Title: “Boycott Love”By: Riot! In The Boulevard
From: Boycott Love (TBC, 2015)
Release Date: June 13, 2015
Length: 4:22
Format: CD Single, Digital Download, 7” Single, Weekly Airplay
Recorded: Half-Moon Studios - Las Vegas, Nevada, USA - June 2015
Genre: Pop-Punk, Alternative Rock
Label: Studio60 Records
Written: May 2015
Writer(s): Amy Meyer, Adam Benjamin, Jason Greenberg
Producer(s): Riot! In The Boulevard, Avil Hartman
“Boycott Love” is a song written and recorded by American rock band ‘Riot! In The Boulevard’, released as the second official single from their upcoming fifth studio album and the albums title track and album opener. It serves as another taster for the new material created by the band following their brief hiatus and follows hot on the heels of previous singles “This Is A Hostile Takeover” which peaked at number #1 and confirmed the bands return and the charity single “To Write Love On Her Arms” which peaked at number #2 on the singles chart and marked their eleventh single to feature within the top two of the singles charts. All in all this points towards a positive and so far triumphant return as a band and as the build towards their next full length studio record it seems like the band are planning on continuing the anticipation with another brand new single and reportedly a new track each month until the albums release date later in the summer, expected around August 2015.
The lyrics and music was written and composed by the entirety of the band which now includes Amy Meyer, Adam Benjamin and Jason Greenberg, some have pointed to the bands more collaborative approach on this new record as one of the reasons why the songs so far have garnered positive reactions from fans and critics alike, stating that the sharing of the creative process makes for more interesting lyrics and themes. The song was written around May 2015 and recorded in early June following Amy Meyer’s brief solo stint as a support act for Isabel Merjos on her European leg of the her World Tour.
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, lead singer Amy Meyer spoke in depth about the song, “This is the one song from our band that I think best represents the real me, the one that our fans maybe don’t really get to see. I’ve always had this mentality of, once I step out of my home I place on my coat of armour and I give everything that I need to give. But once I’m back home, I’m the lost kid that I’ve always been. That’s not to be taken negatively though, that’s who I am and that’s the way that I’m built. So this song shines a light on that side of me and maybe the guys too, but I’m sure to a lesser extent. At the very core of the song, like the title suggests, it’s about being disenchanted by love or what love is perceived to be or perceived to feel like.
It’s a little about seeing the bigger picture, what did you learn from it? Did you change or adapt in the process? And I feel like it’s something that a lot of people may be able to relate to. Because we’ve all felt love or something close to that and the majority of us have had to deal with the hurt that is left when it goes away for whatever reason and some of us go down a different path. And I have chosen my own path to go down because I maybe haven’t fully healed from past pain as quickly as some, my route these days is as the song goes, to boycott love, at least for now. And I’ll put my focus on myself and trying to mend myself before I do anything else, My focus remains my career and trying to be the best version of who I am and the hope is that any past pain is slowly faded out to make way for something new and exciting and so the song may appear to be somewhat negative on the face of it, in my mind anyway, I know that it’s an acceptance of where I am and what I am right now, not who I will always be. So there is hope in the song, but in my mind. I do feel like the song is a two parter, the second part hasn’t been written yet, but it could be great when it is.”
“Boycott Love” marks the third single released from Riot! In The Boulevard since the announcement of their return. It also signals another step forward in the build-up to their upcoming fifth studio album which takes it’s title from this single. It’s even been reported that the band will release at least another two singles before their next album drops, which is widely expected to be sometime in August. The track was written in early May 2015 during the bands writing sessions in their home town of Las Vegas, Nevada. The track was then recorded at the beginning of June at Half-Moon Studios which is also based in their home town. The song like all other tracks from the album was produced by Riot! In The Boulevard alongside Avil Hartman and will be released through Studio60 Records as a CD Single, Digital Download and Weekly Airplay track on 13 June, 2015.
SONG DESCRIPTION;The song begins with a solitary piano introduction, the voice of Amy Meyer and the melodic sound of the piano keys are the only things that can be heard as she delivers the lyrics to the opening verse of the song,
“We will chant these words of scripture/Until they echo through the hearts of the lost and the lonesome/This is not another teenage mantra/Because broken souls killed the kids that once were wholesome/Instead we’ll be scrawling our mantra of love and heartbreak on walls/Until the message comes across.” she sings with a passion and fire in her vocals, before delivering truth in the form of the following words,
“We’re always too blind to see what we’ve gained/But always aware of what we’ve lost.” and as the opening verse comes towards it’s conclusion the sound of the lead guitar, bass guitar and drums enter as she bellows out,
“So, boycott love/Boycott love.”The guitar and drum inclusion continues as we move into the pre-chours, it’s typically Riot! With words of wisdom drenched in sadness and emotion, it’s catchy and repetitive as you’d expect,
“They say love will fly away/To make room for something new/They say love will fly away/But what if we don’t want it to?/What if we don’t want it to?” and you can picture this song becoming an instant live favourite as it’s the sort of song that the band relish greatly.
The guitars continue to crash around the background with the drums and Amy again reverts back to poignant mode as she sings out more lyrics drenched in melancholy sadness,
“Photographs and memories leave the biggest scars/Watching sunsets over the Vegas strip leaves the biggest hole inside my heart/And I promised not to love again/Won’t fall into that trap/As soon as the wings of my heart start fluttering/I’ll tear it all apart/Now I’m not looking back/No, not looking back.”The instrumental combination continues to provide a musical tour-de-force as the band erupt into full blown Riot! Mode and that familiar combination of catchy lyrics and driving guitars combined with melodic tones and passionate vocals all point towards another classic Riot! In The Boulevard song, it feels like this song could become a set-closer for years to come and the chorus in particular is memorable and meaningful enough to remain in your memory long after the band have left the stage,
“So, boycott love/Lets minimize that self-destruct/Just boycott love/And tear the final chapter from the book/If we boycott love tonight/Then maybe we’ll learn something new/If we boycott love/Maybe just maybe, we’ll make it through.”And just to end things on a high they fire out their final offerings for the song,
“So we will do the preaching tonight/If my congregation wants to gather round the stage/Hold your hands up to the sky/These are the chants that you need to say/So, boycott love, just boycott love/Woah-oh-woah/Boycott love.” which helps to further add to the thought that this could become a set list mainstay, it seems like Riot! Have picked up directly where they left off.
ROLLING STONE REVIEW;Quote:
“In the past, it has been proven that returning to something that once was great, can often be a big mistake. If we’re being honest though, nobody ever really expected Riot! In The Boulevard to be gone for very long anyway. The process of the return of the industry’s biggest pop-punk band was fast-tracked however after a somewhat dissapointing solo attempt by the bands ring leader Amy Meyer. We have no doubts that the intention would have been for Meyer to have a couple of successful years as a solo artist, but she quickly learnt that some people just aren’t meant for certain things and following the release of her solo album, “Seven Dreams Til’ Sunday” it seems like she and her band mates came to the wise decision of starting things up again.
Out of nowhere came the release of “This Is A Hostile Takeover” a mission statement of a song, if ever there were one. It had their fanbase salivating at the thought of a new album and likely tour and the band continued again a month later with “To Write Love On Her Arms” a charity song that again pleased their fans, although it failed to have quite the impact of their previous single. Nevertheless, all signs point to a successful run in the battle for the title of ‘worlds best band’ once again, and just like before they are in direct competition with ‘Reported Failure’. You can have you personal preferences, mine is that Reported Failure edge it simply due to the depth of their work and back catalogue, ‘Rome’ will forever be the yardstick record that all rock bands should be looking to emulate, Riot! Will be looking to do so with their next record, I have a feeling they will fall short. But the beauty is often in the attempt.
So, let’s talk about their latest offering from their upcoming album. It’s the title track from said record and it feels like quintessential Riot!. There is melody of plenty, lyrics that are designed perfectly for their fanbase to consume over and over in their mind and a guitar and drum driven sound that keeps the heart of pop-punk alive, at least for now. Lyrically, I believe that we’re seeing the band continuing to grow up in front of our very own eyes. Not often publicized, but the band are of Christian faith and the opening line in particular brings to mind a young Amy, Adam and Jason attending church and being enamoured by the power of hymns and the power of the words being delivered, Riot! Themselves could be seen as sort of a religion to their fans, the wider audience may admire them, but their hardcore fanbase worship them in a way that makes lines like, “We will chant these words of scripture until they echo through the hearts of the lost and the lonesome.” feel more powerful than they actually are.
But the theme of the song once again, is one that will appeal to their fanbase. Sure it’ll attract some new fans too, but the thing that Riot! Have always done, is create songs that their fanbase will love first and foremost, their way of working seems to be to please those that are already on board and perhaps attract a few more in passing. The theme is based around closing off your heart and dealing with pain and sadness in a very simple way, as Amy Meyer stated recently, this is how her mindset is right now. Now you can debate whether this is a good thing or a bad thing for a role model to encourage. On the positive, it’s about fixing yourself over time, gradually and steadily. But on the negative, it’s about closing yourself to opportunity. It can be seen both ways, I see it positively as these days, a lot of people are hung up on the thought and search of love so much so that it can make you miss out on the wider picture, the other great things in life. But maybe I’m just a bitter thirty-two year old reviewer from New York.
So what is the verdict? This is a very strong track, It’s not quite on the level of “This Is A Hostile Takeover” but it’s certainly worthy of being a single. It’s also a nice change to hear a anti love song of sorts as there’s been an overwhelming amount of run-of-the-mill love songs. Riot! Have always been a band with a unique identity musically and lyrically and this will no doubt add another fan favourite track to the repertoire, will it be a hit? I can see this being a rare fail chart wise, but the bigger picture is that Riot! In The Boulevard have written a bona-fide fan-favourite once again.”
LYRICS;“We will chant these words of scripture
Until they echo through the hearts of the lost and the lonesome
This is not another teenage mantra
Because broken souls killed the kids that once were wholesome
Instead we’ll be scrawling our mantra of love and heartbreak on walls
Until the message comes across
We’re always too blind to see what we’ve gained
But always aware of what we’ve lost
So, boycott love
Boycott love
They say love will fly away
To make room for something new
They say love will fly away
But what if we don’t want it to?
What if we don’t want it to?
Photographs and memories leave the biggest scars
Watching sunsets over the Vegas strip leaves the biggest hole inside my heart
And I promised not to love again
Won’t fall into that trap
As soon as the wings of my heart start fluttering
I’ll tear it all apart
Now I’m not looking back
No, not looking back
They say love will fly away
To make room for something new
They say love will fly away
But what if we don’t want it to?
What if we don’t want it to?
So, boycott love
Lets minimize that self-destruct
Just boycott love
And tear the final chapter from the book
If we boycott love tonight
Then maybe we’ll learn something new
If we boycott love
Maybe just maybe, we’ll make it through
So we will do the preaching tonight
If my congregation wants to gather round the stage
Hold your hands up to the sky
These are the chants that you need to say
So, boycott love, just boycott love
Woah-oh-woah
Boycott love”
SOUND ALIKE;PANIC! AT THE DISCO - THIS IS GOSPEL
PERSONNEL;Amy Meyer - lead vocals, lyrics, piano, composition, production
Adam Benjamin - lead guitar, backing vocals, lyrics, composition, production
Jason Greenberg - bass guitar, lyrics, composition, production
Billie Langdon - drums, percussion
Avil Hartman - production, mixing, engineering
