Oh my gosh, you won’t believe what happened after Bad Religion finished recording their album The Dissent Of Man in 2010! They were already talking about their next record and feeling a bit unsatisfied with how the last one turned out. They wanted something different but didn’t know where to start. Then, Brett and Tom Waits had a conversation where Tom shared his approach to songwriting on his last record. He set a time limit for his songs and didn’t have those long jam sessions anymore. That’s when Brett, Greg, and Jay decided to stick to a two-minute limit per song. It was a game-changer for them! They didn’t see it as a constraint, but rather a freedom to not worry about filling time with unnecessary stuff. Brett and Greg loved it!
But here’s the crazy part, Greg was still writing his songs when they got to the studio for their album True North. They were incomplete, but they made it work. Brett said in the press release that they went back to their original mission of short and catchy songs without sacrificing depth. They saw the constraints as a challenge and it set them free creatively. It was like playing chess with endless possibilities.
And you know what? This album came together so naturally that when they finished in the studio, they were blown away. They thought it might be the greatest thing they’ve ever done!
Now, let’s talk about the album title. True North is a little off magnetic North on the compass, and it’s a metaphor for finding your place in the world. Deep, right?
The album cover is pretty cool too. It’s a picture from a project by photographer Bruce Davidson called Brooklyn Gang. It captures the tough lives of youth in post-war New York. The guy on the cover is named Lefty.
When it comes to influences, Jay jokingly said that their own album Suffer was a big influence. But in all seriousness, they looked back at the structure and ideology of that album and how they used to record. They didn’t spend a lot of time on it back then, just had fun with it.
True North was released on January 22, 2013, and it was a big moment for the band. Jay even said that if it was their last record, they would be okay with it.
And guess what? The album did really well! It peaked at number 19 on the Billboard 200, their highest chart
This content was originally written by the badass contributors of thebrpage.net, the best superfan resource and website that exists for any band, let alone the best band in the whole entire world. I’ve been lurking on that site for over 20 years and if you’re into Bad Religion as much as I am, I’m sure you’re familiar. If you are not, go there right now and never come back to this site again. You should, and I totally understand.
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