White Noise (album)

White Noise is the debut album by PVRIS. The album was released after the band signed with Rise and Velocity Records in June 2014, and was recorded with producer Blake Harnage.
Harnage would help co-write several songs on the album with Gunnulfsen and Sierra Kusterbeck.
In 2016 the album was released as a deluxe version, including three new tracks.
==Background and recording==
After the band formed in Lowell, Massachusetts in late 2012http://www.columbiachronicle.com/arts_and_culture/article_fbdde0ea-ae89-11e4-aad9-3b7d8bacdecb.html under the name Operation Guillotinehttps://web.archive.org/web/20150827070103/http://blastmagazine.com/2014/02/12/pvris-blast-interview/ they were originally a metalcore band, consisting of five members, one of which did screaming vocals. Their line-up soon changed to vocalist/guitarist Lyndsey Gunnulfsen, guitarist Alex Babinski, bassist Brian MacDonaldhttps://web.archive.org/web/20151004201655/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/pvris-mn0003316228/biography and drummer Brad Griffin.
In March 2013 the band released a self-titled EP. Later that year, the band played a week on Ernie Ball's Battle of the Bands stage at Warped Tour after winning a contest. Towards the end of summer, Griffin left the band. The band went on The Rise Up Tour supporting A Skylit Drivehttps://web.archive.org/web/20150825200150/http://www.altpress.com/news/entry/pvris_sign_to_tragic_hero_records_details in September and October.https://web.archive.org/web/20150825200649/http://www.altpress.com/news/entry/a_skylit_drive_announce_more_tour_dates
Prior to entering the studio, Gunnulfsen met Blake Harnage at a Versa show. She asked him for pointers on production, and according to Gunnulfsen he first got her into making electronic music. Previously, she was "afraid" of the band's more electronic side, she feared it was "too out-of-the-box", potentially out-casting them from the music scene.
When the band went into the studio their sound changed drastically, incorporating pop and electronic elements into their musichttps://web.archive.org/web/20150825213848/http://classicrock.teamrock.com/features/2014-10-20/new-blood-pvris which Gunnulfsen claimed was done subconsciously. 
Pvris began recording material with Harnage producing the proceedings. He helped teach the band not to give a shit what anybody thought, according to Gunnulfsen.
For one week Harnage and Gunnulfsen were sifting through 30 demos deciding which of the material to work on. The demos were either "rock-based" or "weird and electronic"https://web.archive.org/web/20150827065127/http://www.purevolume.com/news/The-PV-QA-PVRIS-Interview-2015 but they went with the latter, building upon them. These would be the basis for what would become White Noise.
The band was very indecisive when it came to the name, with it being planned to be called Haunt at first, or to have it self-titled. Eventually they agreed on naming it after one of the songs, "White Noise". 
All of the material that features on White Noise was written by Lyndsey Gunnulfsen and producer Blake Harnage of VERSA, with the exception of "Holy", "Fire" and "Eyelids", which were written by Gunnulfsen, Harnage and Sierra Kusterbeck. Gunnulfsen wrote the songs while she was "in a very dark place in my mind".
The lyrics for the album were written in October 2013, when Gunnulfsen was highly inspired by ghosts and spirits. These same two items– ghosts and spirits– would be incorporated into the Gunnulfsen's lyrics.
==Release and promotion==
In June 2014https://web.archive.org/web/20150915222337/http://www.rocksound.tv/news/read/the-chorus-to-this-pvris-song-is-going-to-be-in-your-head-for-days prior to playing two weeks on the Battle of the Bands stage at Warped Tour, Pvris signed to Rise and Velocity Records. The band were originally signed to a different record label, but Kellin Quinn of Sleeping with Sirens heard the group's material and claimed he would "get you a deal with Rise."http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=3718111
In early September, the band supported Emarosa on the Up Close and Personal tour.https://web.archive.org/web/20150903202323/http://www.altpress.com/news/entry/emarosa_announce_short_up_close_and_personal_record_release_tour Then on September 22, 2014, the band announced their debut album, White Noise, to be released on November 4, 2014https://web.archive.org/web/20150824171328/http://www.rocksound.tv/news/read/you-know-that-band-pvris-weve-been-banging-on-about-theyve-just-announced-t sharing the track listing and art work for the album as well.
The band supported Mayday Parade in October and Novemberhttps://archive.today/20151113010227/http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=3705643 on their The Honeymoon Tour.https://web.archive.org/web/20150825201840/http://www.altpress.com/news/entry/mayday_parade_announce_fall_tour_with_tonight_alive On October 16, 2014, the title track was made available for streaming.https://web.archive.org/web/20150825074451/http://www.kerrang.com/24053/pvris-stream-title-track-upcoming-album-white-noise/ And on October 30, 2014, an exclusive first listen of White Noise was made available for streaming.https://web.archive.org/web/20150825090408/http://www.teenvogue.com/story/pvris-white-noise-debut-album-exclusive-stream The album was released officially on November 4, 2014https://archive.today/20151113010224/http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=3709011 through Rise and Velocity.https://web.archive.org/web/20150825202711/http://www.altpress.com/news/entry/pvris_velocity_rise_records_stream_debut_album_white_noise
A music video was released for the title track, White Noise, on March 25, 2014, directed by Raul Gonzo. Music videos for all the songs from the album was released throughout 2015 and 2016, including a double feature for the songs "Ghosts" and "Let Them In".
On February 17, 2016, a deluxe edition of White Noise was announced to be released on April 22, 2016. It features two new tracks, "You and I" and "Empty", as well as a stripped-down version of "You and I".https://web.archive.org/web/20160224210307/http://www.altpress.com/news/entry/pvris_announce_white_noise_deluxe_edition_with_new_songlisten It also includes a DVD.
===Singles===
*"St. Patrick" was released as the lead single from the album on June 24, 2014, with a music video, directed by Raul Gonzo, being released the same day. A 7" vinyl was released on January 10, 2015 with the B-side being an acoustic version of the song.
*"My House" was released with a music video, directed by Gonzo, as the second and last single from the standard edition of the album on September 22, 2014.
*On February 17, 2016, "You and I" was premiered on Radio 104.5, the song was released as a single from the deluxe version of White Noise on February 22, 2016.
File: st patrick.jpeg|link=St. Patrick
File: White Noise.jpg|link=My House
File: White Noise (Deluxe Version).jpg|link=You and I
===Tour===
Between January and March, the band supported Pierce the Veil and Sleeping with Sirens on their co-headlining tour across the U.S.https://web.archive.org/web/20150824180649/http://www.rocksound.tv/news/read/heading-to-those-ptv-sws-us-shows-next-year-youre-getting-pvris-and-mallory The band also toured the UK in April supporting Lower Than Atlantis.http://www.kerrang.com/26011/lower-than-atlantis-tour-with-we-are-the-ocean-Gonzopvris/ Around this tour, the band announced two headlining dates,https://web.archive.org/web/20150824181806/http://www.rocksound.tv/news/read/pvris-just-announced-two-uk-headline-shows-for-next-year both of which sold out in seconds. The band was supported by Light You Up and Twin Wild for these two dates.https://web.archive.org/web/20150825074912/http://www.kerrang.com/27747/light-talk-new-album-announce-pvris-support-shows/
The band went on the 2015 edition of Warped Tour.https://web.archive.org/web/20150825205100/http://www.altpress.com/news/entry/pvris_moose_blood_more_announced_for_warped_tour_2015 The band supported Circa Survive in Australia in September.https://web.archive.org/web/20150825013712/http://www.theaureview.com/news/circa-survive-to-tour-australia-in-september The band supported Bring Me the Horizon in the U.S. in October,https://web.archive.org/web/20150824182618/http://www.rocksound.tv/news/read/pvris-will-be-joining-bring-me-the-horizons-north-american-tour then supported them the following month in the UKhttps://web.archive.org/web/20150918132916/http://www.rocksound.tv/news/read/bmth-neck-deep-pvris-are-going-on-tour-together after replacing Beartooth. In January 2016, the band supported All Time Low and One Ok Rock in Japan on the One Thousand Miles Tour.https://web.archive.org/web/20151122004842/http://altpress.jp/?p=33390
In February and March, the band supported Fall Out Boy on their tour of the U.S.https://web.archive.org/web/20151012182321/http://www.altpress.com/news/entry/fall_out_boy_announce_headlining_tour_with_pvris_awolnation And In April, the band went on their first headlining tour in the UK, with support from K.Flay, Bones and Alvarez Kings.https://web.archive.org/web/20151202054815/http://www.rocksound.tv/news/read/pvris-have-announced-the-supports-for-their-headline-tour Prior to the tour, many of the dates sold out so they had to upgrade to bigger venues. In November, the group supported Simple Plan on their tour of Canada.https://web.archive.org/web/20170529131645/http://www.altpress.com/news/entry/simple_plan_announce_tour_with_all_time_low_pvris
==Critical reception==
White Noise received positive reviews. On review aggregator Metacritic, the album has a weighted average of 88 out of 100 based on 4 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim."http://www.metacritic.com/music/white-noise/pvris Reviewing the album for Alternative Press, Brian Kraus called "St. Patrick" "an obvious single choice".https://web.archive.org/web/20150825203006/http://www.altpress.com/reviews/entry/pvris_white_noise# Kraus also praised "My House" and "Holy". Aside from "a few slip-ups", naming "Eyelids" in the process, he said the album was "a shiny debut from a band we are excited to watch improve." Eleanor Grace of idobi thought elements of the band's previous post-hardcore sound can be found in traces across the album.http://idobi.com/review/pvris-white-noise/ At the same time, it was mixed with the band's pop sensibilities, resulting in a sound that is both "fresh and familiar." Grace noted that the songs' hooks were "catchy enough for top 40 radio" while at the same time having "an edge and heavy influence", making them "a better fit for Rise Records than Ryan Seacrest." Rock Sound reviewer Andy Biddulph mentioned that while "St. Patrick" was "the best and worst thing" the group have done, the remainder of the album fails to stand up to the song.http://www.rocksound.tv/reviews/read/pvris-white-noise The "varying quality" of the tracks make for an "enthralling and frustrating listen."
==Commercial performance==
White Noise charted at number 88 on the Billboard 200 in the U.S.https://web.archive.org/web/20150825005332/http://www.billboard.com/artist/6312468/pvris/chart?f=305 It also charted in the top 20 on several Billboard charts.https://web.archive.org/web/20160813014317/http://www.billboard.com/artist/6312468/pvris/chart?f=794https://web.archive.org/web/20160813014242/http://www.billboard.com/artist/6312468/pvris/chart?f=326https://web.archive.org/web/20160813014306/http://www.billboard.com/artist/6312468/pvris/chart?f=408 The album initially charted at number 199 in the UK on the chart dated November 14, 2014.https://web.archive.org/web/20160303195000/http://www.zobbel.de/cluk/141115cluk.txt It re-entered at number 96 on the chart dated between July 31 and August 6, 2015.https://web.archive.org/web/20160229234101/http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/albums-chart/20150731/7502/ It would later peak at number 87 on the chart dated between August 14 and August 20, 2015.https://web.archive.org/web/20160803145212/https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/albums-chart/20160429/7502/ The album entered the UK Independent Albums chart at number 45 on the chart dated between November 9 and November 15, 2014.https://web.archive.org/web/20160307235823/http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/independent-albums-chart/20141109/131/ It re-entered the chart three times: at number 48 in January 2015,https://web.archive.org/web/20160603203744/http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/independent-albums-chart/20150104/131/ at number 42 in Aprilhttps://web.archive.org/web/20160603203809/http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/independent-albums-chart/20150426/131/ and at number 34 in July.https://web.archive.org/web/20160603203816/http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/independent-albums-chart/20150710/131/ It peaked at number 13 in August.https://web.archive.org/web/20160603203822/http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/independent-albums-chart/20150807/131/ "My House" charted at number 17 on the UK Independent Singles Breakers Chart.https://web.archive.org/web/20150924181914/http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/independent-singles-breakers-chart/20150111/254/ "St. Patrick" peaked at number 7 on the UK Independent Singles Breakers Chart.https://web.archive.org/web/20150924181920/http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/independent-singles-breakers-chart/20150503/254/ "Fire" peaked at number 8 on the UK Independent Singles Breakers Chart,https://web.archive.org/web/20150924181925/http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/independent-singles-breakers-chart/20150807/254/ number 18 on the UK Rock & Metal Singles Charthttps://web.archive.org/web/20160308001331/http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/rock-and-metal-singles-chart/20150731/111/ and at number 41 on the UK Independent Singles Chart.https://web.archive.org/web/20160603210528/http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/independent-singles-chart/20150807/130/ On April 29, 2016, the album reached a new peak at number 55 on the UK Albums Chart. As of August 2017, the album has sold 60,000 copies in the UK and has been certified silver.https://web.archive.org/web/20161009041748/http://www.musicweek.com/businessanalysis/read/official-charts-analysis-beyonc-denies-prince-no-1-album/064683
==Track listing==
 
No.	Title 	Writer(s) 	Producers	Lenght
1. 	Smoke 	Lynn Gunn, Blake Harnage 	Harnage 	3:05
2. 	St. Patrick	Sierra Kusterbeck, Harnage, Gunn	Harnage 	4:20
3. 	My House 	Harnage, Gunn 	Harnage 	4:02
4. 	Holy 	Kusterbeck, Harnage, Gunn 	Harnage 	4:55
5. 	White Noise	Harnage, Gunn 	Harnage 	4:22
6. 	Fire 	Kusterbeck, Harnage, Gunn 	Harnage 	3:49
7. 	Eyelids 	Kusterbeck, Harnage, Gunn 	Harnage 	5:07
8. 	Mirrors 	Harnage, Gunn 	Harnage 	3:24
9. 	Ghosts 	Harnage, Gunn 	Harnage 	3:40
10.	Let Them In	Harnage, Gunn 	Harnage 	3:32
===Deluxe version===
 
No.	Title 	Writer(s) 	Producers	Lenght
1. 	You and I 	Kusterbeck, Harnage, Brian MacDonald	Harnage 	4:30
2. 	Empty 	Harnage, Gunn 	Harnage 	3:28
3. 	Smoke 	Lynn Gunn, Blake Harnage 	Harnage 	3:05
4. 	St. Patrick 	Sierra Kusterbeck, Harnage, Gunn 	Harnage 	4:20
5. 	My House 	Harnage, Gunn 	Harnage 	4:02
6. 	Holy 	Kusterbeck, Harnage, Gunn 	Harnage 	4:55
7. 	White Noise 	Harnage, Gunn 	Harnage 	4:22
8. 	Fire 	Kusterbeck, Harnage, Gunn 	Harnage 	3:49
9. 	Eyelids 	Kusterbeck, Harnage, Gunn 	Harnage 	5:07
10.	Mirrors 	Harnage, Gunn 	Harnage 	3:24
11.	Ghosts 	Harnage, Gunn 	Harnage 	3:40
12.	Let Them In 	Harnage, Gunn 	Harnage 	3:32
13.	You and I (Stripped)	Kusterbeck, Harnage, Gunn 	Harnage 	4:54
==Personnel==
Personnel per reissue sleeve.
===Pvris===
* Lyndsey Gunnulfsen – vocals, guitars, additional programming
* Alex Babinski – guitars
* Brian MacDonald – bass
===Additional musicians===
* Chris Kamrada – drums
* Sierra Kusterbeck – backing vocals ("You and I", "Smoke", "My House", "Fire", "Ghosts" and "Let Them In")
* Blake Harnage – backing vocals ("St. Patrick", "White Noise" and "Let Them In"); synths, programming, additional guitar
* Ellena Phillips – harp ("Empty")
===Production===
* Blake Harnage – producer, engineer
* Jeff Juliano – mixing
* Chris Athens – mastering
* David Cook – assistant engineer; mix assistant("You and I")
* Maika Maile – drum engineering
* Andrew Eliot – additional editing
* Chris Curran – additional editing
* Reuven Amiel – drums engineer ("You and I")
* Anthony Reeder – drums editing ("You and I")
==References==
 
Category:Albums
Category:2014
Category:2016