You Can't Spell Slaughter Without Laughter
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox album
| name = You Can't Spell Slaughter Without Laughter
| type = studio
| artist = I Set My Friends on Fire
| cover = You Can't Spell Slaughter Without Laughter.jpg
| alt =
| released = {{Start date|2008|10|07}}
| recorded =
| venue =
| studio = Earth Sound Recording, Valdosta, Georgia{{cite web |publisher=AllMusic |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/you-cant-spell-slaughter-without-laughter-mw0000798546 |title=I Set My Friends on Fire - You Can't Spell Slaughter Without Laughter |access-date=January 16, 2023}}
| genre =
| length = 35:05
| label = Epitaph{{Cite web|url=https://www.punknews.org/review/7706/i-set-my-friends-on-fire-you-cant-spell-slaughter-without-laughter|title=I Set My Friends on Fire - You Can't Spell Slaughter Without Laughter|date=7 October 2008 |access-date=December 19, 2020|via=Punknews.org}}
| producer =
- Travis Richter
- Nabil Moo
| prev_title = I Set My Friends On Fire EP
| prev_year = 2008
| next_title = Astral Rejection
| next_year = 2011
}}
You Can't Spell Slaughter Without Laughter is the debut full-length studio album by American post-hardcore band I Set My Friends on Fire, released on October 7, 2008, via Epitaph Records. It includes the band's most famous song, "Things That Rhyme With Orange", a promotional video for which was released July 22, 2009.{{cite web |url=http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=245698495&blogID=500767607 |title=Post by the band on MySpace}} Four of the album's tracks are re-released songs from the band's self-released EP I Set My Friends On Fire EP. The album reached #29 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart.{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/heatseekers-albums/2008-10-25|title=Top Heatseekers, Week of 10/25/08|website=Billboard}}
Track listing
{{track listing
| headline =
| total_length = 35:05
| all_lyrics = Matt Mehana, except where noted
| all_music = Nabil Moo, except where noted
| title1 = Sh!t It Talks... I'm Out of Here
| length1 = 1:03
| title2 = Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
| length2 = 1:37
| title3 = Beauty Is in the Eyes of the Beerholder
| length3 = 2:26
| title4 = Things That Rhyme with Orange
| length4 = 3:24
| title5 = ASL
| length5 = 2:42
| title6 = Interlude
| length6 = 1:52
| title7 = Ravenous, Ravenous Rhinos
| length7 = 2:42
| title8 = HxC 2-Step
| length8 = 3:18
| title9 = WTFWJD
| length9 = 3:08
| title10 = Crank That
| note10 = Soulja Boy cover
| writer10 = DeAndre Way
| length10 = 3:02
| title11 = But the Nuns Are Watching
| length11 = 3:26
| title12 = Reese's Pieces, I Don't Know Who John Cleese Is?
| length12 = 6:26
}}
Reception
{{Music ratings
|rev1 = Alternative Press
|rev1score = {{Rating|0.5|5}}[https://web.archive.org/web/20090417212312/http://altpress.com/reviews/1388.htm Alternative Press review]
|rev2 = ChartAttack
|rev3 = Montreal Mirror
|rev3score = {{Rating|2|10}}[http://www.montrealmirror.com/2009/070909/disc.html Montreal Mirror review]
|rev4 = Punk News
|rev5 = Slant Magazine
|rev5score = {{Rating|0.5|5}}[http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/music_review.asp?ID=1527 Slant Magazine review]
}}
You Can't Spell Slaughter Without Laughter was panned by most music critics. The album received a 0.5 rating out of five from Slant reviewer Nate Adams, who said "[It's] high in the running for worst album of the year ... The music aims for brutality and melody, but misses the mark entirely on both counts."{{cite web |url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/music_review.asp?ID=1527 |title=I Set My Friends on Fire – You Can't Spell Slaughter Without Logs |access-date=2008-10-16 |last=Adams |first=Nate |website=Slant Magazine |date=2008-09-29 }} Alternative Press reviewer Phil Freeman also gave the album a half star out of five, remarking that the album "truly fails because it has exactly zero memorable moments".Phil Freeman, Review of You Can't Spell Slaughter Without Laughter. Alternative Press, November 2008, p. 158.
In a mixed review, John Lucas of the Georgia Straight said that the album "seems designed to test the listener’s tolerance", but that "those willing to embrace a noisy, ambitious, self-indulgent, and downright weird record will find a lot to love".{{cite web |url=https://www.straight.com/article-241480/i-set-my-friends-fire-tests-ones-tolerance-you-can%3F%3Ft-spell-slaughter-without-laughter |title=I Set My Friends on Fire tests one's tolerance on You Can't Spell Slaughter Without Laughter |access-date=2009-07-26 |date=2009-07-21 |work=Straight.com}} Logan Broger of ChartAttack gave it three stars out of five, saying, "When the grind-electro-hardcore-pop duo aren't being obnoxious or comedic, there are some tunes that are actually really, really brilliant."
Personnel
You Can't Spell Slaughter Without Laughter album personnel as listed on Allmusic.{{cite web|url=http://allmusic.com/album/you-cant-spell-slaughter-without-laughter-r1426418/credits |title=You Can't Spell Slaughter Without Laughter - I Set My Friends on Fire |publisher=AllMusic |date=2008-10-07 |access-date=2012-03-16}}
;I Set My Friends On Fire
- Matt Mehana – lead vocals, lyrics
- Nabil Moo – programming, guitars, bass, keyboards, drums, songwriting, additional vocals
; Production
- Travis Richter – production
- Nabil Moo – production
- Jeff Abarta – production, management
- Lee Dyess – engineering, mixing
- Ted Jensen – mastering
- Kamal Moo – management
- Sally Koening – legal
- Brett Gurewitz – artist and repertoire
- Nick Pritchard – artwork, design