24 Hour Revenge Therapy
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''24 Hour Revenge Therapy'' is the third studio album by American
punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
band Jawbreaker, released on February 7, 1994, through Tupelo Recording Company and Communion Label. Before the release of their second studio album, '' Bivouac'' (1992), frontman Blake Schwarzenbach developed a polyp on his vocal cords. While on tour in Europe, he went to a hospital; upon returning to the United States, the band took up day jobs. Recording sessions for their next album were held at
Steve Albini Steven Frank Albini (; July 22, 1962 – May 7, 2024) was an American musician and audio engineer. He founded and fronted the influential post-hardcore and noise rock bands Big Black (1981–1987), Rapeman (1987–1989) and Shellac (band), ...
's house in Chicago, Illinois, across three days in May 1993. While on tour, they listened to tapes they made of the sessions; Schwarzenbach was unhappy with the recordings. Three songs were subsequently recorded in a single day at Brilliant in San Francisco, California, in August 1993 with Billy Anderson. ''24 Hour Revenge Therapy'' received generally favorable reviews from
music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...
, some of whom praised the songwriting. Described as a blend of their traditional
punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
and
pop-punk Pop-punk (also punk-pop, alternatively spelled without the hyphen) is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop music, pop. It is defined by its fast-paced, energetic tempos, and emphasis on classic pop s ...
sound, it harkened back to the simplistic arrangements of Jawbreaker's debut studio album, '' Unfun'' (1990). They supported
Nirvana Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...
on their US tour, which earned them backlash from members of the punk community, and then went on a stint with J Church prior to the release of the album. Jawbreaker supported them with a seven-week US trek, a West Coast tour with
Jawbox Jawbox is an American post-hardcore band from Washington, D.C., formed in 1989. The band currently consists of J. Robbins (vocals/guitar), Kim Coletta (bass), Zach Barocas (drums), and Brooks Harlan (guitars/vocals). The original lineup consis ...
, where further backlash followed, and a stint in Europe at the end of 1994. ''24 Hour Revenge Therapy'' has been included on best-of lists for pop-punk and emo by the likes of ''
Alternative Press Alternative press may refer to: Individual publications * ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine Alternative journalism * Alternative media ** Alternative media (U.S. political left) ** Alternative media (U.S. political r ...
'' and ''
Rock Sound ''Rock Sound'' is a British magazine that covers rock music. The magazine aims at being more " underground" and less commercial, while also giving coverage to better-known acts. It generally focuses on pop punk, post-hardcore, metalcore, punk, ...
''; Chris Conley of Saves the Day and
Rise Against Rise Against is an American punk rock band from Chicago, formed in 1999. The group's current line-up comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist Tim McIlrath, lead guitarist Zach Blair, bassist Joe Principe and drummer Brandon Barnes. Rise Against's mu ...
had expressed admiration for the album.


Background and writing

While Jawbreaker was touring across the United States, frontman Blake Schwarzenbach had developed a polyp on his vocal cords. They had planned to get their roadie, Raul Reyes, to sing for the remainder of the trek. After a single show where Reyes could not recall the lyrics, Schwarzenbach started singing again. The band then embarked on a tour of Europe; during it, he coughed up blood. As they were unable to fly home due to fog, Schwarzenbach went to a hospital in October 1992. As he was recovering, the rest of the band spent time in London with Lookout! Records staff member Christy Colcord. After leaving the hospital, Schwarzenbach was instructed not to talk or drink for a period of five days. His first show post-surgery saw his vocals being altered two
octave In music, an octave (: eighth) or perfect octave (sometimes called the diapason) is an interval between two notes, one having twice the frequency of vibration of the other. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referr ...
s higher. A month prior to this, Schwarzenbach said that the band was eager to return to the studio to record, having written ten new songs. They had recorded their second album, '' Bivouac'', a year ago, though it had yet to be released. Drummer Adam Pfahler explained that because a significant amount of time had elapsed since recording, many of the songs were no longer part of their live shows. While they had performed nearly half of the material that would end up on their third album by October 1992,Givony 2020, p. 47 ''Bivouac'' only saw release two months later. ''Bivouac'' was a darker-sounding release that took inspiration from the Midwestern and
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
post-punk scenes. Author Andrew Earles wrote in his book, ''Gimme Indie Rock: 500 Essential American Underground Rock Albums 1981–1996'' (2014), that the album earned Jawbreaker fans in the American underground from
post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. Like the term " post-punk", the term "post-hardcore" has been applied to a broad conste ...
to alternative and
indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...
. After returning to the US, bassist Chris Bauermeister stayed at the band's residence on Sycamore Street in San Francisco, California, as Pfahler moved to Albion Street in Los Angeles, California, and Schwarzenbach moved to
Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...
. Bauermeister worked at a toy store, and Pfahler spent time running a video store, as Schwarzenbach wrote new material alone and served as a librarian. The members met up and held practice sessions in the basement of a club. The material that Schwarzenbach came up with revolved around locations, relationships, and people; Ronen Givony, who wrote the 2018 33 1/3 book on the band, said that while the tracks on ''Bivouac'' were "figurative, the new songs were confessional, unguarded, nddiaristic". Bauermeister and Pfahler acknowledged that ''Bivouac'' was a collaborative effort between the three of them, which contrasted with this new set of songs that were solely Schwarzenbach's creation.Givony 2020, p. 48 Prior to recording their next album, they had all of the material for it fully planned out and already had a sequence for it. Gary Held of Revolver Distribution lent the band $2,000 to cover the cost of recording as well as food, lodging, and gas.Givony 2020, pp. 51–52 They were prepared to the point where they performed what would be the album in order for Held.Givony 2020, p. 52


Production

Jawbreaker began their van trip from San Francisco to engineer
Steve Albini Steven Frank Albini (; July 22, 1962 – May 7, 2024) was an American musician and audio engineer. He founded and fronted the influential post-hardcore and noise rock bands Big Black (1981–1987), Rapeman (1987–1989) and Shellac (band), ...
's house in Chicago, Illinois, on May 14, 1993, arriving a few days later. ''24 Hour Revenge Therapy'' was mainly recorded at Albini's residence across three days that same month. Albini had built up a reputation as an engineer recording revered albums by the likes of
Nirvana Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...
and
PJ Harvey Polly Jean Harvey (born 9 October 1969) is an English singer-songwriter. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments. Harvey began her career in 1988 when she joined local band Automat ...
, alongside the works of acts that members of Jawbreaker admired, such as Big Black and
the Jesus Lizard The Jesus Lizard is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 1987 in Austin, Texas by vocalist David Yow, guitarist Duane Denison and bassist David Wm. Sims. They relocated to Chicago, Illinois, in 1989, where they found kindred spirits in ...
.Givony 2020, p. 51 Though he was not that familiar with the band, he was aware of them and considered them "one of the few punk bands ..that had a more melodic sensibility". Albini had upgraded the recording console at his house from 8-track to 24-track prior to this. As such, he recorded a large number of bands in a short time period in order to pay the bill for the equipment. Upon arriving, Schwarzenbach remarked that the Jesus Lizard were practicing in Albini's basement; Jawbreaker moved all of their gear into that location, which was where they would be recording. Pfahler said on the first day, he and Bauermeister had started taping basic tracks at 3 p.m. and were finished by 6 p.m.Givony 2020, p. 53 The day after, Schwarzenbach tracked his guitar lines and vocals; the next day, they began the mixing process. Two songs into the session, the tape machine became faulty and caught fire.Givony 2020, p. 54 Any further work was halted without a working machine; another act was scheduled to work with Albini at the weekend. A national tour was planned to begin after sessions wrapped, though the initial first show in
Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...
, was cancelled as Jawbreaker remained in Chicago. On 25 May 1993, they restarted mixing as the machine was fixed, working from 9 a.m. to almost midnight.Givony 2020, p. 55 Albini ultimately billed the band $1,032 for the three full days of recording and mixing. The next day, they went to the residence of
Screeching Weasel Screeching Weasel is an American punk rock band consisting of Ben Weasel (vocals), Mike Kennerty (guitar), Mike Hunchback (guitar), Zach "Poutine" Brandner (bass) and Pierre Marche (drums) founded in 1986 by Ben Weasel and John Pierson (music ...
frontman Ben Weasel and listened to the album. Pfahler later regretted doing this, stating that they were "too close to it. We had no distance ..we didn't have it in our head right".Givony 2020, p. 56 Schwarzenbach said: "There's always that point where you can really freak yourself out, and we did". They then embarked on the When It Pains It Roars tour through to July 1993.Givony 2020, p. 57 After 30 shows, they eventually relistened to the tapes, which Schwarzenbach was not satisfied with. After the tour concluded, they spent a day with Billy Anderson, tracking at Brilliant Studio in San Francisco, California. The band self-produced the proceedings, while Anderson served as the engineer. During this, "The Boat Dreams from the Hill" and "Boxcar" were re-recorded, "Do You Still Hate Me?" and "Jinx Removing" were re-mixed, and "Condition Oakland" was recorded. "The Boat Dreams from the Hill" was redone as the song did not have enough pauses in the music for Schwarzenbach to sing over. In addition, the pick slide and lead guitar part that opens the track was swapped for Pfahler's drums. "Boxcar" was also remade, with an increase in tempo. They altered those songs based on live performances sometime prior. Around this time, he wrote "Condition Oakland", which he felt was "a good summation" of recording music; as they had been playing it on tour, they opted to record it for their next album. Making the track at Brilliant was "pretty perfect" due to the studio's large size, making it "kind of a cavernous song." A sample of
Jack Kerouac Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac (; March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969), known as Jack Kerouac, was an American novelist and poet who, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, was a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Of French-Canadian ...
and
Steve Allen Stephen Valentine Patrick William Allen (December 26, 1921 – October 30, 2000) was an American television and radio personality, comedian, musician, composer, writer, and actor. In 1954, he achieved national fame as the co-creator and ...
was recorded for it by playing a cassette of performing, done by pointing a Shure SM57 microphone at a boom box speaker. Pfahler said the session with Anderson cost $500. As Albini preferred not to be credited, the engineer role was listed as Fluss in the album's booklet, which was the name of his cat. He reasoned that as Jawbreaker composed and played "and made the decisions .. hey'redoing all the work, I'm sort of part of the equipment". For the 20th anniversary version of the album, he is credited as doing the recording, while Fluss is still listed as the engineer. John Golden mastered the album at K-Disc in
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...
, California.


Composition and lyrics


Overview

Musically, the sound of ''24 Hour Revenge Therapy'' has been described as
punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
,
pop-punk Pop-punk (also punk-pop, alternatively spelled without the hyphen) is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop music, pop. It is defined by its fast-paced, energetic tempos, and emphasis on classic pop s ...
, and emo.Gross 2004, p. 103 Dan Fidler of '' Spin'' said it was "composed of short, tight arrangements", centered around Pfahler's "furious drumming" and Bauermeister's "barreling bass". The latter realized "the value of pulling back and not doing fills every chance I got, but trying to put them in useful places and places that made sense." Schwarzenbach's vocals were compared to Paul Westerberg of the Replacements and Richard Butler of
the Psychedelic Furs The Psychedelic Furs are an English rock band founded in London in February 1977. Led by lead vocalist Richard Butler (singer), Richard Butler and his brother Tim Butler on bass guitar, the Psychedelic Furs are one of the many acts spawned from ...
. The material on the album was Schwarzenbach-written, instead of the more collaborative efforts on ''Bivouac''. The latter album saw the band lean towards a more progressive sound, while ''24 Hour Revenge Therapy'' had simplified arrangements, closer to their debut studio album, '' Unfun'' (1990). Schwarzenbach highlighted five albums that he listened to while creating ''24 Hour Revenge Therapy'': '' Bad Moon Rising'' (1985) by
Sonic Youth Sonic Youth were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1981. Founding members Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar), Thurston Moore (lead guitar, vocals) and Lee Ranaldo (rhythm guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of ...
; '' World Outside'' (1991) by the Psychedelic Furs; '' No Pocky for Kitty'' (1991) by Superchunk; ''Something Vicious for Tomorrow'' (1992) by Treepeople; and '' The Problem with Me'' (1993) by Seam. Schwarzenbach explained that ''24 Hour Revenge Therapy'' dealt with a single relationship he experienced. The album's lyrics have been compared to those of the Replacements. Journalist Dan Ozzi, in his book ''Sellout: The Major-Label Feeding Frenzy That Swept Punk, Emo, and Hardcore 1994–2007'' (2021), said Schwarzenbach separated himself from his pop-punk contemporaries by entwining cleverness, allegories, and self-observation into the songs' lyrics.Ozzi 2022, p. 49 The words avoided the literary vagueness of their previous releases in favor of directness. The band's uneasy mindset towards the strict attitude and rules-based philosophy of the punk scene was documented in "Indictment", "Boxcar", and "West Bay Invitational".Keeble 2022, p. 398 Givony wrote that the album largely details a story "familiar to every young person who moves to a new city, makes friends, falls in love, and reluctantly grows up"; the first three tracks fall out of this remit, as they are a send-off to a music environment that "had outlived its novelty, interest, or usefulness". Ozzi felt that Schwarzenbach's narrative form was in line with popular Great American writers such as
Allen Ginsberg Irwin Allen Ginsberg (; June 3, 1926 – April 5, 1997) was an American poet and writer. As a student at Columbia University in the 1940s, he began friendships with Lucien Carr, William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, forming the core of th ...
, Kerouac, and J. D. Salinger. Schwarzenbach was able to study their respective works when he was a librarian. Kerouac appears twice on the album, as a namedrop in "Boxcar" and the aforementioned sample heard in "Condition Oakland". Arin Keeble, in his piece on Jawbreaker collected in ''The Routledge Companion to Music and Modern Literature'' (2022), said both tracks employ literary imagery to repel against the conventions of punk rock.


Songs

The opening track to ''24 Hour Revenge Therapy'', "The Boat Dreams from the Hill", was inspired by Schwarzenbach seeing a boat on a hill while driving in Santa Cruz. It switches viewpoints from the unfixable boat drifting on water to a pensioner building the boat and losing one's voice. Givony said the boat was used as a metaphor for "potential – a container for 'every man's' wishes".Givony 2020, p. 61 "Indictment" levies criticism towards
major label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and t ...
s, not caring about other people's opinions on songwriting. Pfahler said the song's full title was "Scathing Indictment of the Pop Industry", tackling the process behind music distribution. Portions of his drum parts on it were influenced by
Sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...
and
Dave Grohl David Eric Grohl (; born January 14, 1969) is an American musician. He founded the rock band Foo Fighters, of which he is the lead singer, guitarist, principal songwriter, and only consistent member. From 1990 to 1994, he was the drummer of th ...
of Nirvana. "Boxcar" was written while on the side of a road in France as their touring van was being searched and deals with the concept of
selling out To "sell out" is to compromise one's integrity, morality, Authenticity (philosophy), authenticity, or Principle#As moral law, principles in exchange for personal gain, such as money or power. In terms of music or art, selling out is associated w ...
in the punk rock scene. Keeble said the title evoked switchyards and trains, which are mentioned via Kerouac in one of the later songs on the album, "Condition Oakland". Ozzi saw "Boxcar" as the most conventional punk rock song out of all of the band's songs thanks to its three-chord structure, atypical of punk bands from the
San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...
. Part of the lyrics namecheck El Sobrante, California, shortened to "El Sob", located 15 miles outside of San Francisco. Keeble remarked that the track's allusion to Kerouac was framed as a markedly "unpunk activity", echoing the criticism of the rest of the lyrics, due to his alliance with the
Beat Generation The Beat Generation was a literary subculture movement started by a group of authors whose work explored and influenced American culture and politics in the post-World War II era. The bulk of their work was published and popularized by members o ...
. Schwarzenbach employs a one-two-three-four count-in heard in numerous punk rock tracks,Keeble 2022, p. 401 particularly by the
Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band formed in the New York City neighborhood Forest Hills, Queens in 1974. Known for helping establish the punk movement in the United States and elsewhere, the Ramones are often recognized as one of th ...
. "Outpatient" was written following Schwarzenbach's hospitalization; Pfahler thought it sounded similar to the tracks on ''Bivouac''. Schwarzenbach said it was a series of vignettes of his vocal surgery, though he only had around ten thoughts or photographs to pick from as he was incapacitated for a lot of the events. "Ashtray Monument" sees Schwarzenbach discuss his parents' divorce and his perspective in its aftermath. He said it was about life in the
Mission District, San Francisco The Mission District (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Distrito de la Misión''), commonly known as the Mission (Spanish language, Spanish: ''La Misión''), is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California. One of the oldest neighborhoods in San Fran ...
, specifically the band's apartment on Sycamore Street. Deciphering the title, Givony wrote that an "ashtray monument is one that has been allowed to grow beyond recognition: an image of surrender, or extreme, unhealthy solitude".Givony 2020, p. 73 It begins with an abrasive guitar part and several drum fills, which saw Pfahler emulating the style of
Cheap Trick Cheap Trick is an American rock band formed in Rockford, Illinois in 1970 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. Their work bridged elements of '60s pop rock, guitar pop, '70s har ...
drummer Bun E. Carlos. "Condition Oakland" tackles the theme of loneliness, as well as the difficulties of being an artist. The song was influenced by the music of
Swervedriver Swervedriver are an English alternative rock band formed in Oxford in 1989 around core members Adam Franklin and Jimmy Hartridge. Between 1989 and 1998, the band released four studio albums and numerous EPs and singles despite a considerable ...
and Treepeople being in frequent rotation for Schwarzenbach, in which he attempted to sing like the latter's frontman Doug Martsch. It is in 3/4 time and includes a sample of Kerouac reciting "October in the Rail Earth", included in '' Lonesome Traveler'' (1960). It was recorded for '' Poetry for the Beat Generation'' (1959), where Kerouac is backed by Allen on piano. Keeble said the latter's rambling playing generates "a discordant effect that enhances the song’s lyrics of loneliness and desperation."Keeble 2022, p. 402 Several of the lines in the sample detail parts of the Bay Area; Keeble also wrote that the mentions of writing and reading in the lyrics were a reference to "Boxcar". "Ache" is a leftover from the ''Bivouac'' sessions; for ''24 Hour Revenge Therapy'', Schwarzenbach played an anthemic-sounding guitar running through a
RadioShack RadioShack (formerly written as Radio Shack) is an American electronics retailer that was established in 1921 as an amateur radio mail-order business. Its parent company was purchased by Tandy Corporation in 1962, which shifted its focus from ma ...
amplifier. Unlike the ''Bivouac'' version, the ''24 Hour Revenge Therapy'' rendition uses vocal overdubs to enact a
call-and-response Call and response is a form of interaction between a speaker and an audience in which the speaker's statements ("calls") are punctuated by responses from the listeners. This form is also used in music, where it falls under the general category of ...
section. Givony said it dealt with "thinking things through, and not caring if you're being lied to, so long as those lies come with a veneer of intimacy". "Do You Still Hate Me?" is a
love song A love song is a song about love, falling in love, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. Love songs can be found in a variety of different music genres. They can come in various formats, from sad and emotion ...
about the aftermath of a relationship; its chorus consists of unanswered questions. "West Bay Invitational" talks about a house party and
existentialism Existentialism is a family of philosophical views and inquiry that explore the human individual's struggle to lead an authentic life despite the apparent absurdity or incomprehensibility of existence. In examining meaning, purpose, and valu ...
. Keeble said the topic recalled ''
The Great Gatsby ''The Great Gatsby'' () is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with Jay Gatsby, a mysterious mi ...
'' (1925) by F. Scott Fitzgerald, placed against an unforgettable caricature of "elitism, division and pretension." He compared aspects from these two things, such as people from either side of the Bay Area in the song to the gathering of a crowd from the East Egg and West Egg regions in the book. Discussing "West Bay Invitational", Pfahler said he and Schwarzenbach shared an apartment on the top floor, with Bauermeister, Reyes, and Hahn in another apartment opposite them. In early 1991, the band decided to throw a massive party, attended by various people from bands, such as Econochrist and
Samiam Samiam (pronounced "sam-I-am") is an American punk rock band from Berkeley, California, active since 1988. History Samiam was formed in late 1988 after the breakup of the 924 Gilman Street, Gilman club mainstay Isocracy (band), Isocracy. Their ...
, and labels, like Boner Records and Revolver Distribution. Schwarzenbach said aspects of the event and the symbolism of it ended up in "West Bay Invitational". A girl is referenced in the lyrics as being from Oakland, when she was actually from
Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...
. The person in question was a friend of Ben Sizemore of Econochrist, who previously toured with Jawbreaker in 1990. "Jinx Removing" details a relationship at its end while trying to compromise in holding it together. Schwarzenbach felt disconnected from his girlfriend, despite them living 20 city blocks apart; Bauermeister said it shared a similar structure to "The Boat Dreams from the Hill". Schwarzenbach said it was about the " Santeria cult in domestic American relationships". The album's closing track, "In Sadding Around", was known as "New Slow Sad" during its initial live performances. The final title comes from Schwarzenbach's roommate, Bob McDonald; Pfahler said that Schwarzenbach asked McDonald what he had planned to do one day, to which McDonald responded that he would be "in sadding around all day". Discussing the track, Pfahler said that "underneath it all there is this hope, that even with all of this devastation around, your narrator is still saying ositivethings".


Release and touring


Touring with Nirvana and initial backlash

While on the When It Pains It Roars tour, dubbed copies of ''24 Hour Revenge Therapy'' had circulated among Jawbreaker's fans. Givony referred to this as an "uncommon early example of the pre-Internet album leak". In October 1993, Schwarzenbach returned to his apartment in Oakland to find that one of his housemates, Bill Schneider, had taken a message and phone number for John Silva of Gold Mountain Management. After contacting the company, Silva offered Jawbreaker the opportunity to support Nirvana on tour. It was the result of Cali DeWitt, who was babysitting Frances Bean Cobain for Nirvana's frontman,
Kurt Cobain Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – ) was an American musician. He was the lead vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter, and a founding member of the grunge band Nirvana (band), Nirvana. Through his angsty songwriting and anti-establis ...
. DeWitt had seen Jawbreaker a few times previously and suggested them to Cobain when the Wipers had to drop out. Pfahler and Schwarzenbach had been impressed by Nirvana when they saw them live in Los Angeles two years prior.Ozzi 2022, p. 44 Jawbreaker subsequently appeared on the In Utero tour, playing to 3,000–6,000 people per night between October 19 and October 26. During the first day, the band had parked their van next to ten buses that were part of Nirvana's entourage. Pfahler said it was not a "rock-star moment. It was one of those, oh Jesus Christ, what have we gotten ourselves into?".Givony 2020, p. 103 The first show in Albuquerque saw them play to five thousand people, a slim number of whom knew Jawbreaker; tour posters and adverts in newspapers incorrectly retained the Wipers as the opening act. Though they received major backlash from members of the punk community for taking the support slot, the members of Jawbreaker did not regret the experience. Ozzi said these shows strengthen Schwarzenbach's disdain for corporate rock music, defiant against signing to a major label. Upon going back to San Francisco, the members found that rumors had been spread about them, including the notion that they received a $500 budget for food each day. Ozzi said the reality was that they received a free meal and $500 for each gig they played on the trek. Pfahler said an individual from the
punk zine A punk zine (or punkzine) is a zine related to the punk subculture and hardcore punk music genre. Often primitively or casually produced, they feature punk literature, such as social commentary, punk poetry, news, gossip, music reviews and ar ...
'' Maximum Rocknroll'' asked if he made $50,000 last year. He was surprised by this, explaining that there was no money in his bank account and he was paying $650 for an apartment. Pfahler remarked that people must have thought they were shifting a large amount of albums by virtue of being a cult act. He estimated that artists on Fat Wreck Chords were selling tenfold that amount that Jawbreaker was. Spurred on by their audience's growing fears that the members were yearning for rock stardom, a backlash was forming against Jawbreaker. Schwarzenbach commented on this, saying that people thought they were going to be on
Geffen Records Geffen Records (formerly The David Geffen Company from 1980 to 1992 and Geffen Records Inc. from 1993 to 2004) is an American record label, founded in late 1980 by David Geffen. Originally a music subsidiary of the company known as Geffen Pi ...
purely because they toured with Nirvana. Attraction from major labels in the
East Bay The East Bay is the eastern region of the San Francisco Bay Area and includes cities along the eastern shores of San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay. The region has grown to include inland communities in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. Wi ...
region of San Francisco continued,Ozzi 2022, p. 46 with contemporaries Green Day having signed earlier in the year to
Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels. Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Green Day, En ...
. Jawbreaker then toured across the US with J Church; the San Francisco date erupted into a fight due to a heckler, which saw the police being called in.


Album promotion and further backlash

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
states the release date of ''24 Hour Revenge Therapy'', which was done through Tupelo Recording Company and The Communion Label, to be February 7, 1994, while Givony gives the date of February 15, 1994. He wrote that the artwork was a "study in contrasts: deadly serious and playfully lighthearted; vivid, realistic color next to minimalist abstraction". He went on to express that it summarizes the album's "contents: disaster and depression, but also persistence, stoicism, and humor; solitude and isolation". The artwork is a collage of items, which Pfahler created in his kitchen over the course of an afternoon; it consists of a grid of four squares. The top-left box is a black-and-white photograph of a pocket watch found in
Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui has b ...
, Japan, after an atomic bomb had impacted the city. The top-right square features three safety matches grouped together on top of unrolled
cigarette filter A cigarette filter, also known as a filter tip, is a component of a cigarette, along with cigarette paper, capsules and adhesives. Filters were introduced in the early 1950s. Filters may be made from plastic cellulose acetate fiber, paper or ...
s. The bottom-left box is an image of a cannon pointing down at a canyon, taken from a ''
Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American media franchise produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The franchise began as a series of animated short films that originally ran from 1930 to 1969, alongside its spin-off series ''Merrie Melodies'', during t ...
'' Road Runner short. The bottom-right square consists of foil from a cigarette packet; the album's title is included in maroon-colored letters, referencing the tips of the matches in the top-right box.Givony 2020, p. 96 The squares are bordered by various tablets and pills taken from a drug almanac, such as Paxil, Prozac and Zoloft. Pfahler took black-and-white images that accompany each track in the booklet, including a stack of pennies for "Indictment", train tracks for "Boxcar", and candles for "Jinx Removing".Givony 2020, p. 97 ''24 Hour Revenge Therapy'' was quickly overshadowed by the popularity of '' Dookie'' (1994) by Green Day and '' Smash'' (1994) by
the Offspring The Offspring is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Garden Grove, California, in 1984. Originally formed under the name Manic Subsidal, the band currently consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Dexter Holland, Bryan "Dexter" Holland, ...
, both of which pushed pop-punk and punk rock into the mainstream, while the prevalence of
grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock Music genre, genre and subculture that emerged during the in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, particularly in Seattle and Music of Olympia, Washington, O ...
was receding. In the aftermath of this, Jawbreaker started playing 500-capacity venues; they embarked on a seven-week US tour from March 1994,Givony 2020, pp. 122–123, 128 titled the Come Get Some tour. Backlash continued to grow from readers of ''Maximum Rocknroll'' and people in the East Bay. The band was still being lambasted for touring with Nirvana, as well as for dropping the ''Unfun'' songs from their live repertoire and the change of voice from Schwarzenbach after his surgery. It reached a point where, during one show, a member of the crowd frequently tried to spit in Schwarzenbach's mouth. The June 1994 issue of ''Maximum Rocknroll'' was devoted to
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and major labels; Weasel spent part of his column in the zine defending the band. Jawbreaker went on a short, ten-day tour on the US West Coast with
Jawbox Jawbox is an American post-hardcore band from Washington, D.C., formed in 1989. The band currently consists of J. Robbins (vocals/guitar), Kim Coletta (bass), Zach Barocas (drums), and Brooks Harlan (guitars/vocals). The original lineup consis ...
. They closed out the year with a tour of Europe in November 1994. In October 2014, Pfahler's label, Blackball Records, issued ''24 Hour Revenge Therapy''. It featured alternative takes of "The Boat Dreams from the Hill", "Boxcar", "Do You Still Hate Me?", and "Jinx Removing", alongside two outtakes, "First Step" and "Friends Back East". The latter two were previously included on the band's first compilation album, ''Etc.'' (2002). The alternative takes of "Boxcar" and "Do You Still Hate Me?" were made available for streaming through the band's website in the lead-up to the reissue. In addition to this, footage of the Mission District from 1992 was compiled into a music video for "Boxcar", directed by Pfahler. Blackball Records has since re-pressed it on vinyl in 2015, 2017, 2021, 2022, and 2023.


Reception and legacy

''24 Hour Revenge Therapy'' was met with generally positive reviews from
music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...
, many of which touched on the emotional nature of the music and lyrics. Will Dandy of ''
Punk Planet ''Punk Planet'' was a 16,000 print run punk zine, based in Chicago, Illinois, that focused most of its energy on looking at punk subculture rather than punk as simply another genre of music to which teenagers listen. In addition to covering m ...
'' said Schwarzenbach's lyrics got "more confusing and metaphoric" with each release. Despite this, he called the music "pulsing, ..with a spontaneous feel". Ozzi remarked that Schwarzenbach's style was at points "saccharine, but this emotional vulnerability helped build upon the band's cult-like following".
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
reviewer Mike DaRonco found the band to "deal with their endeavors through music instead of wallowing in them, making this record not entirely bleak." ''
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'' contributor Brandon Stosuy said that the album provided "some of the most indelible examples of punk music crammed with emotion. These are life-changing songs that, a couple decades later, still give goosebumps." ''Louder'' writer Mischa Pearlman called it a "dark, late night cigarette of a record, one full of hope and despair and jaded existentialism". Author Barry M. Prickett, writing in '' MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide'' (1999), saw it as the "stepping stone to a big league ajor labelsigning. The songs are once again shorter and the ideas a bit more concise." In the aftermath of ''Dookie'' and ''Smash'', Jawbreaker and ''24 Hour Revenge Therapy'' kept the spotlight of punk in the mainstream alongside other 1994 releases, such as '' Stranger Than Fiction'' by
Bad Religion Bad Religion is an American punk rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1980. The band's lyrics cover topics related to religion, politics, society, the media and science. Musically, they are noted for their melodic sensibilities and ...
and '' Let's Go'' by Rancid. By the release of Givony's book in 2018, ''24 Hour Revenge Therapy'' had sold 70,000 copies. Joe Gross of ''Spin'' said that ''Bivouac'' and ''24 Hour Revenge Therapy'' were "two of early emo's key documents". Discussing its legacy, Givony wrote that it acted as a
time capsule A time capsule is a historic treasure trove, cache of goods or information, usually intended as a deliberate method of communication with future people, and to help future archaeologists, anthropologists, or historians. The preservation of holy ...
of a period before the "internet and email became ubiquitous ..of the last moment when artists and fans genuinely cared whether a big corporation or a small indie label released their music".
Vagrant Records Vagrant Records is an American record label based in California. It was founded in 1995 by Rich Egan and Jon Cohen. The label focuses on rock music, rock, but features artists in a variety of other genres including folk music, folk, soul music, so ...
founder Rich Egan considers it his favorite album; Andy Greenwald, author of '' Nothing Feels Good: Punk Rock, Teenagers, and Emo'' (2003), wrote that Egan's "reasons read like a band-by-band blueprint" for the label's success in the early 2000s. Brian Stout of ''
PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...
'' said the way that Joyce Manor wove stories of living in
Torrance, California Torrance is a coastal city in the Los Angeles metropolitan area located in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city is part of what is known as the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay region of the metropolitan ...
, throughout '' Never Hungover Again'' (2014) was akin to Jawbreaker detailing the Bay Area on ''24 Hour Revenge Therapy''. ''24 Hour Revenge Therapy'' has been included on a best-of list for pop-punk by ''
Rock Sound ''Rock Sound'' is a British magazine that covers rock music. The magazine aims at being more " underground" and less commercial, while also giving coverage to better-known acts. It generally focuses on pop punk, post-hardcore, metalcore, punk, ...
'' and for emo by ''Alternative Press''. ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
'' slotted "Jinx Removing" on their list of the ten best emo songs from the 1990s.
Rise Against Rise Against is an American punk rock band from Chicago, formed in 1999. The group's current line-up comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist Tim McIlrath, lead guitarist Zach Blair, bassist Joe Principe and drummer Brandon Barnes. Rise Against's mu ...
cited the album as one of their 12 key influences, alongside works by Bad Religion,
Dead Kennedys Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978. The band was one of the defining punk bands during its initial eight-year run. Initially consisting of lead guitarist East Bay Ray, bassist Klaus Fl ...
, and
Fugazi Fugazi (; ) is an American post-hardcore band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1986. The band consists of guitarists and vocalists Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto, bassist Joe Lally, and drummer Brendan Canty. They were noted for their style-transc ...
. Josh Caterer of the Smoking Popes, Chris Conley of Saves the Day, and
Craig Finn Craig A. Finn (born August 22, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. He is best known as the frontman of the American indie rock band the Hold Steady, with whom he has recorded nine studio albums. Prior to forming the Hold Steady, ...
of
the Hold Steady The Hold Steady is an American rock band formed in Brooklyn, New York, in 2003. The band consists of Craig Finn (vocals, guitar), Tad Kubler (guitar), Galen Polivka (bass), Bobby Drake (drums), Franz Nicolay (keyboards) and Steve Selvidge (g ...
have expressed admiration for the album. Several of the songs have been covered for different
tribute album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century a ...
s over the years: one for ''So Much for Letting Go: A Tribute to Jawbreaker Vol. 1'' (2003); five for '' Bad Scene, Everyone's Fault: Jawbreaker Tribute'' (2003); and five for ''What's the Score?'' (2015). Gordon Withers covered "The Boat Dreams from the Hill", "Boxcar", "Ashtray Monument", and "Ache" for his album ''Jawbreaker on Cello'' (2019), which came about from his involvement in the Jawbreaker documentary ''Don't Break Down'' (2017).


Track listing

All songs by Blake Schwarzenbach. 2014 reissue bonus tracks


Personnel

Personnel per booklet, except where noted. Jawbreaker * Blake Schwarzenbach – guitar, vocals * Chris Bauermeister – bass * Adam Pfahler – drums Additional personal *
Jack Kerouac Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac (; March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969), known as Jack Kerouac, was an American novelist and poet who, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, was a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Of French-Canadian ...
– vocal sample *
Steve Allen Stephen Valentine Patrick William Allen (December 26, 1921 – October 30, 2000) was an American television and radio personality, comedian, musician, composer, writer, and actor. In 1954, he achieved national fame as the co-creator and ...
– piano Production and design * Jawbreaker – producer *
Steve Albini Steven Frank Albini (; July 22, 1962 – May 7, 2024) was an American musician and audio engineer. He founded and fronted the influential post-hardcore and noise rock bands Big Black (1981–1987), Rapeman (1987–1989) and Shellac (band), ...
(credited as Fluss) – engineer * Billy Anderson – engineer * John Golden – mastering * Don Lewis – playing photos * Adam Pfahler – other photos * John Yates – layout


See also

* '' In Utero'' – the 1993 album by Nirvana, which Albini recorded shortly before ''24 Hour Revenge Therapy''


References

Citations Sources * * * * * * * * * *


Further reading

* * * *


External links


''24 Hour Revenge Therapy''
(remastered) at
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(streamed copy where licensed) {{Authority control 1994 albums Jawbreaker (band) albums