Truant Wave
Encyclopedia
Truant Wave is the debut studio EP
by American singer and songwriter Patrick Stump
, member of Fall Out Boy
. It was first released as a digital download exclusive to iTunes, on February 22, 2011 through Nervous Breakdance Media, Stump's own record label, before becoming available from all online retailers as of 9 March. It was officially announced through Stump's official website just one week before the EP's release date, with little lead up and "absolutely zero promotion" and was unexpected by fans as Stump never made any mention or allusions about it. It is his second release as a solo artist, the first being his "Spotlight (New Regrets)" and "Spotlight (Oh Nostalgia)" 7" vinyl. The EP is an advance of the release of Stump's debut full-length album, Soul Punk
, composed of songs that Stump did not include on it. Soul Punk was released on October 18, 2011. On June 9 he made available Truant Wave on a 12" vinyl, also through his own label and is available on his webstore. He has said the EP is "[kind of] a concept album."
's hiatus in late 2009, Stump embarked on a solo side project. His debut solo album, Soul Punk
, was tentatively scheduled for release in February 2011, with Stump saying in November 2010, "the album should be out in February [2011] and as can be inferred from the long delay, it's changed dramatically from the album I alluded to a year ago [...] As for the delay of the album itself, I'd say it's been less about the music or recording and more about all the other things that finish the thought, I just want to make sure I go to sleep at night knowing I'm not half-assing this." However, in February 2011 there was no album release lead up, and instead Stump's debut EP
Truant Wave was released on February 22 after Stump announced it the week before, with no promotion or lead up.
Of the songs in the 6-track digital EP, three feature guest artists, while the rest are solo material. "Spotlight (Oh Nostalgia)" debuted on the internet on 29 November 2010, along with "Spotlight (New Regrets)". Stump had a poll asking voters for which version they prefer to see on Soul Punk, Stump's upcoming debut full-length album, which was closed in February 2011 and the results hidden. Although "Spotlight (Oh Nostalgia)" was ahead in the poll before it was hidden, Patrick since decided to put "Spotlight (Oh Nostalgia)" on Truant Wave, claiming that the votes were too close and that he felt as if "Oh Nostalgia basically needed its own record", building Truant Wave around it. "As Long As I Know I'm Getting Paid" and "Love, Selfish Love", two tracks included on the EP, have both been played at Stump's performance at South by Southwest
(SXSW) in 2010 and as acoustic versions at Stump's live Rolling Stone
performance. On Twitter he mentioned that the songs he had debuted at South by Southwest in 2010 would not be on Soul Punk, but would still receive a "proper release", which is now known to be Truant Wave.
Patrick Stump does not go back to his pop-punk roots, and says Truant Wave isn't Take This to Your Grave
Part II as some people expected. Instead the EP features Stump's new style: electronic-leaning, R&B-teasing jams. He says that one of the reasons he put out Truant Wave in the first place was to "soften the blow" of his new music style, because it was a major change from Fall Out Boy
's sound. "I really want Soul Punk to have as much of a chance to have it be listened to discerningly," he laughed. "And if I'm going to disappoint people by not [making] Take This to Your Grave, Part II, I would rather do that before Soul Punk, because that record means something to me." "I had way too much material. ... A lot of it didn't make sense on the record, but it still felt like something, so I made a little mini-record out of them, and it sort of became a concept record for me. So for all those reasons and more, I decided, 'Screw it, I'm going to put this out.' "
Stump referred to his EP as "a bit of a concept record". "It's not as strict a concept album in that I don't have a narrator or epic space battles or anything like that. It's pretty bare-bones and it works as a pop record," he said. "Basically, I took this idealistic, naive little character, and at the beginning of the record, he has the best intentions, the highest hopes, and, as you get towards the middle of the record, he's just such an a--hole. And then the character gets really dark, and then, at the end, I envisioned him being really down and out in Hollywood, like drunk and telling someone, 'Look, kid, don't make the same mistakes I did.' ... It has a narrative, but it's not like I named the characters or know anything about these things."
Stump is happy with his EP's reception. "I told people about this record a week ago, two weeks ago, there was no promo, no press, nothing, so, for it to do as well as it has, it's definitely gratifying," he said. "In the back of my head, there's always this little voice that's like, 'Just don't blow it,' and so far, so good, you know?"
His debut solo album, Soul Punk
was originally scheduled for release in February 2011, and is now officially set for October 18, 2011. He has premiered "Explode" on YouTube and remix of "This City" featuring rapper Lupe Fiasco
is available on iTunes in the lead up to Soul Punks release.
, I’m neither because I’m both. So in that same way I feel like whatever scene I’m a part of hasn’t shown up yet."
through his Nervous Breakdance Media record label, which was his label's first release. It was yellow and limited to a 500 pressings, featuring "Spotlight (New Regrets)" and "Spotlight (Oh Nostalgia)" as a Double A-side. It was available through his online store. "Spotlight (Oh Nostalgia)" was featured in The Vampire Diaries
in the episode "The Last Dance".
On 28 February 2011 Patrick Stump's first music video as a solo artist, "Spotlight (Oh Nostalgia)", premiered on the internet. The slow motion, low-budget video directed by Joe Wein captures Patrick as he interacts with people (and animals) doing extraordinary things and showcasing their talents; pogoing, skateboarding, sport stacking
, yo-yoing
, penspinning and swinging nunchucks. On April 4, 2011 the video was featured as "video of the day" on fuse.tv.
for sale in his webstore. The 7" features "Love, Selfish Love" on the A-side
and "As Long As I Know I'm Getting Paid" on the B-side. It is limited to 500 pressings and is pressed on 100% recycled random colored vinyl. The artwork was by Roland Tomayo.
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
by American singer and songwriter Patrick Stump
Patrick Stump
Patrick Vaughn Stump is an American singer-songwriter, composer, record producer, and music critic. He is the composer, lead singer, and multi-instrumentalist of Fall Out Boy, an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, and is also a solo artist...
, member of Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy is an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, formed in 2001. The band consists of vocalist, guitarist and composer Patrick Stump, bassist and lyricist Pete Wentz, guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer Andy Hurley. The band released five studio albums from 2003–2008...
. It was first released as a digital download exclusive to iTunes, on February 22, 2011 through Nervous Breakdance Media, Stump's own record label, before becoming available from all online retailers as of 9 March. It was officially announced through Stump's official website just one week before the EP's release date, with little lead up and "absolutely zero promotion" and was unexpected by fans as Stump never made any mention or allusions about it. It is his second release as a solo artist, the first being his "Spotlight (New Regrets)" and "Spotlight (Oh Nostalgia)" 7" vinyl. The EP is an advance of the release of Stump's debut full-length album, Soul Punk
Soul Punk
Soul Punk is the debut solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Patrick Stump, the lead vocalist, guitarist and composer of Fall Out Boy. It was released in the United States on October 18, 2011 through Island Records, with varying release dates in other regions...
, composed of songs that Stump did not include on it. Soul Punk was released on October 18, 2011. On June 9 he made available Truant Wave on a 12" vinyl, also through his own label and is available on his webstore. He has said the EP is "[kind of] a concept album."
Background
After Fall Out BoyFall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy is an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, formed in 2001. The band consists of vocalist, guitarist and composer Patrick Stump, bassist and lyricist Pete Wentz, guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer Andy Hurley. The band released five studio albums from 2003–2008...
's hiatus in late 2009, Stump embarked on a solo side project. His debut solo album, Soul Punk
Soul Punk
Soul Punk is the debut solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Patrick Stump, the lead vocalist, guitarist and composer of Fall Out Boy. It was released in the United States on October 18, 2011 through Island Records, with varying release dates in other regions...
, was tentatively scheduled for release in February 2011, with Stump saying in November 2010, "the album should be out in February [2011] and as can be inferred from the long delay, it's changed dramatically from the album I alluded to a year ago [...] As for the delay of the album itself, I'd say it's been less about the music or recording and more about all the other things that finish the thought, I just want to make sure I go to sleep at night knowing I'm not half-assing this." However, in February 2011 there was no album release lead up, and instead Stump's debut EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
Truant Wave was released on February 22 after Stump announced it the week before, with no promotion or lead up.
"Formal album releases take so much time to prepare, so I’d like to announce the release of Truant Wave, a digital EP I’ve put together of songs I felt strongly about but didn’t have place for within the narrative of Soul PunkSoul PunkSoul Punk is the debut solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Patrick Stump, the lead vocalist, guitarist and composer of Fall Out Boy. It was released in the United States on October 18, 2011 through Island Records, with varying release dates in other regions...
. "Having recorded Soul Punk as the sole performer and writer, creating Truant Wave also presented a welcome opportunity for me to work with some of my gifted friends on my solo material."
Of the songs in the 6-track digital EP, three feature guest artists, while the rest are solo material. "Spotlight (Oh Nostalgia)" debuted on the internet on 29 November 2010, along with "Spotlight (New Regrets)". Stump had a poll asking voters for which version they prefer to see on Soul Punk, Stump's upcoming debut full-length album, which was closed in February 2011 and the results hidden. Although "Spotlight (Oh Nostalgia)" was ahead in the poll before it was hidden, Patrick since decided to put "Spotlight (Oh Nostalgia)" on Truant Wave, claiming that the votes were too close and that he felt as if "Oh Nostalgia basically needed its own record", building Truant Wave around it. "As Long As I Know I'm Getting Paid" and "Love, Selfish Love", two tracks included on the EP, have both been played at Stump's performance at South by Southwest
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
(SXSW) in 2010 and as acoustic versions at Stump's live Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
performance. On Twitter he mentioned that the songs he had debuted at South by Southwest in 2010 would not be on Soul Punk, but would still receive a "proper release", which is now known to be Truant Wave.
Music
In regard to his lyrics, Stump commented "most of the lyrics on this record are written in character, not as myself".Patrick Stump does not go back to his pop-punk roots, and says Truant Wave isn't Take This to Your Grave
Take This to Your Grave
Take This to Your Grave is the second studio album by American rock band Fall Out Boy. It is the group's first release under the Fueled by Ramen label and was released on May 6, 2003. The album title is taken from a line from the lyrics of the track "The Patron Saint of Liars and Fakes", which...
Part II as some people expected. Instead the EP features Stump's new style: electronic-leaning, R&B-teasing jams. He says that one of the reasons he put out Truant Wave in the first place was to "soften the blow" of his new music style, because it was a major change from Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy is an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, formed in 2001. The band consists of vocalist, guitarist and composer Patrick Stump, bassist and lyricist Pete Wentz, guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer Andy Hurley. The band released five studio albums from 2003–2008...
's sound. "I really want Soul Punk to have as much of a chance to have it be listened to discerningly," he laughed. "And if I'm going to disappoint people by not [making] Take This to Your Grave, Part II, I would rather do that before Soul Punk, because that record means something to me." "I had way too much material. ... A lot of it didn't make sense on the record, but it still felt like something, so I made a little mini-record out of them, and it sort of became a concept record for me. So for all those reasons and more, I decided, 'Screw it, I'm going to put this out.' "
Stump referred to his EP as "a bit of a concept record". "It's not as strict a concept album in that I don't have a narrator or epic space battles or anything like that. It's pretty bare-bones and it works as a pop record," he said. "Basically, I took this idealistic, naive little character, and at the beginning of the record, he has the best intentions, the highest hopes, and, as you get towards the middle of the record, he's just such an a--hole. And then the character gets really dark, and then, at the end, I envisioned him being really down and out in Hollywood, like drunk and telling someone, 'Look, kid, don't make the same mistakes I did.' ... It has a narrative, but it's not like I named the characters or know anything about these things."
Stump is happy with his EP's reception. "I told people about this record a week ago, two weeks ago, there was no promo, no press, nothing, so, for it to do as well as it has, it's definitely gratifying," he said. "In the back of my head, there's always this little voice that's like, 'Just don't blow it,' and so far, so good, you know?"
His debut solo album, Soul Punk
Soul Punk
Soul Punk is the debut solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Patrick Stump, the lead vocalist, guitarist and composer of Fall Out Boy. It was released in the United States on October 18, 2011 through Island Records, with varying release dates in other regions...
was originally scheduled for release in February 2011, and is now officially set for October 18, 2011. He has premiered "Explode" on YouTube and remix of "This City" featuring rapper Lupe Fiasco
Lupe Fiasco
Wasalu Muhammad Jaco , better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco , is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, Lupe is the CEO of 1st and 15th Entertainment. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his critically acclaimed debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food...
is available on iTunes in the lead up to Soul Punks release.
Track listing
The album also comes with a digital booklet.Packaging and title
The cover artwork was done by Stump's friend, Aakash Nihalani. For the title Truant Wave, Patrick Stump has said, "I was thinking about the suffix “Wave,” and all of these scenes that have been saddled with it. “New Wave,” “No Wave,” “Chill Wave,” etc. I feel like the music I make has never really fit in anywhere. It’s the same reason I named the album Soul PunkSoul Punk
Soul Punk is the debut solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Patrick Stump, the lead vocalist, guitarist and composer of Fall Out Boy. It was released in the United States on October 18, 2011 through Island Records, with varying release dates in other regions...
, I’m neither because I’m both. So in that same way I feel like whatever scene I’m a part of hasn’t shown up yet."
"Spotlight (New Regrets)" 7" vinyl and "Spotlight (Oh Nostalgia)" music video
Stump released a "Spotlight (New Regrets)" 7" vinylGramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
through his Nervous Breakdance Media record label, which was his label's first release. It was yellow and limited to a 500 pressings, featuring "Spotlight (New Regrets)" and "Spotlight (Oh Nostalgia)" as a Double A-side. It was available through his online store. "Spotlight (Oh Nostalgia)" was featured in The Vampire Diaries
The Vampire Diaries
The Vampire Diaries is a young adult vampire horror series of novels written by L. J. Smith. The story centers around Elena Gilbert, a high school girl torn between two vampire brothers. The series was originally a trilogy published in 1991, but pressure from readers led Smith to write a fourth...
in the episode "The Last Dance".
On 28 February 2011 Patrick Stump's first music video as a solo artist, "Spotlight (Oh Nostalgia)", premiered on the internet. The slow motion, low-budget video directed by Joe Wein captures Patrick as he interacts with people (and animals) doing extraordinary things and showcasing their talents; pogoing, skateboarding, sport stacking
Sport stacking
Sport Stacking is an individual and team sport that involves stacking specialized plastic cups in specific sequences in as little time as possible. The governing body setting the rules is the WSSA...
, yo-yoing
Yo-yo
The yo-yo in its simplest form is an object consisting of an axle connected to two disks, and a length of twine looped around the axle, similar to a slender spool...
, penspinning and swinging nunchucks. On April 4, 2011 the video was featured as "video of the day" on fuse.tv.
"Love, Selfish Love" 7" vinyl
In February/March 2011 Patrick Stump released a "Love, Selfish Love" 7" vinylGramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
for sale in his webstore. The 7" features "Love, Selfish Love" on the A-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
and "As Long As I Know I'm Getting Paid" on the B-side. It is limited to 500 pressings and is pressed on 100% recycled random colored vinyl. The artwork was by Roland Tomayo.
"Truant Wave" 12" vinyl
On June 9, Patrick Stump released Truant Wave as a 12" vinyl, a "180 gram neon green vinyl pressing" for sale through his webstore. This release was also without any promotion, with only a picture of the vinyl he uploaded to the social networking site Twitter a few weeks earlier.Charts
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 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... |
67 |
| US Billboard Rock Albums | 17 |
| US Billboard Alternative Albums | 11 |
| US Billboard Independent Albums Independent Albums The Billboard Independent Albums is a chart of the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays in the United States, compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is used to list artists who are not signed to major labels... |
7 |
| UK Independent Breakers Albums | 4 |