After We Go
Encyclopedia
After We Go is the second studio album
by Louisville
post-grunge
band Tantric
. Released on February 24, 2004, it debuted at #56 on the Billboard Album Charts
but quickly lost momentum due to the lack of a strong single
. Despite the lack of radio success, the album is considered a success by singer Hugo Ferreira
because it fared extremely well through the medium of downloading
. After We Go would be Tantric's final album for Maverick
.
, Tennessee
to record their second album with producer Toby Wright
. The band expected to release the new work, originally to be titled Zero Point Mantra, by year's end.
After two long sessions, however, the label insisted Tantric to return to the studio and continue. The third session churned out three more songs including the singles "Hey Now" and "The Chain". Singer Hugo Ferreira
noted of the experience, "This record was a long and painful process to make. We were under a lot of pressure from our label to spit something out." The band contemplated recording a cover
and simply chose the first song they heard on classic rock
radio, "The Chain". At this point, the tentative release date was set at February 10, 2004.
Ferreira wrote the lead single
, "Hey Now", with ex-Extreme
guitarist Nuno Bettencourt
. The two both grew up in Hudson, Massachusetts
, and their moms were friends, so Ferreira would spend time with Bettencourt's nephews and play his guitars. They eventually met up in Los Angeles
where Ferreira asked Bettencourt to write with him. Their demo was then brought back to the rest of Tantric.
, whom Wright had famously worked with. The album is slightly heavier as a whole, with the opener "Chasing After" setting the stage for the whole album. Guitarist Todd Whitener provides more vocals than on the previous album, including the lead in the chorus of the title track, "After We Go".
Ferreira described Tantric's second album as "more mature" and "definitely heavier." He described current issues such as the invasion of Iraq
and a struggling economy as helping "give this record its own soul." Corresponding with the album's aggressive theme, the lead single was described by Ferreira as "kind of a 'You did me wrong, so f--- you' song."
was produced for the single "Hey Now", which predated the album's release. The follow-up singles, the title track and a cover of Fleetwood Mac
's "The Chain
", also met with poor reception. Nevertheless, Tantric soldiered on, touring with 3 Doors Down
and Shinedown
for much of 2004.
Tantric's cover of Fleetwood Mac
's "The Chain" became the theme song for HBO's Family Bonds. The opening track, "Chasing After", was also featured in the video games WWE Day of Reckoning
and WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw
in fall 2004.
at #56, higher than its more successful predecessor. Aside from "Hey Now", which reached #8 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks
, its singles did not chart substantially.
and that After We Go exhibits the band to be no more than "mid-level grunge
revisionists." Amber Authier of Exclaim!
gave a poor review despite feeling that it "improves upon their self-titled debut." She noted, "the opening track is worth a couple of listens. Unfortunately the rest is not."
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
post-grunge
Post-grunge
Post-grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged in the mid-1990s as a derivative of grunge, using the sounds and aesthetic of grunge, but with a more commercially acceptable tone...
band Tantric
Tantric (band)
Tantric is a rock band from Louisville, Kentucky. The group has released four studio albums since 2001; although, their last two albums only retain Tantric's original singer, Hugo Ferreira...
. Released on February 24, 2004, it debuted at #56 on the Billboard Album Charts
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
but quickly lost momentum due to the lack of a strong single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
. Despite the lack of radio success, the album is considered a success by singer Hugo Ferreira
Hugo Ferreira
Hugo Ferreira is a Portuguese-American African-born rock musician and singer-songwriter for the band Tantric.-Biography:...
because it fared extremely well through the medium of downloading
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
. After We Go would be Tantric's final album for Maverick
Maverick Records
Maverick Recording Company is an American record label owned and operated by Warner Music Group, and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Company history:...
.
Background and recording
After wrapping up a headlining tour on April 7, 2002, the band went to Ocean Way studios in NashvilleNashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
to record their second album with producer Toby Wright
Toby Wright
Toby Wright is a record producer and mixing engineer who has worked with artists such as Alice in Chains, Metallica, Sevendust and Korn. He is currently in Nashville, Tennessee working on Kara Clark's latest Ep.-Producer:...
. The band expected to release the new work, originally to be titled Zero Point Mantra, by year's end.
After two long sessions, however, the label insisted Tantric to return to the studio and continue. The third session churned out three more songs including the singles "Hey Now" and "The Chain". Singer Hugo Ferreira
Hugo Ferreira
Hugo Ferreira is a Portuguese-American African-born rock musician and singer-songwriter for the band Tantric.-Biography:...
noted of the experience, "This record was a long and painful process to make. We were under a lot of pressure from our label to spit something out." The band contemplated recording a cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
and simply chose the first song they heard on classic rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
radio, "The Chain". At this point, the tentative release date was set at February 10, 2004.
Ferreira wrote the lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
, "Hey Now", with ex-Extreme
Extreme (band)
Extreme is an American rock band, headed by frontmen Gary Cherone and Nuno Bettencourt, that reached the height of their popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s.Among some of Extreme's musical influences are Queen and Van Halen...
guitarist Nuno Bettencourt
Nuno Bettencourt
Nuno Duarte Gil Mendes Bettencourt is a Portuguese guitarist and singer-songwriter best known for his role as the lead guitarist of the Boston rock band Extreme whose hits include the acoustic ballads "More Than Words" and "Hole Hearted"...
. The two both grew up in Hudson, Massachusetts
Hudson, Massachusetts
Hudson is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 19,063 at the 2010 census. The town is located in central Massachusetts, about a 40-minute drive, or about , west of Boston, and about a 20-minute drive, or about , northeast of Worcester.Before its...
, and their moms were friends, so Ferreira would spend time with Bettencourt's nephews and play his guitars. They eventually met up in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
where Ferreira asked Bettencourt to write with him. Their demo was then brought back to the rest of Tantric.
Music and lyrics
On After We Go, the second Tantric production by Toby Wright, the band continued their rather distinctive method of blending well-layered melodic vocals over distorted guitars. This often leads to comparisons with Seattle group, Alice in ChainsAlice in Chains
Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr...
, whom Wright had famously worked with. The album is slightly heavier as a whole, with the opener "Chasing After" setting the stage for the whole album. Guitarist Todd Whitener provides more vocals than on the previous album, including the lead in the chorus of the title track, "After We Go".
Ferreira described Tantric's second album as "more mature" and "definitely heavier." He described current issues such as the invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
and a struggling economy as helping "give this record its own soul." Corresponding with the album's aggressive theme, the lead single was described by Ferreira as "kind of a 'You did me wrong, so f--- you' song."
Touring and promotion
A music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
was produced for the single "Hey Now", which predated the album's release. The follow-up singles, the title track and a cover of Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
's "The Chain
The Chain
"The Chain" is a song from Fleetwood Mac's best-selling album Rumours. "The Chain" is unique in being the only song credited to all five members of the Rumours-era Fleetwood Mac lineup: Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, John McVie, Stevie Nicks; this is partly because John McVie...
", also met with poor reception. Nevertheless, Tantric soldiered on, touring with 3 Doors Down
3 Doors Down
3 Doors Down is an American rock band from Escatawpa formed in 1996. The band consists of Brad Arnold , Matt Roberts , Todd Harrell , Chris Henderson , and Greg Upchurch ....
and Shinedown
Shinedown
Shinedown is an American rock band from Jacksonville, Florida, formed in 2001 and founded by members Brent Smith , Brad Stewart , Jasin Todd , and Barry Kerch . A few line-up changes followed, and the band's current line-up consists of Smith and Kerch, the band's only two remaining original...
for much of 2004.
Tantric's cover of Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
's "The Chain" became the theme song for HBO's Family Bonds. The opening track, "Chasing After", was also featured in the video games WWE Day of Reckoning
WWE Day of Reckoning
WWE Day of Reckoning is a professional wrestling video game released for the Nintendo GameCube console in 2004. The game is based on World Wrestling Entertainment and many of the wrestlers who were on the WWE roster at the time of release were included as player characters...
and WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw
WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW
WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw , is a professional wrestling video game released on the PlayStation 2 console by THQ and developed by Yuke's. It is part of the WWE SmackDown vs...
in fall 2004.
Track listing
- "Chasing After" – 3:31
- "After We Go" – 4:21
- "Falling Away" – 4:23
- "Hey Now" – 3:28
- "Hero" – 4:25
- "The ChainThe Chain"The Chain" is a song from Fleetwood Mac's best-selling album Rumours. "The Chain" is unique in being the only song credited to all five members of the Rumours-era Fleetwood Mac lineup: Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, John McVie, Stevie Nicks; this is partly because John McVie...
" – 4:21 (Fleetwood MacFleetwood MacFleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
cover) - "Change The World" – 3:27
- "Just Once" – 4:56
- "Relentless" – 3:11
- "Alright" – 4:22
- "Before" – 4:27
- "Awake" – 3:32
Reception
Commercial performance
Sales of After We Go would exceed 200,000 units, a far cry from Tantric's debut effort. The album peaked on the Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
at #56, higher than its more successful predecessor. Aside from "Hey Now", which reached #8 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks
Mainstream Rock Tracks
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music. Modern rock tracks are counted in the Alternative Songs chart.This chart began with the March 21, 1981, issue...
, its singles did not chart substantially.
Critical response
After We Go received largely negative reviews from critics. Johnny Loftus of allmusic gave the album 2 out of 5 and described it as following the same format as Tantric. He noted its strong comparison to Alice in ChainsAlice in Chains
Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr...
and that After We Go exhibits the band to be no more than "mid-level grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
revisionists." Amber Authier of Exclaim!
Exclaim!
Exclaim! is a monthly Canadian music magazine that features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with special focus on Canadian and cutting-edge artists...
gave a poor review despite feeling that it "improves upon their self-titled debut." She noted, "the opening track is worth a couple of listens. Unfortunately the rest is not."