30° Everywhere

30° Everywhere is the debut studio album by American rock band the Promise Ring. It was released in 1996 on Jade Tree.

30° Everywhere
Studio album by
The Promise Ring
ReleasedSeptember 10, 1996 (1996-09-10)
RecordedJune 1996
StudioIdful Music, Illinois
GenreAvant-pop, emo
Length36:43
LabelJade Tree
The Promise Ring chronology
Falsetto Keeps Time
(1996)		 30° Everywhere
(1996)		 The Horse Latitudes
(1997)

Background

The Promise Ring were formed from the aftermath of several Midwest emo groups[1] in February 1995: guitarists Jason Gnewikow and Matt Mangan (both formerly of None Left Standing), drummer Dan Didier and bassist Scott Beschta (both formerly of Ceilishrine). Mangan moved to Indianapolis soon after the group formed, resulting in them inviting Cap'n Jazz guitarist Davey von Bohlen[2] after he had moved to Milwaukee.[3] He was friends with Gnewikow prior to this, but hadn't met Dider or Beschta before the group formed.[2] The band recorded a three-track demo ("Jupiter", "12 Sweaters Red" and "Mineral Point") in early March,[4] and played their first show shortly afterwards.[5] In June, the group went on a 10-day east coast tour; after a brief five-day rest, Bohlen went back on tour with Cap'n Jazz to support the release of their debut. After the ninth day of the tour, Cap'n Jazz broke up,[2] and Bohlen was able to focus his time on the Promise Ring.[1]

The band released a 7" vinyl single ("Watertown Plank" and "Mineral Point") through Foresight Records,[1] which was owned by a friend of theirs. The band then went on tour, performing in church halls and basements across the US.[6] Texas Is the Reason guitarist Norman Brannon had a copy of the group's demo and 7" single and gave them to Jade Tree co-founder Tim Own.[2] Shortly afterwards, the band found themselves signed to the independent label.[1] After further touring at the start of 1996,[6] the Falsetto Keeps Time EP was released in February,[7] and was followed by a split single with Texas Is the Reason in May.[8] Both releases were successful, with the band continuing to tour and work on material that would feature on their debut album.[6]

Production

According to Bohlen, the album was recorded in five days "in a situation where we had no idea what we wanted to do or how we wanted it to come out."[2] Additionally, Bohlen was ill during the making of it, resulting in issues with his vocals.[2] Zac Crainz of the Dallas Observer claimed the studio "apparently only had enough microphones to record the guitars."[9] Didier later said in retrospect: "it was the wrong recording at the wrong time with the wrong person."[2] Casey Rice had recently returned from touring around Europe with Tortoise, and to him, he felt that he was simply recording a punk rock act. Didier added: "So we were all like, “This is our first record,” so it’s like “Okay, cool, okay. Whatever. I love Tortoise!” We did that, and then listening back on the way home we were like, “Fuck.”"[2]

Musically, 30° Everywhere has been described as avant-pop[10] and emo.[11]

Release and reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]

Promotion and touring

30° Everywhere on September 10, 1996 through Jade Tree.[12] Despite this, the release was an underground success, earning the group attention from independent publications.[1] The attention was aided by the inclusion of the emo staple "A Picture Postcard", which had been released earlier on the Falsetto Keeps Time EP.[13] The band had 500–600 copies of the album to sell over the course of several gigs, however, during one show at CBGB's, they sold all copies in one go.[2] After breaking for the Christmas period, the band went on a six-week US tour with Texas Is the Reason.[6] In April and May 1997, the group embarked on a European tour.[6] 30° Everywhere was released in Japan in October 1999 through Cutting Edge.[14] The album was re-pressed on vinyl alongside Nothing Feels Good (1997) and Very Emergency (1999) in late 2015.[15]

Critical response and legacy

AllMusic reviewer Blake Butler said the band " certainly know how to write sharp, powerful, and beautiful songs."[11] Adding that the album was "very catchy, very intense, [and] very powerful."[11]

30° Everywhere has been cited as one of the popular emo releases from the era,[1] serving as both a benchmark and a blueprint for it.[16] LA Weekly included the album on their list of the top 20 best emo albums.[17]

Man Overboard included a cover of "Red Paint" on their compilation The Human Highlight Reel (2011).[18]

Track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Everywhere in Denver"2:40
2."Red Paint"2:54
3."Heart of a Broken Story"2:44
4."Scenes from France"2:32
5."Anne You Will Sing"2:39
6."My Firetower Flame"3:19
7."Between Pacific Coasts"1:51
8."A Picture Postcard"3:10
9."Somebody's Done For"4:14
10."The Sea of Cortez"5:03
11."Run Down the Waterfall"3:08
12."We Don't Like Romance"2:29

Personnel

References
  1. Huey, Steve. "The Promise Ring | Biography & History". AllMusic. Archived from the original on March 26, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  2. Galil, Leor (February 24, 2012). "An oral history of The Promise Ring". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on February 26, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  3. Huey, Steve. "Cap'n Jazz | Biography & History". AllMusic. Archived from the original on January 27, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  4. The Promise Ring (1995). The Promise Ring (sleeve). Self-released.
  5. "FAQ". The Promise Ring. Archived from the original on October 18, 2000. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  6. "The Promise Ring". Jade Tree. Archived from the original on February 20, 1999. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  7. "Falsetto Keeps Time - The Promise Ring". AllMusic. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  8. "The Promise Ring/Texas Is the Reason - The Promise Ring / Texas Is the Reason". AllMusic. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  9. Crainz, Zac (October 28, 1999). "Just Getting Good". Dallas Observer. Archived from the original on June 29, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  10. Keil, Jason (May 26, 2004). "Former Promise Ring pair go Maritime". OnMilwaukee. Archived from the original on June 24, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  11. Butler, Blake. "30° Everywhere – The Promise Ring". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 25, 2017. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  12. "30° Everywhere - The Promise Ring". AllMusic. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  13. Cepeda, Eduardo (August 31, 2017). "The Promise Ring's 'Nothing Feels Good' Proved There Was Room for Pop in Emo". Vice. Archived from the original on December 7, 2019. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  14. The Promise Ring (1999). 30° Everywhere (sleeve). Cutting Edge. CTCR-17061.
  15. Eakin, Marah (November 21, 2015). "An app for lists, live Rush, and 3 old Promise Ring favorites". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on November 6, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  16. Heller, Jason (April 25, 2002). "Promise Keepers". Westword. Archived from the original on June 29, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  17. James, Patrick (October 10, 2013). "Top 20 Emo Albums in History: Complete List". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on June 26, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  18. Man Overboard (2011). The Human Highlight Reel (booklet). Run for Cover Records. RFC:034.
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