Hide and Seek (The Birthday Massacre album)

Hide and Seek is the fifth studio album by Canadian electronic rock band The Birthday Massacre.

Hide and Seek
Studio album by
The Birthday Massacre
ReleasedOctober 9, 2012
RecordedJanuary 2012 - July 2012
GenreElectronic rock, gothic rock, new wave, dream pop
Length35:39
LabelMetropolis
ProducerRainbow and Michael Falcore
The Birthday Massacre chronology
Imaginary Monsters
(2011)		 Hide and Seek
(2012)		 Superstition
(2014)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Auxiliary Magazine[1]
Blogcriticsfavorable[2]
Bloody Disgustingfavorable[3]
COMA Music Magazinemixed[4]
EGL Magazinefavorable[5]
Examiner.com[6]
FEARnetfavorable[7]
IGNfavorable[8]
Popblerd!!A[9]
Terrorizerunfavorable[10]
ReGen Magazine[11]
UR Chicago[12]

Background

In a press release statement, the album was described by the band as being "darker" lyrically than previous records, a quality that was attributed to a sense of tension and a rushed urgency that was felt during the writing and recording process.[13] During the recording process it was learned that lead vocalist Chibi had developed polyps, which in effect, altered some of the qualities of her voice during the album's final recording. In an interview with Auxiliary Magazine, the album's theme was described by the band as being loosely based on Chibi's fascination with unsolved murder mysteries, the idea of the city, and death; particularly, the thirty-year-old mystery of a missing girl.[14] The song "Leaving Tonight" in particular is loosely inspired by the unsolved kidnapping/murder of Christine Jessop.[15]

Release and promotion

On October 3, 2012 the song "Down" was made available for free download through rcrdlbl.com.[16] The same day, an instrumental track called "Night Shift" was released through Rue Morgue for the band's later supporting tour, to open as their live set intro song.

On October 5, 2012, the entire album was made available for free online streaming exclusively on RevolverMag.com via Metropolis Records SoundCloud account.[17]

On October 9, 2012, the album was released worldwide through Metropolis Records in CD, digital download, and limited edition vinyl formats.[18]

Reception

The album has received mostly positive reviews from fans and professional critics. Bloody Disgusting's Jonathan Barkan called the album "another winner", stating, "Even though Hide and Seek is criminally short, it’s a catchy, addictive album that I found myself spinning over and over again without caring that I’d already heard the tracks before".[3] D. Gabrielle Jensen of Blogcritics characterized the album as "consistently good from beginning to end, making [choosing favorite songs] a nearly impossible task"; echoing previous reviews, she commented that the album could have benefited from having 2 or 3 more tracks, and that the album felt like it ended too soon.[2] Comparing the record to their previous albums, Gregory Burkart of FEARnet commented "...you may find yourself pulled to a darker place by the more pensive lyrics and shadowy mood, delivered with less of a wink and a smile than you might be expecting from their previous work".[7] COMA Magazine and ReGen Magazine both gave the album mixed reviews, praising Chibi's "mature" sounding vocals, theme and production, but noted the album still follows a "familiar formula".[4][11] In a more critical review, Miranda Yardley of Terrorizer described the album as "forgettable", criticizing the album for being pop-like but without any of the catchy hooks that makes pop music redeemable.[10]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Chibi, Rainbow and M. Falcore, except where noted.[19].

No.TitleLength
1."Leaving Tonight"3:29
2."Down"3:47
3."Play with Fire" (co-written with Aaron Cunningham of SINS)3:47
4."Need"3:31
5."Calling"3:31
6."Alibis"3:28
7."One Promise"3:56
8."In This Moment"4:33
9."Cover My Eyes"3:21
10."The Long Way Home"2:16
Total length:35:39
Notes
  • "Calling" features elements from "God Given" by Nine Inch Nails.
  • "Play with Fire" was credited as "Written by 'Wight Eyes' - (Rainbow and Aaron Cunningham)" The song is notably the first time anyone from outside the band itself (at the time) has ever contributed lyrics to a song.

Personnel

The Birthday Massacre

Production

Charts
Chart Peak
position
US Billboard 200[20] 138
US Dance/Electronic Albums[20] 7
US Top Heatseekers[20] 3
US Independent Albums[20] 36
gollark: The code is over 2500 lines of pure evil.
gollark: PotatOS has that sort of thing going on internally all the time.
gollark: Yes you can.
gollark: Inspired by, but in fact entirely incompatible with, the Hell Superset.
gollark: Also - this is one of the best bits! - it adds extra operator support to functions, `nil` and whatnot.

References
  1. Mike Kiefer (October 1, 2012). "MUSIC REVIEWS The Birthday Massacre - Hide and Seek" (PDF). Auxiliary Magazine. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 11, 2014. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
  2. D. Gabrielle Jensen (October 9, 2012). "Music Review: The Birthday Massacre - Hide and Seek". Blogcritics. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
  3. Jonathan Barkan (October 5, 2012). "Album Review The Birthday Massacre 'Hide And Seek'". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
  4. Maresa Whitehead (October 9, 2012). ":Music Review: The Birthday Massacre – Hide and Seek". COMA Music Magazine. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
  5. Blackavarr (October 5, 2012). "The Birthday Massacre: Hide and Seek Review". EGL Magazine. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
  6. Chelsey Miller (September 16, 2012). "Playing "Hide and Seek" with the Birthday Massacre". Examiner.com. Retrieved September 18, 2012.
  7. Gregory Burkart (October 11, 2012). "The Birthday Massacre: 'Hide and Seek' – CD Review". FEARnet. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
  8. PhilCheSteak5 (November 10, 2012). "The Birthday Massacre - Hide and Seek Review". IGN. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  9. JESSE (October 3, 2012). "Spin Cycle: The Birthday Massacre, Hide And Seek". Popblerd!!. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
  10. Kevin Morris (September 19, 2012). "CD Review : The Birthday Massacre - Hide and Seek". Terrorizer. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
  11. Ilker Yücel (October 21, 2012). "The Birthday Massacre - Hide and Seek". ReGen Magazine. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  12. Neil Miller, Jr. (September 27, 2012). "THE BIRTHDAY MASSACRE – Hide and Seek". UR Chicago. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
  13. (Press Release) (August 13, 2012). "THE BIRTHDAY MASSACRE Ready to Play Hide And Seek on October 9, 2012". Another Reybee Productions. Archived from the original on August 16, 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
  14. Dylan Madeley (October 1, 2012). "auxiliary music THE BIRTHDAY MASSACRE" (PDF). Auxiliary Magazine. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 11, 2014. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
  15. Rich Howells (December 8, 2012). "The Birthday Massacre Weekender Interviews". Weekender. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
  16. Emily Zemler (October 3, 2012). "DOWNLOAD: The Birthday Massacre - Down". RCRD LBL. Archived from the original on October 6, 2012. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  17. Revolver Magazine (October 5, 2012). "Exclusive: The Birthday Massacre Stream New Album, Hide and Seek". Revolver. Archived from the original on November 9, 2012. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
  18. Jonathan Barkan (July 18, 2012). "The Birthday Massacre Set To Release New Album 'Hide And Seek'". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved July 18, 2012.
  19. Hide and Seek (CD liner notes). The Birthday Massacre. Metropolis Records. 2012.CS1 maint: others (link)
  20. Hide And Seek - The Birthday Massacre Billboard. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
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