The Answer is Never is the second full-length album recorded by the band Howards Alias

Howards Alias

Howards Alias were a band in the modern UK underground punk scene. They formed in 1999 in Southampton, England and blend an eclectic mix of rock, progressive, punk and ska influences into their own musical output. They permanently disbanded in April 2008....

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The album was released by Household Name Records

Household Name Records

Household Name Records is a DIY punk rock record label, based in London, UK. It has been home to notable artists including Howards Alias, Lightyear, and Adequate Seven. It was started in 1996 by David "Lil" Giles and Katherine "Kafren" Vik to promote unknown UK bands...

 on June 7, 2004 on compact disc

Compact Disc

The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...

. A huge leap in terms of quality of both songwriting and production in comparison to debut The Chameleon Script

The Chameleon Script

The Chameleon Script is the first [officially released] full-length album recorded by the band Howards Alias.The album was released by Good Clean Fun Records on October 28 2002 on compact disc...

, this was the sound of a much more mature and less ska punk

Ska punk

Ska punk is a fusion music genre that combines ska and punk rock. It achieved its highest level of commercial success in the United States in the late 1990s. Ska-core is a subgenre of ska punk, blending ska with hardcore punk.The characteristics of ska punk vary, due to the fusion of contrasting...

-influenced Howards Alias.

As the band had become a quartet by this point, it was up to the multi-talented Nicholas Horne to play both trumpet

Trumpet

The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...

 and trombone

Trombone

The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...

 during the recording process. This added a subtle irony to the fact that the album was touted as being 'closer to the live sound of Howards Alias', as did the inclusion of a string instrument

String instrument

A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...

section on certain songs.

Clocking in at just over an hour in length, The Answer is Never is commonly regarded as Howards Alias' best altogether album.

The album artwork was provided by UK comic book artist Chronic Fatigue.

Track listing

1. "Chasing Amy"
2. "The Weekend Trip"
3. "Anthem for Doomed Youth"
4. "Blossom"
5. "W.O.R.L.D."
6. "Underground"
7. "Love Loss Learn"
8. "40 Winks"
9. "Elizabeth's Song"
10. "June 3"
11. "The Grandeur Challenge"
12. "Song for a Friend"
13. "Advent for the Zealous"
14. "The Drop"
15. "The Awakening"
16. "The End"