The Simple Plan

For the Canadian rock band of a similar name, see Simple Plan. For other uses, see Simple Plan (disambiguation).

The Simple Plan
Black background with the words "August is Falling" and "The Simple Plan. There is the head of a frowning man with long dark hair and the symbol for a frowny face.
EP by
August Is Falling
ReleasedSeptember 2, 2022 (2022-09-02)
Recorded2022
GenrePop punk, emo pop
Length13:43
Producer
Singles from The Simple Plan
  1. "August Is Falling"

The Simple Plan is an EP released independently in 2022 by August Is Falling, a pop-punk/emo music project led by American singer-guitarist Pat Finnerty. All of the EP's tracks were written by Finnerty, who played guitar and sang lead vocals on the recording. Music producer Butch Walker mixed the EP's single, "August Is Falling". The EP also features appearances from Eric Slick and Toby Leaman of Dr. Dog and from Kim Whitehill.

Development and release

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In mid 2022, Philadelphia-based musician and YouTube personality Pat Finnerty founded August Is Falling, a pop-punk, emo-style music project.[1][2][3][4] Finnerty wrote[5][6] the songs and played guitars and sang vocals, on the band's The Simple Plan EP that was released independently on September 2, 2022.[7] The EP featured Toby Leaman, Kim, and Butch Walker on tracks,[5] as well an appearance by Eric Slick on drums.[8] Musical artist Harsh Symmetry appeared on the EP's cover.[2][9] The EP's fifth song track, "August Is Falling", was mixed by acclaimed music producer Butch Walker and released as a single.[6] A lyrics video of the same track was produced by J. Gonzo.[1][2][10]

According to Finnerty, the title of the EP spoofs Canadian pop punk band Simple Plan.[11] Lyrics of the songs on the EP take aim at the popular music industry, internet culture, and the state of the emo movement.[7][12] The EP both lampoons and plays homage to emo/pop-punk bands.[13]

The EP's independent release was backed by a grassroots movement to promote it on YouTube.[10][14] The single, "August is Falling", garnered 140,000 views on YouTube in its first week after release with August is Falling trending as the Number 1 punk band on BandCamp[15] and the EP being featured on Spotify's new pop punk playlist.[11]

Critical reception

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The band and EP received praise from The Darkness front man Justin Hawkins after its release.[16] The website Craig's Music Review rated the EP 8 out of 10.[17]

Music critic Mark Rowland of Penny Black Music said the EP "sounds like it’s dumbing itself down somewhat to meet the expectations of the genre – to the point of parody in places – but at the same time, the songs are genuinely well constructed and catchy".[18]

Music commentator Allan Raible of ABC News ranked the EP #45 on his list of the top 50 albums of 2022.[13] Raible said about The Simple Plan EP on the Good Morning America website, "Weirdly, it is supposed to be a joke, but Finnerty is a great musician and songwriter, creating five songs that both lampoon the genre and pay fitting, pitch-perfect, wonderfully immature homage to bands like Blink-182. Armed with skill and heart, this EP is infinitely more than a sarcastic footnote."[13]

The video Finnerty debuted August is Falling and The Simple Plan was named the best on YouTube for the MidRange Awards 2022.[12]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Pat Finnerty[5][6] with appearances noted in the track's title

The Simple Plan EP (2022)
No.TitleLength
1."The Simple Plan"2:49
2."Mad This Summer"2:46
3."Btgg" (featuring Toby Leaman)2:33
4."Don't Click the Link" (featuring Kim)2:39
5."August Is Falling" (featuring Butch Walker)2:56
Total length:13:43

Personnel

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Musicians

  • Pat Finnerty – lead vocals, guitars (all tracks); bass (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5), drums (tracks 1, 4)
  • Pat Berkery – drums (track 2)
  • Toby Leaman – bass guitar, vocals (track 3)
  • Travis Harrison – drums (track 3)
  • Balzman – background vocals (track 3)
  • Zach Miller – keyboards (track 4)
  • Kim – vocals (track 4)
  • Eric Slick – drums (track 5)

Technical

  • Pat Finnerty – production (tracks 1–4), engineering (all tracks), mixing (tracks 1, 4)
  • Butch Walker – production, mixing (track 5)
  • Travis Harrison – mastering (all tracks), mixing (track 3)
  • Tim "BigTimmy11" Phillips – mixing (track 2)

See also

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  • "Emo Girl", a 2022 song by Machine Gun Kelly

References

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  1. ^ a b Belghast (5 August 2022). "Pat Finnerty Rocks". Tales of the Aggronaut. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "What Makes This Song Stink "Emo Girl" BIG UPDATE". YouTube. 30 August 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  3. ^ Janci, Janelle (28 August 2022). "Meet Pat Finnerty, the YouTuber who explains why some songs just stink". Lancaster Online. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  4. ^ "Scranton musician Pat Finnerty got Dave Grohl to sing and chat with him on Instagram". NEPA Scene. 17 August 2020. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  5. ^ a b c "August is Falling". Genius.com. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  6. ^ a b c Harrison, Travis. "August is Falling". seriousbusinessmusic.com. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  7. ^ a b "August is Falling - The Simple Plan EP". EXITMUSIK (in French). 4 September 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  8. ^ Slick, Eric (31 August 2022). "the secrets out. i played drums on the new AUGUST IS FALLING". Twitter. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  9. ^ Teeple, Alice (1 February 2022). "Darkwave Artist Harsh Symmetry Unveils Haunting Debut Single "Mirror Twin"". Post-Punk.com. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  10. ^ a b "Mysterious Pop-Punk Band August Is Falling Releases Self-titled Single, Announces Debut EP". Ultimate Guitar. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  11. ^ a b Ufberg, Max (22 November 2022). "Meet the YouTuber who struck it big by breaking down the songs he hates". Fast Company. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  12. ^ a b Smith, Ernie (26 December 2022). "MidRange Awards 2022: The YouTuber With a Simple Plan". Midrange.co. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  13. ^ a b c Raible, Allan (28 December 2022). "Review: 50 best albums of 2022". Good Morning America. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  14. ^ "August is Falling – the simple plan EP (Review)". Craig Reviews Music. 4 September 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  15. ^ Grassick, Mark (5 September 2022). "August Is Falling: Meet the internet's hottest new emo band". Ticketmaster UK. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  16. ^ Hawkins, Justin (10 September 2022). "Are They The Next Big Thing?!". YouTube. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  17. ^ "August is Falling – the simple plan EP (Review)". Craig's Music Review. 4 September 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  18. ^ Rowland, Mark (5 October 2022). "Is Pop Punk Good Now? - Bandcamp Explorer". Penny Black Music. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
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