Underclass Hero

Underclass Hero
Studio album by Sum 41
Released	July 18, 2007
Recorded	November 6, 2006–March 14, 2007 at Ocean Way Studios, Los Angeles, California; Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, California; Sage & Sound Studios, Hollywood, California
Genre	Pop punk, punk rock, alternative rock
Length	51:49
Label	Aquarius (Canada) Island (US)
Producer	Deryck Whibley
Sum 41 studio album chronology
Chuck (2004) Underclass Hero (2007) Screaming Bloody Murder (2011)
Singles from Underclass Hero
"March of the Dogs" Released: April 17, 2007 "Underclass Hero" Released: May 15, 2007 "Walking Disaster" Released: July 23, 2007 "Pull The Curtain" Released: July 24, 2007 "With Me" Released: February 28, 2008

Underclass Hero is the fourth studio album by Canadian rock band, Sum 41. It is the only record that was released with only three members in the band, since Dave Baksh left a year early to focus on Brown Brigade. The album was first released July 18, 2007 in Japan. It was released under the Island Records label and distributed worldwide by Universal Records, by Aquarius Records. The album cover features a photo with singer Deryck Whibley spitting. This album features more alternative rock songs than their previous albums. The album gained success on the Canadian and on the United States album charts, peaking at #1 on the Canadian Albums Chart and at #7 on the U.S. Billboard 200. It received very mixed reviews upon release, with some critics praising its mature subject matter and style, while others criticized it for being unoriginal. It is also Sum 41's last release on Aquarius.

Background

It was the first new material to be released without former guitarist Dave Baksh. The album title's similarity to John Lennon's hit "Working Class Hero" is not a coincidence, according to the band's front man Deryck Whibley, who in an interview with Sun Media claimed Lennon as his favorite songwriter.

Structure and lyrical themes

Underclass Hero has been called a concept album following life seen through Deryck Whibley's eyes, with politics, religion, and family being certain subjects mentioned.

The album begins with the title track, "Underclass Hero", which refers prominently to society and the struggle of "high-class versus the underclass" instead of "youth against adults" as in All Killer No Filler. The song also uses the more classic punk-rock themes of anti-establishment. The second track, "Walking Disaster", is a classic, upbeat pop-punk song which illustrates a tattered childhood and the reflections as an adult. The third track, "Speak of the Devil", is seen from two views, atheists and believers in religion. "Dear Father" is inspired by Deryck not knowing his real father, and touches on a similar theme. "Count Your Last Blessings" is about being hopeless and trying to improve on life. "Ma Poubelle" is a short joke track spoken in French. "March of the Dogs" and "The Jester" focus on war and how it can be started by politics. "With Me" focuses on being alone in the world but soon finding love. "Pull The Curtain" is about becoming corrupted by power and realizing what has happened. "King Of Contradiction" is a short punk song about a betrayal and is a hate-filled goodbye. "Best Of Me" is a ballad developing what "With Me" established, showing a relationship ending. "Confusion And Frustration In Modern Times" protests that there is no God and that religion is detrimental to society. "So Long Goodbye" is an acoustic closing track that alternates what King Of Contradiction established, as well as sending off the album in a positive way.

Musical sound and style

Underclass Hero has a more pop punk style than their previous albums Does This Look Infected? and Chuck, which had a heavier alternative metal sound. More instruments have been utilized in this album, such as piano, strings, bells and different drum kits.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AbsolutePunk	(74%) [1]
Allmusic	[2]
BBC	(unfavourable) [3]
Entertainment Weekly	(B)[4]
The Guardian	[5]
IGN	(7.0/10) [6]
NME	(4/10) [7]
PopMatters	(4/10) [8]
Rolling Stone	[9]
Sputnikmusic	[10]

Critical Reception

Underclass Hero has received mixed reviews from music critics and fans, with some praising the songwriting and artistic style, and others negatively comparing it to the likes of Green Day. The review website Metacritic has given it a 50/100 based on 12 reviews. The A.V. Club gave the album a positive review, calling it "the band's smartest and most mature sounding album yet." Billboard also reacted well, saying that "its growth feels genuine and, unlike Sum 41's punk peers, its musical maturation doesn't come at the expense of that all-important snotty 'tude." The Guardian gave the album a negative review, saying "Sentiments are rendered as blandly as lazy graffiti tags, with the music accompanying them as bold and portentous as a light shower." Sputnikmusic gave the album a harsh review, saying that it "tries its best to be profound and musically challenging, however its only success is found, without exception, in the tracks which drop the pretense entirely and return to the formula which made the group popular to begin with." Allmusic gave the album a mixed review, saying that "'Hero' is ingratiating enough as background music—it's hooky enough to have momentum but not enough to linger in the memory—but they've never sounded quite so toothless and it's all down to this increased ambition."

Commercial performance

In Canada, Underclass Hero debuted at #1 on the Canadian Albums Chart, selling just over 9,000 copies in its first week.^[11] In the United States, the album sold 44,601 copies in its first week and debuted at #7 on the Billboard 200, making it their highest chart positioning to date in the U.S. It has sold 183,638 copies as of March 2011.^[12]

The album spawned three singles, "Underclass Hero", "Walking Disaster", and "With Me". Additionally, "March of the Dogs" was released as an album preview. The only single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 was "Underclass Hero", which peaked at number 86.^[13]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Deryck Whibley, except where noted.

Personnel

Release history

Charts

References

External links

• Sum 41 on Myspace
• MTV News Interview
• Jam interview
• Best Buy DVD offer
• Underclass Hero at Metacritic