See What You Started by Continuing

Background

On August 25, 2009, Collective Soul released their self-titled eighth studio album, also known as Rabbit to differentiate it from the band's 1995 album of the same name.

Following the release of Rabbit, various members of Collective Soul were involved in side projects.

In an interview with Audio Ink Radio in 2011, Turpin was asked if he foresaw Collective Soul doing a new album at any point: "Yeah, I sure do. Can't really say for sure, but there are definitely discussions going on about scheduling that, and songs have been played and started, so we've already started some creativity. But, nothing is really scheduled yet. I would think that the next six months, we'll get something going on."

In January 2012, drummer Cheney Brannon left Collective Soul to pursue other music opportunities; Johnny Rabb was later named his replacement. The band embarked on the 2012 Dosage Tour from May to July.

The band kicked off their 2014 North American winter tour on January 15 at Belly Up in Aspen, Colorado, where lead guitarist Jesse Triplett made his live debut as a member of Collective Soul. Triplett replaced Joel Kosche, who had been with the band since replacing original lead guitarist Ross Childress in 2001. On February 6, Collective Soul publicly confirmed Kosche's departure from the band: "After 13 great years, Joel Kosche has moved on in the world of music. Collective Soul welcomes Jesse Triplett as our new lead guitarist.

In February 2014, the band announced they would be releasing their ninth studio album, See What You Started by Continuing, during the summer (in the Northern Hemisphere) that year.

Throughout their 2014 touring schedule, Collective Soul road-tested songs later featured on See What You Started by Continuing.

Despite reports that the album would be released in August or September, the album was pushed back from its anticipated summer release to the following year. On September 10, Ed Roland responded to questions regarding the album's release: "First of all thanks to all of you for your patience, we are so happy you are eager to hear new tunes! We are diligently working to bring you something worth the wait. I'm finishing vocals this week and then we mix. With a realistic amount of setup time to launch we are looking at early 2015. That's the best estimate I can give you at the moment. Many thanks!"

On December 25, 2014, the band offered a sneak preview of the album by making it available for streaming on SoundCloud exclusively for Christmas Day.

Billboard exclusively premiered the album on September 25, 2015, one week ahead of its commercial release.

See What You Started by Continuing, Collective Soul's first album in six years, was released on October 2, 2015 by Vanguard Records.

Recording

See What You Started by Continuing was recorded between February to October 2014 at Ed Roland's home studio in Sandy Springs, Georgia. Roland served as the album's producer. The album was mixed by Shawn Grove and masted by Steve Rawls at Real 2 Reel Studios.

Several songs were written for the album; "Comes Back to You," "Lover Boy in the Rain," and "No Idea" were among those left off the album.

Titling

The album's title was chosen by Ed Roland. "It kinda fits not only the band, but personally what we've been through over the years," Roland told Melissa Ruggieri of Access Atlanta. "Things happen and you keep moving." Roland later told Empty Lighthouse Magazine, "It's like a second wind for us it just felt like the title related to what we're doing which is getting back to doing what we love."

Singles

The lead single, "This," made its premiere on July 15, 2015 at USA Today. The band has made "This" available as a free download on their website.

The second single, "AYTA," made its premiere on August 6, 2015 via the band's YouTube channel.

The third single, "Hurricane," made its premiere on August 27, 2015 at Yahoo! Music.

The fourth single, "Contagious," made its premiere on September 17, 2015 at PopMatters.

Media appearances

Members of the band have made appearances through internet, radio, and television to support the album and its accompanying concert tour.

The See What You Started Tour

The band made a fall U.S. tour announcement through a video posted to Facebook on July 27, 2015. Tickets for most early dates went on sale to the public two days later. Four dates in South America have also been added.

Breedlove Guitar Cover Sweepstakes

The band teamed up with Breedlove Guitars to launch a guitar cover sweepstakes, encouraging fans to record guitar covers of tracks from the album and upload them to YouTube under the hashtag #CSGuitarCover. To accompany each song, Ed Roland has created videos to teach fans how to play a specific track and talk about how he wrote it.

Music video

The music video for "AYTA" made its premiere on February 18, 2016 via Vevo. Directed by Joseph Guay, the video was shot at a concert on the band's fall U.S. tour in 2015.

Critical reception

See What You Started by Continuing received positive reviews from critics. Chris Geldard of FDRMX wrote that "this album could be titled How to Craft a Classic Sounding Album as Ed Roland and Collective Soul have gone back to the song style that is based on a foundation of great guitar riffs and catchy melodies that made them so popular in their early stages." Navi of Empty Lighthouse Magazine remarked that the album is "a second wind for the band and it's evident that they are taking full advantage of it, without sacrificing the roots and originality."

Tony of AnthemStatus.com summarized that the album "falls right back into the comfort of drawn-out ballads, background cooing, and light-hearted rock sure to please the current constituent of fans which is nothing more than simply fine."

Commercial performance

See What You Started by Continuing debuted at number one on the Billboard Alternative Albums chart and at number four on the Top Rock Albums chart with 14,000 copies sold in the United States, marking Collective Soul's first time topping the former chart. The album spent two weeks on the Billboard 200, peaking at number twenty-five.

Track listing

All tracks written by Ed Roland, except where indicated.

Personnel

Credits are adapted from liner notes of See What You Started by Continuing.