Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!

Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! is the debut studio album by American indie pop band Hellogoodbye. Produced by Matt Mahaffey, Jeff Turzo, and Forrest Kline, the album was released on August 8, 2006 in the United States by Drive-Thru Records. The album's lead single, "Here (In Your Arms)", reached number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified platinum in the United States.

Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!
Studio album by Hellogoodbye
Released	August 8, 2006
Recorded	Cracker Tracks (Los Angeles)
Genre	Emo pop[1] pop punk[2] pop[3]
Length	35:02
Label	Drive-Thru
Producer	Matt Mahaffey Jeff Turzo Forrest Kline
Hellogoodbye chronology
Hellogoodbye (2004) Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! (2006) Would It Kill You? (2010)
Singles from Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!
"Here (In Your Arms)" Released: May 14, 2006 "All of Your Love" Released: March 2007 "Baby, It's Fact" Released: September 20, 2007

The album's title is a reference to popular youth culture and interests during the mid-2000s. The cover artwork was done by LeDouxville. The Japanese release additionally features two live versions of "Here (In Your Arms)" and "Homewrecker".

Background

Hellogoodbye was formed in 2002 by vocalist/guitarist Forrest Kline, bassist Marcus Cole, keyboardist Jesse Kurvink, and drummer Chris Profeta.[4]

Drive-Thru, which formerly employed Kline as a web design intern at 16, signed the band in 2004. The label's deal with majors MCA (and its successor, Geffen) was nearing its conclusion and the label intended to keep their newest artist signing quiet.[5] Drive-Thru feared the majors might realize Hellogoodbye's potential and attempt to steal them away. The band issued an eponymous online EP for free, and although it was intended to remain "under the radar," it attracted commercial attention.[5] "Shimmy Shimmy Quarter Turn" became a minor hit on MTV and helped the group gain notoriety.[4] The group was chosen by the cast of MTV's The Real World: Austin to be followed during South by Southwest (SXSW), and their profile began to increase dramatically. This exposure was aided by Drive-Thru's distribution deal with Sony BMG’s RED Distribution, through Sanctuary Records. Drive-Thru paid $20,000 to promote the EP, which Sanctuary funded retail pricing and positioning.[5]

Recording

The album was recorded at a home studio with help from Matt Mahaffey of the band Self. Kline found his first professional recording not dissimilar from the way he had previously made music, via a computer in his bedroom.[6] Recording of the album finished in March 2006. The cover artwork was done by LeDouxville.

Release

The group went on an east/Midwest tour of the US from late November to mid December 2005 with The Rocket Summer, Hit the Lights, and Dave Melillo.[7] During this tour the group performed new songs.[7] The band supported Motion City Soundtrack on the mtvU Campus Invasion tour in April 2006.[8] The band went on the 2006 edition of the Warped Tour.[9] On June 26, Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! was announced for release, and the track listing was revealed.[10] The album was initially planned for release in May,[7] before being eventually released in August.[10] The music video for "Here (In Your Arms)" was directed by Fred Savage.[10] By the end of the summer of 2006, the group were regularly selling out 1,000+ venues.[5] In October and November, the band went on a headlining tour with support from Ozma, Cute Is What We Aim For, Peachcake, Reggie and the Full Effect, and Dave Melillo.[11]

On March 14, 2007, the band released a "All of Your Love" remix EP featuring "The Jimmy Pop Remix", "Forrest's Remix" and "Self's Remix".[12] From early April to early June, the band went on the Two Months Of Spring Break Tour '99 tour of North America. They were supported by Boys Like Girls, the Hush Sound and the Rocket Summer.[13] In October and November, the group co-headlined the Myspace Music Tour with Say Anything. They were supported by Polysics[14] and Young Love.[15]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AbsolutePunk.net	(69%)[3]
AllMusic	[1]
Punknews.org	[16]
Spin	5/10[17]
Yahoo! Music	Favorable[18]

Critical reception

Spin's Trevor Kelley gave the album 5 out of 10 in his review, remarking, "While the synth-punk anthems on the California quartet's debut full-length are infectious blasts, when Kline tries his hand at Kinks-y rave-ups ("Stuck to You") and sweeping orchestral pop ("Baby, It's Fact"), his overreach is a tad premature."[17] AllMusic's Corey Apar called it "a charming album that indeed entertains," while noting it as a "somewhat uneven listen when taken as a whole."[4]

Commercial performance

Selling 40,057 units within its first week, the album debuted at No. 13 on the US Billboard 200 albums chart, at No. 1 on the US Independent albums chart and on No. 1 at the US Internet albums chart.[19] This response surprised executives at Drive-Thru, who in response began heavily promoting the band to pop radio. Through the help of RED and Sanctuary, it became a radio hit.[5]

By the end of August 2006, the album had sold over 60,000 copies.[20] By December 2006, the album has sold 150,000 copies in the United States.[5] As of April 2007, the album has sold 343,569 copies in the United States. It was released in the United Kingdom on May 21, 2007, where it debuted at No. 17 on the UK Albums Chart.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Forrest Kline, except where mentioned.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"All of Your Love"		2:56
2.	"Here (In Your Arms)"		4:00
3.	"All Time Lows"		2:44
4.	"Stuck to You"		2:44
5.	"Homewrecker"		2:31
6.	"Oh, It Is Love"		4:00
7.	"Baby, It's Fact"		3:17
8.	"Figures A and B (Means You and Me)"	Kline, Jesse Kurvink	2:21
9.	"I Saw It on Your Keyboard"	Kline, Kurvink	3:03
10.	"Touchdown Turnaround (Don't Give Up on Me)"	Kline, Kurvink	2:30
11.	"Two Weeks in Hawaii"		4:51

UK bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
12.	"Baby, It's Fact" (live from Londons Mean Fiddler)		4:07
13.	"All Of Your Love" (live from Londons Mean Fiddler)		3:45
14.	"Shimmy Shimmy Quarter Turn" (from the Hellogoodbye EP)	Kline, Kurvink	3:13

Japanese bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
12.	"Here (In Your Arms)" (live at House of Blues)
13.	"Homewrecker" (live at House of Blues)
14.	"Shimmy Shimmy Quarter Turn" (from the Hellogoodbye EP)	Kline, Kurvink	3:13

Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! And More!

The album was reissued in 2008 in the US. Retitled Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! And More!, the CD/DVD combo was released with a new cover art depicting the band at a children's party. In addition to the original album, the CD features a selection of demos and alternate mixes. The bonus DVD includes a 50-minute live concert performed at the Avalon in Boston, Massachusetts on May 6, 2007 during their tour with The Hush Sound and Boys Like Girls.

Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! And More! Re-issue bonus tracks

No.	Title	Length
12.	"All Time Lows" (Demo)	2:49
13.	"All Time Lows" (Demo 2)	2:42
14.	"All Time Lows" (Gm Og Mix)	2:56
15.	"Homewrecker" (Demo)	2:43
16.	"Figures A and B (Means You and Me)" (Demo)	2:24
17.	"Figures A and B (Means You and Me)" (Gm Og Mix)	2:29
18.	"I Saw It on Your Keyboard" (Demo)	3:04
19.	"I Saw It on Your Keyboard" (Gm Og Mix)	3:01
20.	"Touchdown Turnaround" (Demo)	3:03
21.	"Touchdown Turnaround" (Demo 2)	3:19
22.	"Touchdown Turnaround" (Gm Og Mix)	2:56
23.	"Two Weeks in Hawaii" (Demo)	4:41
24.	"Confuscious Say Rock and Roll" (by The Fortune Cookies)	2:18
25.	"If You Wanna I Might" (Demo)	4:15

Live At The Avalon, Boston, MA 05/06/07

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"All Time Lows"
2.	"Shimmy Shimmy Quarter Turn"
3.	"All of Your Love"
4.	"Stuck to You"
5.	"Dear Jamie... Sincerely Me"
6.	"Bonnie Taylor Shakedown... 2K4"
7.	"Baby, It's Fact"
8.	"Oh, It Is Love"
9.	"Call N' Return"
10.	"Here (In Your Arms)"
11.	"Touchdown Turnaround (Don't Give Up on Me)"
12.	"Dammit" (Blink-182 cover)	Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge, Scott Raynor

Credits

• Jack Antonoff – mandolin, guitar
• Stevie Blacke – mandolin
• Forrest Kline – vocals, guitar
• Matt Mahaffey – drums
• Chris Profeta – drums

Charts

Chart (2006–07)	Peak position
UK Albums (OCC)[21]	17
US Billboard 200[22]	14
Independent Albums (Billboard)[22]	4
Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[22]	4
Top Album Sales (Billboard)[22]	13

References

1. "Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! – Hellogoodbye | AllMusic". allmusic. 2011. Retrieved December 3, 2011.
2. Marshall, Bob (July 1, 2015). "41 Pop-Punk Albums All 2000s Kids Loved". BuzzFeed. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
3. "Hellogoodbye – Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! – Album Review". AbsolutePunk.net. August 8, 2006. Retrieved November 7, 2011.
4. "Hellogoodbye – Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
5. Martens, Todd (December 9, 2006). "Hello Top 40, Goodbye Obscurity". Billboard. 118 (49): 84. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
6. Schroeter, Christina (October 27, 2005). "Say hello to HelloGoodbye". The Daily Titan. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
7. "Climb aboard the ROFLcopter with Hellogoodbye". Alternative Press. November 4, 2005. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
8. Paul, Aubin (February 25, 2006). "Motion City Soundtrack / Straylight Run / Hellogoodbye on MTVu Campus Invasion". Punknews.org. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
9. "Warped Tour confirms tour routing, venues, more bands". Alternative Press. March 2, 2006. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
10. "Hellogoodbye announce tracklisting for new album". Alternative Press. June 26, 2006. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
11. "Hellogoodbye touring with Reggie And The Full Effect, Ozma". Alternative Press. August 16, 2006. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
12. "Hellogoodbye release remix EP at iTunes store". Alternative Press. March 14, 2007. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
13. "Hellogoodbye announce North American tour w/ Hush Sound". Alternative Press. February 27, 2007. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
14. "Hellogoodbye and Say Anything to co-headline MySpace tour". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. August 29, 2007. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
15. "Young Love added to MySpace tour; date-by-date breakdown". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. September 11, 2007. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
16. https://www.punknews.org/review/5900/hellogoodbye-zombies-aliens-vampires-dinosaurs
17. "Hellogoodbye, Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!". Spin. September 29, 2006. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
18. O'Connor, Rob (November 30, 2006). "Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!". Yahoo! Music. Archived from the original on February 10, 2007. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
19. "Congrats to HGB!". Absolutepunk.net. Retrieved October 16, 2006.
20. Kohli, Rohan (August 30, 2006). "Soundscan Results: Week Ending August 27th, 2006". absolutepunk.net. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
21. "Hellogoodbye | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
22. "Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved February 15, 2015.