Deja Entendu

Background and composition

Brand New's second studio album was written in "the year and-a-half or two years" that they were touring the material from Your Favorite Weapon. According to drummer Brian Lane, "Jesse [Lacey] wrote a lot of the lyrics about different things than 'I just broke up with my girlfriend' for the new record." Lacey wrote the songs on an acoustic guitar in his bedroom.

Several of the song titles reference films. The first track entitled "Tautou" references the lead actress, Audrey Tautou, in the movie Amélie. "Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don't" is a line from Home Alone 2: Lost in New York and the song "Sic Transit Gloria...Glory Fades" is a line from Wes Anderson's film Rushmore. In addition, the line "And I've seen what happens to the wicked and proud when they decide to try to take on the throne for the crown" (from 'Jaws Theme Swimming') is a reference to a line from the 1999 film Dogma, specifically referencing a line of Matt Damon's character Loki.

The song "Play Crack the Sky" was about the 1951 shipwreck of the FV Pelican at Montauk Point, New York where 45 people lost their lives within a mile of the light house. Lacey claimed the song "touches on parts of life that I don't talk about a lot [...] I have grown up around water being from living on Long Island. Surfing, sailing, fishing, that's a huge part of my life apart from the band." The ending of the song is a reference to the run-out groove on the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967). During a show on his 2007 solo tour with Kevin Devine, Jesse explained that the title was a reference to Mylon LeFevre song "Crack the Sky".

The album was produced by Steven Haigler.

Release

Deja Entendu was released through Triple Crown and Razor & Tie on June 17, 2003. Brand New went on a tour of the U.S. in July 2003 with support from Moneen, The Beautiful Mistake and Senses Fail. "The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows" was released as a single on October 6. The album was released in the UK on October 13, through Eat Sleep. On November 3, the album was released in Australia through Below Par. "Sic Transit Gloria... Glory Fades" was released to radio on November 18. In January 2004, the band went on a tour of the UK with support from Straylight Run and Moneen.

Reception

After seven weeks since its release, the album matched Your Favorite Weapon's sales of 51,000 copies. The album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on May 29, 2007, nearly four years after its original release. It is Brand New's only release to date that has been certified.

Deja Entendu received mostly positive reviews from critics, who praised the band's evolution from their debut album. AllMusic gave Deja Entendu four out of five stars, stating that:

As of 2003, Brand New had sidestepped any notion that they'd be stuck in the prototypical mold found on Your Favorite Weapon. Unlike their debut, Deja Entendu isn't all about bitter breakups and doesn't fall into a permanent punk-pop hole. Produced by Steven Haigler (Pixies, Quicksand), this sophomore effort finds Brand New maturing, reaching for textures and song structures instead of clichés.

IGN rated the album 9.7/10, calling it "probably the best underground release this year."

Accolades

The album was included in Rock Sound's 101 Modern Classics list at number 21. Rock Sound later wrote the album's "slow burn appeal and genre-defining quality" would define the album as "an emo classic." They also wrote it would become the "blueprint [that] would spawn scores of imitators, [and] make alternative icons of its creators". NME listed the album as one of "20 Emo Albums That Have Resolutely Stood The Test Of Time".

Track listing

All lyrics written by Jesse Lacey; all music composed by Jesse Lacey, except where noted.

Personnel