The Weekend: Friday is an EP by American pop punk band Forever the Sickest Kids. It was released on November 17, 2009, through Universal Republic. The EP peaked at number 107 on the Billboard 200. It was supported by two singles for its release: "What Do You Want from Me" and "She Likes (Bittersweet Love)".
Background The EP was originally intended to be a mini-LP, and was to be the first part of The Weekend series, with Saturday and Sunday following. Lead guitarist Marc Stewart explained that the idea was to "have a lot of music come out really quick [...] we'll be able to send out a CD with seven songs every six to nine months, or through the course of a year." However, as a large number of songs were written, the band decided to release a full-length self-titled album instead. On September 21, 2009, the group announced the release date of the EP. On November 13, the band streamed the entire EP on their Myspace page.
The first single from the EP, "What Do You Want from Me", was originally released on October 30, 2009. A music video was later released on YouTube in late December. On March 19, 2010, the single was re-released for the film Diary of a Wimpy Kid, entitled "What Do You Want from Me (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Mix)".
The second single from the EP, "She Likes (Bittersweet Love)" was released on January 14, 2010. In April 2010, the band had posted multiple teaser videos on their YouTube account in preparation for the release of the full music video for the song. The music video for the song premiered on April 19.
The band supported British band You Me at Six on their UK tour in March 2010. In May and June, the band went on the Bamboozle Road Show 2010 tour.
Composition Most of the songs on the EP were written about relationships, such as "Tough Love", "She Likes (Bittersweet Love)" and "Take It Slow", as told by Stewart to Alternative Press. The last track "What Do You Want from Me" is about thinking for yourself instead of listening to others, which Stewart said was written "during a time in our lives when everyone was trying to push us in different ways."
Critical reception
The Weekend: Friday was met with mixed reviews from music critics. Tim Sendra of AllMusic remarked, "The enthusiasm of the band and Cook, the hermetically sealed production techniques, and the overall catchiness of the tunes give the band and the EP a boost that helps them stay afloat in the still rising tide of emo-pop bands in the late 2000s." However, he was critical on the track "Hawkbot", as he called it a, "wrongheaded idea." Blake Solomon of AbsolutePunk.net gave a mixed review labelling songs like "Hawkbot" and "Hip Hop Chick", "pieces of absolute garbage." However, he did state, "A lot of attention has been correctly given to the choruses, and for the most part they end up stuck in your head." A negative review came from Ryan Drever of The Skinny criticizing the "auto-tune riddled vocals" and "sparkly synths." However, he praised the EP's production and harmonies.
Track listing All vocals by Jonathan Cook, Austin Bello, and Caleb Turman, except where noted.
Notes "Do or Die" is a rewrite of the song "Stop Giving Your Love" by Been Bradley, the acoustic/electronic project Bello and Turman created before the formation of Forever the Sickest Kids. Chae Hawk, who was featured in "Hawkbot", was previously featured in a remix of the band's song "Believe Me, I'm Lying", which was included as a track on the band's deluxe edition of their previous release, Underdog Alma Mater.
Personnel Credits for The Weekend: Friday adapted from AllMusic.
Forever the Sickest Kids Jonathan Cook – vocals, drums, producer Austin Bello – bass guitar, vocals Caleb Turman – rhythm guitar, vocals Marc Stewart – lead guitar Kent Garrison – keyboards, synthesizers Kyle Burns – drums, percussion, mixing
Additional musicians Chae Hawk – guest vocals on "Hawkbot"
Production and artwork Matt Squire – producer Tom Coyne – mastering Tom Lord-Alge – mixing Shep Goodman – A&R Kevin Ou – photography Travis Huff – engineering Eric Stenman – engineering
Charts +Chart performance for The Weekend: Friday Chart (2009) Peakposition US Billboard 200 (Billboard) 107 US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard) 23 US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) 33
Release history +Release formats for The Weekend: Friday Region Date Format(s) Label Various November 17, 2009 Universal Motown United Kingdom March 29, 2010 CD
References