The One Voted Most Likely to Succeed

Background and recording

SNFU signed a three-record deal with Epitaph in 1993. But Something Green and Leafy This Way Comes, their experimental first release with the label, failed to chart and received only tepid reviews. They spent 1994 touring heavily and planning a followup record.

SNFU entered Mushroom Studios in Vancouver to record their fifth studio album in late December. They spent two weeks recording the album with producer Dave Ogilvie, noted for his work with Skinny Puppy. Guests Mike "Gabby" Gaborno and Bif Naked, both longtime friends of the band, made guest vocal appearances on the album's final track, "One Last Loveshove". Mixing occurred in a studio owned by Canadian rock musician Bryan Adams and was completed by mid-January.

Release

The band filmed promotional videos for the songs "Big Thumbs" and "Eric's Had a Bad Day" with director Eric Matthies. These songs were both also released as promotional singles. The album was released by Epitaph on May 4, 1995, while the band was touring in Europe.

The band and label had high expectations for the album, which was released at the height of the third wave of punk rock. Ultimately the record did not chart as well as did contemporaneous albums by label mates such as The Offspring and Rancid, despite selling modestly well by punk rock standards.

Reception

The album was generally received well by critics. Writing a retrospective review for AllMusic, critic Vincent Jeffries calls the album a "rewarding" effort in which "the group offers a more familiar [...] sound" than on their previous record. Jeffries adds that the skilled, and now veteran, punk musicians "handle the record's more difficult material with grace and power." Ultimately, Jeffries assesses the record as "one of their best '90s releases." CMJ's Juliana Day gave the album a positive review, calling the record "one adrenaline burst after another, prefabricated but easy to bang your head to." Punknews.org reviewer TomTrauma praised singer Ken Chinn's effort on the album. TomTrauma concluded that the album, "a classic by mid-'90s standards," "remains essential listening for fans of that era, and Canadian punk fans in general."

Track listing

All songs written by SNFU

Musicians