=Dork|language=en|date=February 28, 2024|accessdate=August 1, 2024}} The song "Better Than Me" received particular attention for its self-deprecating content,{{cite web |last=Uribe|first=Yonni|url=https://www.slugmag.com/music/local-review-the-brobecks-understanding-the-brobecks/|title=Local Review: The Brobecks – Understanding The Brobecks|website=SLUG Magazine|language=en|date=June 28, 2024|accessdate=August 1, 2024}}{{cite web |last=Schaumburg|first=Sage|url=https://thevisionmsms.org/8864/entertainment/album-review-violent-things-by-the-brobecks/|title=Album Review: "Violent Things" by the Brobecks|website=The Vision|language=en|date=December 11, 2017|accessdate=August 1, 2024}} amassing over 85 million streams on Spotify.{{cite web |url=https://open.spotify.com/album/1KLBdhphdiK82hYpAiw8DR|title=Violent Things - Album by The Brobecks|website=Spotify|language=en|date=April 25, 2009|accessdate=April 23, 2025}} Claire Cicero of The Red & Black praised the distorted bass, harmonies, and lyricism of "All of the Drugs", complimenting its momentum from a minimalistic start.{{cite web |last=Cicero|first=Claire|url=https://www.redandblack.com/culture/short-and-sweet-a-playlist-of-songs-under-two-minutes-long/article_48b499b4-16be-11e8-a290-f7e864e4af5e.html|title=Short and sweet: A playlist of songs under two minutes long|website=The Red & Black|language=en|date=February 21, 2018|accessdate=April 23, 2025}} Davy Washington of The Bullet highlighted the track "Boring" as an anthemic encapsulation of the album's sorrow, building from soft piano and vocals into an electronic instrumental burst.{{cite magazine |last=Washington|first=Davy|title=Weekly Picks: New song releases students need to hear|magazine=The Bullet|date=September 29, 2022}}

In 2011, "Visitation of the Ghost" was re-recorded for a planned Brobecks EP, but this was scrapped after Weekes joined Panic! at the Disco as a bassist. It was later released as a single.{{Cite web |url=https://dallonweekes.bandcamp.com/track/visitation-of-the-ghost-2011-fancy-studio-version-anniversary-bonus|title=Visitation of the Ghost (2011 Fancy Studio Version) Anniversary Bonus*, by Dallon Weekes|website=Bandcamp|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160523040002/https://dallonweekes.bandcamp.com/track/visitation-of-the-ghost-2011-fancy-studio-version-anniversary-bonus|archive-date=May 23, 2016|access-date=December 4, 2019}} Re-recorded editions of "Love at First Sight" and "Second Boys Will Be First Choice" were leaked on multiple occasions under an EP titled This Is Heavy along with a demo for "Far Too Young To Die," used later on the Panic! at the Disco album Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die! (which was leaked on SoundCloud prior). Weekes has stated that these were released without his consent, by a third-party, to make money off of his old songs and demos, and requested they not be streamed online.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}}

After the formation of I Dont Know How But They Found Me between Weekes and Ryan Seaman, the duo initially had a short catalog of music. They chose to perform cover songs to lengthen concerts, including songs originally by the Brobecks.{{cite web |last=Carter|first=Lucy|url=https://www.indiependent.co.uk/album-review-gloom-division-idkhow/|title=Album Review: GLOOM DIVISION // iDKHOW|website=The Indiependent|language=en|date=February 16, 2024|accessdate=November 4, 2024}} Three of these are from Violent Things: "Visitation of the Ghost",{{cite web |last=Venus|first=George|url=https://whenthehornblows.com/content/2024/7/8/live-review-idkhow-swg3-glasgow-30062024|title=Live Review: IDKHOW - SWG3, Glasgow 30/06/2024|website=When The Horn Blows|language=en|date=July 8, 2024|accessdate=August 1, 2024}} "Boring",{{cite web |last=Walker|first=Shiona|url=https://www.bringthenoiseuk.com/202407/photo-galleries/photo-gallery-idkhow-balancing-act-swg3-glasgow-30-06-2024|title=PHOTO GALLERY: iDKHOW, Balancing Act, SWG3, Glasgow, 30/06/2024|website=Bring the Noise UK|language=en|date=July 8, 2024|accessdate=August 1, 2024}} and "Clusterhug". The latter was proposed as a demo to Panic! at the Disco, but the band declined. It would eventually appear re-recorded on I Dont Know How But They Found Me's debut album, Razzmatazz (2020).{{cite web |last=Mosk|first=Mitch|url=https://atwoodmagazine.com/razzmatazz-idkhow-album-review-feature/|title='Razzmatazz' & Razzle-Dazzle: iDKHOW Go Track-by-Track Through Thrilling Debut Album|website=Atwood Magazine|language=en|date=November 17, 2020|accessdate=August 1, 2024}}

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{{Track listing

| headline = Violent Things track listing

| total_length = 49:57

| title1 = Goodnight Socialite

| length1 = 3:19

| title2 = Better Than Me

| length2 = 4:27

| title3 = Love at First Sight

| length3 = 3:10

| title4 = Second Boys Will Be First Choice

| length4 = 3:15

| title5 = Small Cuts

| length5 = 4:02

| title6 = If You Like It or Not

| length6 = 3:30

| title7 = Le Velo Pour Deux

| length7 = 3:56

| title8 = I Will, Tonight

| length8 = 3:48

| title9 = Visitation of the Ghost

| length9 = 4:23

| title10 = All of the Drugs

| length10 = 1:59

| title11 = Bike Ride

| length11 = 3:25

| title12 = The Nerve

| length12 = 3:59

| title13 = Boring

| length13 = 6:44

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Reissue bonus tracks

| total_length = 55:57

| title14 = Anyone I Know

| length14 = 2:40

| title15 = Clusterhug

| length15 = 3:20

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Bandcamp anniversary bonus track

| total_length = 54:04

| title14 = Visitation of the Ghost

| note14 = 2011 fancy studio version

| length14 = 4:07

}}

{{col-2}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Alternate streaming tracklist

| total_length = 49:57

| title1 = If You Like It or Not

| length1 = 3:30

| title2 = Small Cuts

| length2 = 4:02

| title3 = All of the Drugs

| length3 = 1:59

| title4 = Better Than Me

| length4 = 4:27

| title5 = Love at First Sight

| length5 = 3:10

| title6 = Visitation of the Ghost

| length6 = 4:23

| title7 = The Nerve

| length7 = 3:59

| title8 = I Will, Tonight

| length8 = 3:48

| title9 = Goodnight Socialite

| length9 = 3:19

| title10 = Bike Ride

| length10 = 3:25

| title11 = Le Velo Pour Deux

| length11 = 3:56

| title12 = Second Boys Will Be First Choice

| note12 = radio version

| length12 = 3:15

| title13 = Boring

| length13 = 6:44

}}

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Credits adapted from the album's Bandcamp page.{{Cite web |url=https://thebrobecks.bandcamp.com/album/violent-things|title=Violent Things, by The Brobecks|website=Bandcamp|date=September 9, 2012|access-date=September 17, 2018}}

• Dallon Weekes – lead vocals, bass, guitar, keyboards
• Drew Davidson – drums
• Casey Crescenzo – production, guitar, piano
• Lyndsey Lesh – album artwork
• Bill Ferenc – typography

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{{The Brobecks}}

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Category:2009 albums

Category:The Brobecks albums