The New America

The New America is the eleventh studio album by punk band Bad Religion. It was released in 2000 and is their last album (to date) on Atlantic Records.

The New America is also Bad Religion's last album with Bobby Schayer on drums. Though not yet credited as a member of the band, then-former and now-current guitarist Brett Gurewitz co-wrote and played guitar on the song "Believe It". The album was re-released by Epitaph Records on September 15, 2008.

Musical style and lyrics

The album marks a departure for the band, as most of the songs are personal, rather than political in nature. Topics range from singer Greg Graffin's recent divorce to his past growing up as a punk kid in the early '80s. As a result of the more personal lyrics, the album is considered to be one of Bad Religion's strongest lyrical efforts.

Production and marketing

The New America was recorded from October to December 1999 at Victor's Barn, Kauai, Hawaii and produced by Todd Rundgren. Rundgren had been one of the musicians Greg Graffin looked up to while growing up. However, working with Rundgren proved to be a disappointment to the band and especially Graffin, because they did not get along well with each other.^[1] Graffin however would later write in his book, Anarchy Evolution, that although Todd Rundgren was difficult to work with, they remain friends to this day.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[2]
Robert Christgau	^[3]
Rolling Stone	^[4]

The New America was released on May 9, 2000 and is the last Bad Religion album distributed via Atlantic Records to date. It peaked at number 88 on the Billboard 200 album chart.^[5]

The release of The New America marked the band's fulfillment of their four-album contract with Atlantic Records, allowing the band to reconvene with former band-mate, Brett Gurewitz, for their next album, 2002's The Process of Belief, released on Epitaph Records.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"You've Got a Chance"	Graffin	3:41
2.	"It's a Long Way to the Promise Land"	Graffin	2:29
3.	"A World Without Melody"	Graffin	2:32
4.	"New America"	Graffin	3:25
5.	"1000 Memories"	Graffin	3:00
6.	"A Streetkid Named Desire"	Graffin	3:17
7.	"Whisper in Time"	Graffin	2:32
8.	"Believe It"	Graffin, Gurewitz	3:41
9.	"I Love My Computer"	Graffin	3:06
10.	"The Hopeless Housewife"	Graffin	2:59
11.	"There Will Be a Way"	Graffin	2:53
12.	"Let It Burn"	Graffin	2:44
13.	"Don't Sell Me Short"	Graffin	3:58

Japan and Europe bonus track
No.	Title	Length
14.	"The Fast Life"	2:01
15.	"Queen of the 21st Century"	4:17

B-Sides
No.	Title	Length
16.	"Lose as Directed"	2:30
17.	"Pretenders"	4:12

Personnel

Greg Graffin – lead vocals
Greg Hetson – guitar
Brian Baker – guitar, backing vocals
Jay Bentley – bass guitar, backing vocals
Bobby Schayer – drums, percussion
Brett Gurewitz – Lead guitar on "Believe It" (Uncredited as a member of the band. Credited as "Mr. Brett")
Todd Rundgren – producer, backing vocals
David Boucher – mixing
Bob Clearmountain – mixing
Christina Dittmar – design
Olaf Heine – photography

References

↑ Live at the Palladium DVD
↑ The New America at AllMusic
↑ "CG: bad religion". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
↑ "Rolling Stone Music | Album Reviews". Rollingstone.com. February 28, 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
↑ "The New America's entry at Billboard.com". Billboard.com. February 2016. Archived from the original on March 17, 2006. Retrieved 2007-12-27.

External links

The New Americas at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)

Bad Religion

Greg Graffin Brett Gurewitz Jay Bentley Brian Baker Mike Dimkich Jamie Miller Jay Ziskrout Pete Finestone Paul Dedona Davy Goldman Greg Hetson Tim Gallegos John Albert Lucky Lehrer Bobby Schayer Brooks Wackerman

Studio albums	How Could Hell Be Any Worse? Into the Unknown Suffer No Control Against the Grain Generator Recipe for Hate Stranger than Fiction The Gray Race No Substance The New America The Process of Belief The Empire Strikes First New Maps of Hell The Dissent of Man True North

EPs	Bad Religion Back to the Known Christmas Songs

Other releases	80–85 All Ages Tested Punk Rock Songs 30 Years Live

Videos and DVDs	Along the Way Live at the Palladium

Singles	"Atomic Garden" "American Jesus" "Struck a Nerve" "21st Century (Digital Boy)" "Infected" "Stranger than Fiction" "A Walk" "Punk Rock Song" "Sorrow" "Los Angeles Is Burning" "Honest Goodbye" "New Dark Ages" "The Devil in Stitches" "Father Christmas"

Tours	Against the Grain Tour Generator Tour The Gray Race Tour The New America Tour No Control Tour No Substance Tour The Process of Belief Tour Recipe for Hate Tour Stranger than Fiction Tour Suffer Tour Tested Tour

Related bands	American Lesion Black President Circle Jerks Daredevils Dag Nasty Error Government Issue Minor Threat Wasted Youth Fear and the Nervous System

Related articles	Discography Members Epitaph Records Punk rock in California Hardcore punk Warped Tour

Related albums	American Lesion (1997) Cold as the Clay (2006)

Book Category Portal:Punk rock

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