Good Charlotte Sign To Capitol Records, New Album Due In October

Like country, rock music is a bit of a mixed bag for me.  I like some of it but not all of it.  Good Charlotte definitely fall on the “like some of it” end of the spectrum.  I’m not entirely sure why the band left their old label, Epic and signed with Capitol but I can only assume that there was a good reason.  Their last three albums landed them in the Top Ten on the Billboard 200 chart, with second album The Chronicles of Life and Death peaking at #3.  Sure, the band has NEVER seen one of it’s singles chart higher than “Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous” back in 2002 when it hit #20 on the Billboard Hot 100.  The band even hit the top ten on the Alternative charts with “The Anthem,” part of their Top Ten hit album The Young and the Hopeless. Maybe the boys (Joel Madden, Benji Madden, Billy Martin, Paul Thomas and Dean Butterworth) just wanted to switch it up for their fifth studio album, titled Cardiology.

Cardiology is set to be released on Capitol October 26th, nearly 10 years after the release of their self-titled debut.  Now that’s a SOLID career in the music industry!  The pop-punk band formed in Waldorf, Maryland back in 1996 with Joel Madden on vocals, his brother Benji Madden on guitar, Billy Martin (joined in 1998) on guitar, bassist Paul Thomas and Aaron Escolopio on drums.  Over the years, of course there’s been some lineup changes, most recently with the addition of Dean Butterworth on drums, but the band has managed to consistently bang out quality tunes.  Good Charlotte has sold over 10 million records to date, an impressive feat for any artist.  What I respect most about the band is it’s ability to change with the times, reinventing it’s sound time and time again.  The versatile band has opened for R&B/pop star Justin Timberlake, worked with Jamaican R&B artist Sean Kingston as well as collaborated with Avenged Sevenfold members M. Shadows and Synyster Gates for “The River.”  The boys even released a remix album which contained a variety of rock, pop and electro-remixes of some of their biggest hits, both commercially and amongst their fans.  I love any artist willing to experiment with his or her own sound, even if it means straying away from the commercially acceptable.  Good Charlotte is a great example of a band that’s willing to take creative licenses with their own music, shoot for the moon and not care where it lands on the charts.  The band is clearly in it for their fans and that really comes through in their music.

The Don Gilmore-produced “Like It’s Her Birthday” is the “dancefloor-friendly” first single off Cardiology, expected out August 24th.  Written by Joel Madden, the single leaked online and can now be found everywhere on YouTube.  It certainly sounds like a Good Charlotte song, and that’s not a bad thing.

“While in some ways Cardiology is a return to form for these multiple Warped Tour headliners, it also manages to work in elements from throughout the band’s classic catalog to create an album that simultaneously summarizes what Good Charlotte are all about and hints at where they are headed in the future.”

 Most recently Good Charlotte wrapped a two-month gig on the Bamboozle Roadshow, performing alongside Boys Like Girls, All Time Low, Third Eye Blind and Simple Plan.  The guys also were lucky enough to open for pop singer P!nk during her European stadium tour.  Good Charlotte will be hitting the road this upcoming fall in support of Cardiology‘s October release. Looking forward to hearing more from these guy.  Here’s hoping that the band continues to experiment and morph their sound as the face of music changes.  Nearly 10 years into their career, Good Charlotte is in it for the long haul.