What It Is to Burn is the debut studio album by American rock band Finch. It was released on March 12, 2002, through MCA and Drive-Thru Records. After finalizing their line-up, Finch signed to Drive-Thru. Recording for the album took place between June and September 2001 with producer Mark Trombino. A music video for "Letters to You" was released in January 2003. The title-track "What It Is to Burn" was released as the lead single in January 2003, followed by the single "Letters to You" in April of that year. "New Beginnings"/"What It Is to Burn" was released as the third and final single on a double A-side in August 2003. "Letters to You" charted at number 39 on the UK Singles Chart, while "What It Is to Burn" charted within the top 40 of the US Alternative Songs and Mainstream Rock charts.
Initial accompanying tours for promotion consisted of several stints in the United States and the United Kingdom with the likes of Moth, the Starting Line and New Found Glory. The band later appeared on the 2002 Warped Tour and at the Reading and Leeds Festivals. What It Is to Burn is primarily a pop punk and emo release, that was also classed as hardcore punk and post-hardcore. The album received generally positive reviews from music critics.
On the US Billboard 200, What It Is to Burn charted at number 99, while it reached number 177 on the UK Albums Chart. As of October 2007, the album has sold over 400,000 copies worldwide. It has since been viewed as a landmark release for the emo and post-hardcore scenes. Finch embarked on a celebratory 10th anniversary tour in 2013 across the US, Europe, Japan, and Australia.
Background and production
Finch originally formed under the name Numb, with Nate Barcalow on vocals, Alex Linares on guitar, Derek Doherty on bass and Alex Pappas on drums. The members, who had met each other through mutual friends, had all been in a prior band, the HIVs, which had broken up after writing two songs. Guitarist Randy Strohmeyer was invited to join Finch after they saw him play with his band Evitca Fresh. Strohmeyer became friends with Drive-Thru Records' owner Richard Reines, following a fan letter he had sent in a few years earlier about the Rx Bandits. The band was then scheduled on November 26, 2000 to play at a "Drive-Thru Records Night" show where they were formally introduced to the label. It is reported that they played for an audience of 700 people at the Chain Reaction, Anaheim, California. A month after this show, the band released some self produced demos, among these demos there were early versions of the songs "Letters to You" (known as "I Want" at the time), "Grey Matter", "Ender", "New Kid", "Perfection Through Silence", and a never officially released song titled "Song 3". Another song that was recorded during this session was a cover of "With or Without You" by U2. All of these demo songs were recorded at Pappa's basement.
Pre-production and demos were done at DML Studios in Escondido, California, Finch began recording What It Is to Burn in June of that year at Big Fish Studios in Encinitas, California, with producer Mark Trombino. The band started tracking guitars for the album in July 2001.
Strohmeyer used Fender guitars and Marshall amplifiers, while Linares used ESP guitars and Mesa amplifiers. Trombino with the guitar effects on What It is to Burn. Daryl Palumbo of Glassjaw performs guest vocals on "Grey Matter" and "Project Mayhem". While they were recording for the album, the band asked Palumbo if he wanted to participate, prompting in him flying out to the band. with sporadic touches of electronic music. The writing process revolved around Finch jamming. Linares said they could sometimes write a song in two hours, and at other times take a whole day. He also said that if they did not go with Trombino, they would be "less electronics", adding that he was "such a genius when it comes to programming [...] he came up with some of the most amazing beats". The song sets the tone for What It Is to Burn with its memorable melodies and tuneful choruses. Palumbo's singing voice on "Grey Matter" recalled Bad Brains frontman H.R. "Project Mayhem" initially existed as a two-minute track, before Trombino altered it into the final version, "What It Is to Burn" is written from the perspective of a man in hell sending a letter to his partner. Barcalow said it dealt with loneliness and being able to relate with someone that is also experiencing that same emotion. A music video for "Letters to You" was released in January 2002. Doherty said the video was "[a]trocious," while Linares called it "[b]asically a piece of shit." What It Is to Burn was released on March 12, 2002, as a joint release between MCA and Drive-Thru Records. The United Kingdom edition, released on June 2, 2002,
Finch filmed a new music video for "Letters to You" in mid-April 2002, in a hostel basement in Hollywood. It was directed by Richard Reines and Brad Scott. The video premiered on Refused TV on May 24, 2002. Around the end of 2002, the band signed to MCA Records. It was aided by the assistance of Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge of Blink-182, who had signed Finch to their management company, as they contacted the label about signing them. In January 2003, "What It Is to Burn" was released to radio stations across the United States as the lead single from What Is It to Burn. Strohmeyer said that up to that point, "Letters to You" served as an "unofficial single" as radio stations were picking up the song and adding it to their rotation, which was "really cool because we didn't have to spend a dime" to promote it. The video was posted online on February 12, 2003. In March of that year, Punknews.org held a contest where fans could win a copy of the album on vinyl. On April 22, 2003, "Letters to You" was released on CD as What Is It to Burns second single. Two versions of the CD single were released: the first with "Worms of the Earth" and "New Kid" as extra tracks, and the second with live versions of "Perfection Through Silence" and "Letters to You" as bonus tracks. Following this, "New Beginnings" and "What It Is to Burn" were released on a double A-sided as the album's third and final single on August 25, 2003.
Tours
A proposed September 2001 tour with the Starting Line and the Movielife was cancelled following the September 11 attacks. Following the release of What It Is to Burn, Finch went on tour with Moth. Following on from this, the group went on a UK tour with New Found Glory. Between late June and mid-August, Finch performed on the 2002 Warped Tour as part of the Drive-Thru Records stage. In late August 2002, the band performed at the Reading and Leeds Festivals in the UK. The following month, Finch performed a few shows in Japan. In October and November 2002, the band embarked on a tour across the US with New Found Glory, Something Corporate and Further Seems Forever, and appeared at the Smoke Out Festival. In the last two months of the year, Finch went on a UK tour with From Autumn to Ashes as well as Coheed and Cambria.
The band toured with From Autumn to Ashes across the US in January and February 2003. Allister were initially planned to be the support act, before they were replaced by Steel Train. In February, the band went on a co-headlining US tour with the Used, with support from Steel Train and From Autumn to Ashes. Following on from this, Finch continued touring with the Movielife, Senses Fail and A Static Lullaby until early March 2003. That same month, the band went on a tour of the UK with Brand New. In April 2003, they performed at Skate and Surf Fest, and appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. In early May 2003, Finch performed at two shows as part of MTV's Campus Invasion tour. The following month, the band appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and performed at the KROQ Weenie Roast festival. In early July 2003, Finch appeared on Last Call with Carson Daly. The following month, they performed at Furnace Fest, before playing on the main stage at the Reading and Leeds Festivals.
Critical reception
What It Is to Burn was met with generally positive reviews from music critics. AllMusic reviewer Jason D. Taylor opened his piece by calling the album "phenomenal," noting that Finch rode the "thin line" between hardcore punk and pop punk, preserving a "trademark sound that stands out from the crowd."
Drowned in Sound writer Peter White referred to What It Is to Burn as an "absolutely gut smokingly fantastic record." LAS Magazine writer Andy Vaughn noted the Glassjaw influence added "a great deal of intensity" to the album, which he felt "would be missing otherwise." Melodic webmaster Johan Wippsson said the album has "the perfect mix of good melodies with the extra edge," and complimented Trominbo's "great" production style. Exclaim! Amber Authier commented that Finch "doesn't do a bad job" of merging punk rock and metal together. However, she felt that the lyrical content on What It Is to Burn came across as a "little too deep, separating the two styles instead of blending them into something a little different." Lina Lecaro of the Los Angeles Times said the band bounced "between soothing croons and throat-burning wails, metallic riffs and bubbly beats," a fusion that "kept things interesting ... even if the shifts weren't always seamless." While Barcalow "proved himself to be a versatile vocalist on tunes ... his range didn't quite make up for his lack of charisma," Lecaro added.
Commercial performance and legacy
What It Is to Burn charted at number 99 on the US Billboard 200 chart. It charted at number 177 on the UK Albums Chart, while "Letters to You" reached number 39 on the UK Singles Chart. By October 2007, What It Is to Burn had sold over 400,000 copies worldwide.
Metal Hammer ranked the album at number 17 on their best albums of 2002 list. Loudwire included "What It Is to Burn" at number 47 on their list of the best hard rock songs of the 21st century. Shezhaad Jiwani of Chart Attack said What It Is to Burn was one of emo's landmark releases, noting it for leading the genre alongside albums by Glassjaw and the Used. In 2013, Finch celebrated the album's 10th anniversary by performing it in its entirety. The celebration was initially intended for one show, before being expanded to two US tours, a European tour, and performances in Japan and Australia. Independent label Tragic Hero Records released a live video album of the anniversary celebrations in January 2014.
What It Is to Burn has been a massive influence on Saosin's Saosin (2006), Young Guns' All Our Kings Are Dead (2010), A Day to Remember's What Separates Me from You (2010), D.R.U.G.S.'s D.R.U.G.S. (2011), and the Amity Affliction's Chasing Ghosts (2012). Alternative Press said the title-track was "one of the landmark moments" for the post-hardcore genre. Sleeping with Sirens frontman Kellin Quinn singled out Finch's mix of screaming and singing vocal parts on the song as an influence on him. Equally, Jeremy McKinnon said the album is the reason A Day to Remember formed. Senses Fail frontman Buddy Nielsen has cited What It Is to Burn as an influence on the band's early work,
Track listing
All songs written by Finch. All songs produced by Mark Trombino, except for What It Is to Burn (Demo Version) produced by Chris Fuderich.