On Your Side (A Rocket to the Moon album) explained

On Your Side
Type:studio
Artist:A Rocket to the Moon
Cover:On Your Side album cover.jpg
Recorded:February–March 2009
Studio:The Lair Recording Studio, Los Angeles, California
Label:Fueled by Ramen
Producer:Matt Squire
Prev Title:Greetings From...
Prev Year:2008
Next Title:Wild & Free
Next Year:2013

On Your Side is the second studio album by American rock band A Rocket to the Moon, released on October 13, 2009. The album debuted at number 82 on the Billboard 200. "Mr. Right" and "Like We Used To" were released as singles in promotion of the album.

Composition

On Your Side was produced by Matt Squire and was recorded at The Lair Recording Studio in Los Angeles, California.[1] The album was recorded from February to March 2009.[2] Vocalist Nick Santino spoke with Alternative Press about the tracks from the album. Many tracks from the album were written about love, including, "She's Killing Me", "Dakota", "Baby Blue Eyes" and "Mr. Right".[3] Santino stated that the subject was "easy" to write about.[4] The first track "Annabelle" is described as "an energetic song" and is about "a girl who is all about herself and not about you at all." According to Santino, the song was inspired by "seeing girls treat their boyfriends like crap in public."[3] "Life of the Party" is an 80s' dance pop track, about "a girl who loves the word 'love' and will do anything to tell people she is in it."[3] Santino described "Give a Damn" as a 90s' sounding track and is about "your dream girl, but only if she knew you existed."[3]

He wrote the final track, "On Your Side" on a plane flying home from Phoenix, Arizona. According to Santino, he had the line, "My love will always be on your side" in his head and decided to write it down in his notebook, before working it into a melody.[3] The songs "On a Lonely Night" and "Sometimes" feature Caitlin Harnett and Brandon Wronski.[3] "Like We Used To" was written in 45 minutes after the group performed a show in Michigan. They flew out to Los Angeles the following day to record it.[3]

Release

The album's lead single, "Mr. Right" was released on September 15, 2009.[5] A music video was released in promotion of the single on November 11.[6] A music video for "Like We Used To" was released on June 7, 2010.[7] The song was released for radio airplay on June 15, as the second single from the album.[8] A deluxe single for the song was released on October 19, for digital download.[9] The song peaked at number 91 on the Billboard Hot 100.[10] The group revealed the album artwork on August 31.[11] The album was made available for streaming on October 8, before it was officially released on October 13.[12]

Promotion

In support of the album's release, the group joined Boys Like Girls, Cobra Starship, The Maine and VersaEmerge on a US tour from October to November 2009.[13] The band also supported Sing It Loud, Motion City Soundtrack and Fun on a spring tour in April 2010.[14] The group toured with Hanson on the Shout It Out Tour! in October 2010.[15] They later joined Before You Exit on the My Small Package tour in December 2010.[16] The band embarked on their first headlining tour, the On Your Side tour from March to April 2011, with support from Anarbor, Valencia, Runner Runner, and Go Radio.[17]

Critical reception

The album was met with mixed to positive reviews from music critics. Tim Sendra of AllMusic stated that the album "goes down very smoothly and is generic in a good way, in that it satisfies all the requirements of a successful emo pop album." He felt that the choruses were "easy to sing with" and vocals "angst-fueled but never whiny or gruff." He also added how some songs from the album could be "pop hits in the 1970s, if stripped of their modern sound." Alternative Addiction remarked, "Some of the songs are insanely catchy and you can appreciate the songwriting for what it is as well as some stellar production, instrumentation, and really vocals by Nick Santino," however, noted that the album had a lot of cliché's within the pop punk genre.

Evan Lucy of Alternative Press stated, "finds Santino & Co. splitting time between life-of-the-party pop ('Mr. Right', the Def Leppard-esque 'Give A Damn') and tender heart-on-sleeve balladry ('On A Lonely Night', 'Baby Blue Eyes')." He compared the tracks, "Annabelle" and "She's Killing Me", to the likes of their peers in the same territory, the Maine and Brighten. Johan Wippsson of Melodic praised the album's "great melodies," but felt that they didn't stand out as "there are many other similar bands out there." A negative review came from Blake Solomon of AbsolutePunk, criticizing the record for having "no soul, no urgency and definitely no sustainability."

Commercial performance

On Your Side debuted at number 82 on the Billboard 200. The album also reached number 23 and number 35 on the Top Alternative Albums and Top Rock Albums chart, respectively. As of March 2013, the album has sold 82,000 copies in the US, according to the Nielsen Soundscan.[18]

Personnel

Credits adapted from album's liner notes.[1]

A Rocket to the Moon

Additional musicians

Production

Charts

Chart performance for On Your Side
Chart (2009)Peak
position
US Billboard 200[19] 82
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[20] 23
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[21] 35

Notes and References

  1. On Your Side. A Rocket to the Moon. 2009. booklet. Fueled by Ramen.
  2. Web site: A Rocket to the Producer. 2009-03-09. February 16, 2009. Joe DeAndrea. Absolutepunk.net. https://archive.today/20090218223639/http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=879282. February 18, 2009. dead.
  3. Track-By-Track: A Rocket To The Moon. Alternative Press. October 20, 2009. April 27, 2024.
  4. Web site: Interview With Nick Santino of A Rocket to the Moon: TIme to Blast Off. The Aquarian Weekly. Cecilia Martinez. November 11, 2009. May 30, 2024.
  5. Web site: Mr. Right - Single by A Rocket to the Moon. Apple Music. April 27, 2024.
  6. Web site: A Rocket To The Moon: Mr. Right [Official Video]]. YouTube. April 28, 2024.
  7. A Rocket To The Moon Post Video For 'Like We Used To'. Alternative Press. Tim Karan. June 8, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20101023101510/http://www.altpress.com/news/entry/a_rocket_to_the_moon_post_video_for_like_we_used_to. October 23, 2010. April 28, 2024.
  8. Web site: Available For Airplay: CHR. FMQB. https://web.archive.org/web/20121106203907/http://www.fmqb.com/Article.asp?id=69239#2010. November 6, 2012. April 27, 2024.
  9. Web site: Like We Used To - Deluxe Single by A Rocket to the Moon. Apple Music. April 27, 2024.
  10. A Rocket to the Moon Chart History (Hot 100). Billboard. https://web.archive.org/web/20200204113548/https://www.billboard.com/music/A-Rocket-to-the-Moon/chart-history/HSI. February 4, 2020. April 27, 2024.
  11. Altpress Exclusive: New A Rocket To The Moon cover art revealed. Alternative Press. August 31, 2009. April 28, 2024.
  12. Stream the new A Rocket To The Moon album. Alternative Press. October 8, 2009. April 28, 2024.
  13. Boys Like Girls/Cobra Starship/The Maine tour dates revealed. Alternative Press. August 17, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20170507030800/http://www.altpress.com/news/entry/archive_blgcobratourdates. May 7, 2017. April 28, 2024.
  14. Web site: Sing It Loud Hits The Road This Spring With Mayday Parade, Motion City Soundtrack. https://web.archive.org/web/20240428153403/https://www.mtv.com/news/gjqsar/sing-it-loud-hits-the-road-this-spring-with-mayday-parade-motion-city-soundtrack. dead. April 28, 2024. MTV. Leslie Simon. April 5, 2010. April 28, 2024.
  15. Web site: A Rocket To The Moon Tour Diary: On The Road With Hanson. https://web.archive.org/web/20240428151902/https://www.mtv.com/news/w3aq16/a-rocket-to-the-moon-tour-diary-on-the-road-hanson. dead. April 28, 2024. MTV. Chris Ryan. October 4, 2010. April 28, 2024.
  16. A Rocket To The Moon post My Small Package Tour video. Alternative Press. Aaron Fowler. December 8, 2010. April 28, 2024.
  17. A Rocket To The Moon announce tour with Anarbor, Valencia, and more. Alternative Press. January 4, 2011. April 28, 2024.
  18. A Rocket To The Moon, 'Wild & Free': Exclusive Album Premiere. Billboard. Jason Lipshutz. March 19, 2013. April 28, 2024.
  19. A Rocket to the Moon Chart History (Billboard 200). Billboard. https://web.archive.org/web/20200131071909/https://www.billboard.com/music/A-Rocket-to-the-Moon/chart-history/TLP. January 31, 2020. April 27, 2024.
  20. A Rocket to the Moon Chart History (Top Alternative Albums). Billboard. https://web.archive.org/web/20200130074250/https://www.billboard.com/music/A-Rocket-to-the-Moon/chart-history/ALT. January 30, 2020. April 27, 2024.
  21. A Rocket to the Moon Chart History (Top Rock Albums). Billboard. https://web.archive.org/web/20200131005901/https://www.billboard.com/music/A-Rocket-to-the-Moon/chart-history/RCK. January 31, 2020. April 27, 2024.