The Silence in Black and White is set for a 2 LP vinyl reissue
Craft Recordings celebrates the 20th anniversary of the electrifying debut from Hawthorne Heights, The Silence in Black and White, with a deluxe vinyl reissue. Set for release on November 22nd, this limited edition 2-LP set features the rock band’s signature hit “Ohio Is for Lovers,” plus such enduring fan favorites as “Niki FM” and “Silver Bullet,” in addition to a host of live recordings, demos, and other bonus tracks, all originally featured on the 2005 deluxe edition of the album. A gatefold jacket also includes a double-sided insert, new artwork, plus updated liner notes, in which the band reflects on the album and their two decades together.
In addition to classic black vinyl, The Silence in Black and White will be available in several exclusive colorways, including Black and White Split via the band’s webstore, Dissolve Clear via Zia Records, and Decay via Craft Recordings and Victory Records. The band’s Spotify followers can order a limited edition Silver Bullet variant via Spotify Fans First starting on September 3rd.
Formed in Dayton, OH in 2001, Hawthorne Heights exploded onto the alt-rock scene with its captivating blend of pop punk, hardcore, and emo. After releasing an album and an EP under their original name, A Day in the Life, the band caught the attention of Victory Records—the storied rock, metal, punk and hardcore label, which boasts Thursday, Between the Buried and Me and Taking Back Sunday among its legendary alumni. Victory Records was acquired by Concord in 2019, while its influential catalog, which spans over three decades, is managed by Craft Recordings.
Weeks after signing to Victory, the five-piece—which, at the time, included lead vocalist/guitarist JT Woodruff, guitarist Micah Carli, guitarist/unclean vocalist Casey Calvert, bassist/backing vocalist Matt Ridenour, and drummer Eron Bucciarelli—entered Madison, WI’s hallowed Smart Studios (owned by Butch Vig and home to classic recordings by Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, and Garbage) to record their debut as Hawthorne Heights, The Silence in Black and White. Working with producer Sean O’Keefe (Fall Out Boy, Plain White T’s, Motion City Soundtrack), the band drew from personal experiences—as well as some of their favorite films—for the album’s 11 anthemic and emotion-filled tracks.
Reflecting on the album in the LP’s new liner notes, the band writes, “It is impossible to articulate into any language what the last 20 years have meant to us, and how our fans have helped us grow into adults, while living our most wildest dreams…. We think that the art truly begins when we start to build and develop relationships with our fans, and learn who they are and why these songs have helped them. The stories you have told us are equally important to the ones we’ve shared with you, which is exactly why 20 years feels so special.”
They continue, “Hawthorne Heights has experienced catastrophic lows and meteoric highs, all while trying to settle into a comfortable zone somewhere within a normal Midwestern existence… Despite the triumph and tragedy, we’ve always been able to hold each other together, and we’ve realized that these songs are way more than who we are. They are beacons of hope for whoever needs them because they’ve always been written from a place where sometimes the darkness overtakes the light. That feeling is constant and will continue to be constant until we are all dead and gone, but the songs continue to shine a light and find their way through the darkness. As our fans share this music with their kids, the relationship of uncaged pure emotional hope will simply grow over time, and what a special journey that will be.”
Side A:
1. Life On Standby
2. Dissolve And Decay
3. Niki FM
4. The Transition
5. Blue Burns Orange
6. Silver Bullet
Side B:
1. Screenwriting An Apology
2. Ohio Is For Lovers
3. Wake Up Call
4. Sandpaper And Silk
5. Speeding Up The Octaves
Side C:
1. Silver Bullet—Demo
2. Niki FM—Demo
3. Speeding Up The Octaves—Demo
4. Ohio Is For Lovers—Live Acoustic On Q101
Side D:
1. The Transition—Live Acoustic On A101
2. Silver Bullet—Acoustic In The Studio
3. Apparently Hover Boards Don’t Work on Water (As A Day In The Life)