''Radio Down!'' is an EP single by American band

The Aquabats The Aquabats are an American rock band formed in Huntington Beach, California, in 1994. Throughout many fluctuations in the group's line-up, singer the MC Bat Commander and bassist Crash McLarson have remained the band's two constant fixtur ...

, released on November 9, 2010.

Overview

In early 2010, The Aquabats announced plans to release their next studio album by the end of the year, eventually confirming a tentative release date of November 9. After recording the album independently, the band signed a last-minute deal with

Fearless Records Fearless Records is an American independent record label that was founded in 1994. Fearless is based in Culver City, California, and is best known for its early pop punk moments captured in the ''Fearless Flush Sampler'' and ''Punk Bites'' releas ...

, who agreed to distribute the album but suggested the release date be pushed to January 2011 to allow for proper marketing and promotion. Instead, an EP featuring the first single from the album and two non-album B-sides would be released in its place. ''Radio Down!'' was issued primarily through digital download, though a limited run of 2000 CDs printed with DayGlo ink was made available shortly afterwards and sold at the band's concerts and through their website.

Reception

Critical reception to ''Radio Down!'' was positive. '' Alternative Press'' described the EP's songs as "infectious" and "danceable", while ''The Marshalltown Chronicle'' summarized it as "fun

synthpop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s a ...

from right start to finish".

Sputnikmusic Sputnikmusic is an American music community website offering music criticism and music news alongside features commonly associated with wiki-style websites. The format of the website is unusual in that it includes both professional and amateur c ...

, though criticizing the EP's "overproduced and artificial" sound, awarded it a 3 out of 5 star rating, noting "''Radio Down!'' is everything you’d expect from the Aquabats: catchy and smile-inducingly charming". Upon release, ''Radio Down!'' debuted at number 10 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Singles Sales, a chart which measures sales of physical commercial singles.

Track listing

#"Radio Down!" (featuring

Biz Markie Marcel Theo Hall (April 8, 1964 – July 16, 2021), known professionally as Biz Markie, was an American rapper, singer, songwriter, DJ, and record producer. Markie was best known for his 1989 single " Just a Friend", which became a Top 40 hit ...

) – 3:31 #"Best Day Of My Life!" – 3:14 #"Playin' It Cool!" – 3:36

Personnel

The Aquabats

* The MC Bat Commander –

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or witho ...

* Crash McLarson –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

, backing vocals *

Eagle "Bones" Falconhawk Ian Fowles is an American musician, author, and actor, best known as the current guitarist for the Orange County rock band The Aquabats, in which he performs under the stage name and persona of EagleBones Falconhawk (originally Eagle "Bones" Falc ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

, backing vocals * Jimmy The Robot – keyboards, backing vocals *

Ricky Fitness Richard Timothy "Ricky" Falomir is an American musician and composer, perhaps best recognized as the current drummer for the Orange County rock band The Aquabats, in which he performs under the stage name and persona of Ricky Fitness. Biography ...

–

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

, backing vocals

Additional musicians

–

rapping Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

on track 1 * Chainsaw, The Prince of Karate - additional guitars

References

{{The Aquabats The Aquabats albums 2010 EPs Fearless Records EPs