The Reason (EP)

The Reason
EP by X Ambassadors
Released January 27, 2014
Genre
Label
X Ambassadors chronology
Love Songs Drug Songs
(2013)Love Songs Drug Songs2013		 The Reason
(2014)		 VHS
(2015)VHS2015

The Reason is the second major-label EP (and third overall) by American rock band X Ambassadors, released on January 27, 2014.[1] It spawned two singles: "Unsteady" and "Jungle".

Composition

Musically, The Reason has been described as an album with elements of trap music and indie pop, with "a country vibe to it".[2] X Ambassadors member Sam Harris cited rock singer Bruce Springsteen as a big influence on the album.[2]

In an interview with The Emory Wheel, the band commented on their inspirations: "We've always tried to write songs for anyone who feels marginalized, underrepresented: [people] who feel like they're different or are unable to speak up for themselves. A lot of the songs off of VHS and our previous EP, The Reason, were written with that in mind."[3] According to Craig D. Lindsey of The News & Observer, the running theme through the EP is Sam Harris' struggling with self-doubt.[4]

On January 30, 2014, X Ambassadors posted a message on their Facebook account about the goal of the EP. They stated that The Reason is their attempt to tell a story "about someone who gave up chasing a dream and who had the courage to start over."[5]

Promotion and release

On January 23, 2014, the band released a three-minute preview of the upcoming EP.[6]

Critical reception

Jeffrey Howard of Campus Times described it as a "pretty interesting" album.[2] Tina Roumeliotis of Buzznet wrote a positive review about the EP, stating "[t]he bravery runs rampant in this release and it has me quite inspired".[5]

Track listing

All songs composed by X Ambassadors.

No.TitleLength
1."Free & Lonely"4:08
2."The Business"4:20
3."Giants"3:57
4."Unsteady"3:12
5."Shining"3:38
6."Jungle" (with Jamie N Commons)3:09

Charts

Chart (2014) Peak
position
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[7] 7

References

  1. ↑ "X Ambassadors: The Reason". AllMusic. January 27, 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 Howard, Jeffrey (March 27, 2014). "X Ambassadors: taking from the past, looking to the future". Campus Times. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  3. ↑ Conway, Hannah (May 12, 2016). "X Ambassadors Talk Spontaneity, Willingness to Experiment". The Emory Wheel. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  4. ↑ Lindsey, Craig D. (October 16, 2014). "X Ambassadors: Out of the 'Jungle' and into Chapel Hill". The News & Observer. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  5. 1 2 Roumeliotis, Tina (January 30, 2014). "REVIEW: X Ambassadors 'The Reason' EP". Buzznet. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  6. ↑ "LISTEN: X Ambassadors Preview New 'The Reason' EP". Variance. January 23, 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  7. ↑ "X Ambassadors Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 14, 2017.


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