World We View

Background

After the release of Escape, Nine Lashes was signed to Tooth & Nail Records at the recommendation of musician and producer Trevor McNevan, who had been given a copy of their album by a friend. McNevan was also heavily involved in the creation of World We View, contributing to the production, songwriting, and even providing guest vocals on the song "Adrenaline".

Production, recording, and songwriting

In interviews, lead vocalist Jeremy Dunn noted the difference of approach between Escape producer Travis Wyrick and the team of McNevan and Aaron Sprinkle: Wyrick was "very high-strung. I mean, you'll get there at eight in the morning and think you're ready to work and he's already played racket ball for two hours and he's like, 'Are you guys sleeping in today; what's up?'...where Aaron is more relaxed. He's just, 'Let's work in our own time. Let's not push things. Let's just let it happen.' So it was just a very different dynamic."

Songs on the album were written as melodies before lyrics were added: "I will have a vocal melody before we even have the lyrics," said Dunn. "Then we'll go and listen and have the melody as a guideline and fill in the words with how the song makes me feel and think about."

Musical style

World We View differs from Escape significantly, with the latter having a darker tone and having less production. In addition, World We View has been noted for its diverse sound, with individual tracks borrowing elements from nu metal ("Adrenaline" and "Anthem of the Lonely"), emo ("The Intervention" and "The Void"), screamo ("Our Darkest Day"), electronic rock ("Get Back"), a stadium rock ballad ("Afterglow"), post-grunge ("Believe Your Eyes"), funk rock ("Memo"), techno-metal ("Write It Down"), and an acoustic song ("My Friend").

Release and promotion

World We View was released on February 14, 2012. It was promoted with the singles "Anthem of the Lonely" and "Get Back", both of which received music videos.

Reception

The album received a largely positive critical reaction from music critics. At CCM Magazine, Andrew Greer affirmed that the release "exhibit[s] an expansive sound, but every ounce is intended for mass appeal." Andy Argyrakis of Christianity Today called the album "full of boundless energy and musical maturity". At Cross Rhythms, Steven Bridge praised the "clever and inspiring" lyrics and stated that the band "have brought a fresh twist to the ever burgeoning Christian rock scene." Jon O'Brien of Allmusic described the album as "bursting with emotion and intensity" and proclaimed that "if they can continue to pursue the record's more genre-hopping approach with future material, then Nine Lashes could well find themselves crossing over to a mainstream audience."

At New Release Tuesday, Mary Nikkel called the work "ambitious" that was "one of the most solid rock debuts of the year." Michael Weaver of Jesus Freak Hideout said that "while this Birmingham band has not broken molds in a very stagnant genre of music, they have done enough to give some slight hope. They have taken a popular sound and attempted to make it their own using subtle variations here and there for an enjoyable listening experience." Also Jesus Freak Hideout's, Kevin Hoskins noted that "The ambient/experimental rock sound goes well with Jeremy Dunn's vocals and fans of your typical T&N bands will definitely be excited for what Nine Lashes have produced." Jono Davies of Louder Than the Music said that because the band is trying to appease fans some of it does not work well, but noted at other times the album comes across as "great hard rock".

At HM, Matt Conner felt that because of the album and the people surrounding the band they are "made for modern rock success", however some of their material was not unique. Sara Walz of Indie Vision Music seconds Conner on their musicality that comes across like we "have heard it before." Yet, Walz noted that in terms of lyricism they hit the nail on the head on a "strong debut". At Christian Music Zine, Jared Conaster stated that this was just a "stepping-stone" type of an album.

A more negative review came from Joe Williams of the Seattle Weekly. While he praised the ballad "Afterglow" as a "beautiful, slower track with sincerity and hope" and noted that the band had "potential for depth and musicality", he savaged the rest of the album: "World We View offers up ample palm-muted, distorted guitars and a steady stream of repetitive chords, but what's best: it's economical and practical. Forget purchasing the whole album, the first three songs are practically one in the same...It's nice to hear a song and think, "Oh! This reminds me of so-and-so." World We View takes it a step further and plays like a mashup of Story of the Year meets Breaking Benjamin meets Chevelle meets Three Days Grace meets ... you get the point. "

Track listing

All tracks written by Trevor McNevan, Jeremy Dunn, Jared Lankford, Jonathan Jefferson, Thomas Terrell and Jerry Jefferson, except where noted.

Personnel

Credits for World We View adapted from AllMusic.