24/Seven (album)
24/Seven is the third studio album by American boy band Big Time Rush, released on June 7, 2013 by Columbia Records. The album experiments with a dance-rock and R&B sound. It also serves as the follow-up to their second studio album "Elevate". The band worked with producers Matt Squire and Damon Sharpe, as they had done in the past, in an effort to mature their sound yet not stray away from their well-known qualities. The four members co-wrote 13 songs (including five deluxe edition bonus tracks) with several hired songwriters. It is  the last album to be released by the band as they stopped performing in 2014, but seven years later, they officially announced their comeback on social media in July 2021. Background. Beginning on April 26, 2013, Big Time Rush began releasing photos for various songs on the album via Instagram and Google Plus. The band revealed the final track listing for the album on April 29, 2013 via "Entertainment Weekly". Composition. Musically, "24/Seven" marks a shift on the band's signature sound showcasing a more mature, organic and "down-to-earth pop" direction than their previous two albums, "BTR  and Elevate". In contrast with their past releases, the songs were written primarily by the band, with the exception of the songs "Like Nobody's Around" and "Song for You", each song on the album was either written or co-written by a member of the band. The album features duo Karmin, which appears on the track "Song for You", and rapper Jake Miller on deluxe edition bonus track "Lost in Love". The first version of the song "Love Me Again" was written by Big Time Rush, but Nickelodeon altered the song to be more "kid-friendly". Promotional single. "Like  Nobody's Around" was released with the pre-order of the album on March 23, 2013. The video references other successful boy bands in past decades as The Ink Spots (1940s/1950s), The Osmonds (1960s), The Jackson 5 (1970s), New Kids on the Block (1980s), Backstreet Boys (1990s) and NSYNC (2000s). The music video premiered on Nickelodeon during the 2013 Kids' Choice Awards. Critical reception. The album received mixed to positive reviews from critics, AllMusic rating it with 3.5 stars. Commercial performance. In the United States, the album debuted at number four on the "Billboard" 200 chart, selling 35,000 album-equivalent  units for the week ending June 29, 2013, according to Nielsen Music. However, original estimates for the album were aimed at upwards of 45,000 copies. Additionally, "24/Seven" was the fourth best-selling album of the week, ranking at number four on the publication's Top Album Sales component chart. It became the group's second top-five album, following their eponymous debut album that reached a peak of number three in 2010. However, it marked the lowest first week sales for the quartet, with their previous two "BTR" and "Elevate" selling 67,000 copies and 70,000 copies in their first  weeks, respectively. The following week, the record dropped 33 positions on the "Billboard" 200, charting at number 37 for the week ending July 6, 2013. For the next three weeks, the album continued to drop down the charts, before rising slightly from number 54 to number 50, during the week of July 27. "24/Seven" was present for a total of ten consecutive weeks on the chart, before reaching its final position for the week ending August 31, being number 154. It topped "Billboard"'s Kid Albums and Top Soundtrack charts for five consecutive weeks, becoming the "Hot Shot Debut  of the week and spending a total of 22 weeks on the component chart. Outside of the US, 24/Seven" entered the charts of many European countries. In Poland, "24/Seven" peaked at number 38 according to the Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. The album was also certified Gold in Mexico. Personnel. Credits from "24/Seven" adapted from album liner notes.