Album Summary
Dear You is the fourth studio album by American punk rock band Jawbreaker, released on September 12, 1995, through DGC Records. While promoting their third studio album 24 Hour Revenge Therapy (1994), Jawbreaker was approached by a representative from Geffen Records. After securing management, they had meetings with various label representatives, before circling back to Geffen. Eventually, they signed to them and started recording their major label debut at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California, with producer Rob Cavallo. While bassist Chris Bauermeister and drummer Adam Pfahler recorded their respective parts within a few days, frontman Blake Schwarzenbach did his parts over six weeks in February and March 1995. Mainly described as an emo, and punk rock album, Dear You returns to the darker sound of Jawbreaker's second album Bivouac (1992). Cavallo had given the album its thick sound by layering three different guitar tones from Schwarzenbach, whose playing style was anchored on open-string parts. The lyrics largely revolve around the aftermath of the relationship that was the inspiration for 24 Hour Revenge Therapy. Others, such as "Save Your Generation" and "Chemistry", deal with slacker culture and attending school, respectively. Unlike previous releases, Dear You sees Schwarzenbach sing more instead of scream. His vocals evoked Morrissey, while the overall band was compared to the work of Green Day, Jawbox, and Nirvana. Dear You was met with generally favorable reviews from music critics, many of whom praised the album's sound and highlighted the lyrics. It peaked at number 22 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart in the United States. There, it sold 40,000 copies by 2002. "Fireman" was released as the album's lead single in August 1995. Jawbreaker then embarked on the Monsters of Jaw tour with Jawbox, where they were met with hostility from the audience who did not like the band's choice to go with a major label. They toured Australia as part of the Summersault festival. "Accident Prone" was released as the next single by April 1996, which was promoted with a supporting slot for the Foo Fighters. Following a fist fight between Bauermeister and Schwarzenbach, Jawbreaker announced their break up in July 1996. Jawbreaker's fanbase was not receptive to Dear You at the time of its release, criticizing the album's production. The decision to sign with a major label overtook the album's content, becoming the narrative that dominated the press. Following the band's demise, fan perception of the album shifted to a positive one, as the album became an influence on the next wave of emo and pop-punk artists, such as on My Chemical Romance, Saves the Day, and Thrice. Many Dear You songs featured on tribute albums in the ensuing years, and several publications included it on best–of emo album lists from the likes of Kerrang!, NME, and Rolling Stone. After going out of print, Pfahler's label Blackball Records reissued it in 2004. Jawbreaker eventually embarked on a celebratory tour of the album in 2022.
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