Your Favorite Weapon

Vocalist/guitarist Jesse Lacey, bassist Garrett Tierney and drummer Brian Lane played in a band called The Rookie Lot with Brandon Reilly before the band eventually broke up.[11] After a period of inactivity between Lacey, Tierney and Lane,[11] the trio formed Brand New in Long Island, NY in 2000.[12] The name came from Lane and Reilly.[11] Reilly went on to play in The Movielife.[11] Shortly afterwards, the band acquired guitarist Vincent Accardi, who had previously played in One Last Goodbye.[11] The band self-released a demo, and the band started gaining attention outside of their home state after touring with Midtown and Glassjaw.[12] Lane had a job working at a recording studio which the band would use to record material.[13] The band signed to Triple Crown after their second-ever show.[14] Fred from Triple Crown was initially interested in hardcore band Home Town Hero, a band that featured Tierney and Lane, but by the time Fred contacted Lane Home Town Hero had been broken-up for six months.[15] Instead, Brand New sent Fred their demo.[15] Lacey said the label was "excellent" for the band "in every way".[15]

Asked about his influences, Lacey replied Lifetime, Foo Fighters, The Cars and The Smiths.[11] The band would listen to several bands while in their van, such as Saves the Day, Modest Mouse and Green Day, among others.[11] All of the songs on the album were written, according to Accardi, "within our whole teenage years. Some songs were written two or three years before the record came out."[16] "The Shower Scene" references actress Janet Leigh's story in the film Psycho.[17] The title of "Jude Law and a Semester Abroad" references actor Jude Law.[17] "Failure by Design" is about Lacey experiencing writer's block.[18] "Seventy Times 7" was written about a feud between Lacey and Taking Back Sunday guitarist John Nolan.[19] Nolan wrote about the feud from his point of view in Taking Back Sunday's "There's No 'I' in Team".[19] The name of the song is a reference to a Bible passage, specifically Matthew 18:22.[19] "Soco Amaretto Lime" was written for Lacey's friend Peter and about Lacey's girlfriend.[11] Peter saw the band "the way we [...] have changed in the last couple years."[11] People were giving Lacey's girlfriend "shit for wanting to be with me. [...] they were being spiteful, and old, and envious. [...] That's where the last lines in the song came from."[11]

Your Favorite Weapon was produced by Mike Sapone, a friend of the band.[12] The whole album was re-recorded when the original recording was lost on a computer's hard drive.[20] All of the songs on the band's demo were re-recorded for the album.[15] The band later admitted that they did not like the overall sound of the album.[17]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AbsolutePunk	Favorable[49]
AllMusic	[3]
Consequence of Sound	(favorable)[4]
PopMatters	(favorable)[50]
Punknews.org	[5]
Sputnikmusic	[6]

Your Favorite Weapon found "cult-like success", according to CMJ New Music Monthly writer Arye Dworken.[51] By July 2003 the album had sold 50,000 copies.[16] Prior to the 2011 reissue, the album had sold over 315,000 copies.[43] It has received positive reviews from critics. The album was included at number 15 on Rock Sound's "The 51 Most Essential Pop Punk Albums of All Time" list.[52] BuzzFeed included the album at number 6 on their "36 Pop Punk Albums You Need To Hear Before You F——ing Die" list.[53] NME listed the album as one of "20 Pop Punk Albums Which Will Make You Nostalgic".[54] "Soco Amaretto Lime" was included on Alternative Press's "11 Classic Summer Jams" list.[55]

All tracks are written by Brand New,[56] except track 11 written by Brand New and John Nolan[57].

Bonus tracks

• Jesse Lacey – vocals, rhythm guitar
• Vincent Accardi – lead guitar, backing vocals
• Garrett Tierney – bass
• Brian Lane – drums, percussion

Footnotes

Citations

Sources

• Your Favorite Weapon at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)