Dear You is the fourth studio album by the punk rock band Jawbreaker, released on September 12, 1995, through DGC Records.
While promoting their third studio album 24 Hour Revenge Therapy (1994), Jawbreaker was approached by Geffen Records. After securing management, they signed to the label and started recording what would be their major label debut at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California, with producer Rob Cavallo. While bassist Chris Bauermeister and drummer Adam Pfahler recorded their respective parts within a few days, frontman Blake Schwarzenbach did his parts over six weeks in February and March 1995.
Mainly described as an emo, pop-punk, and punk rock album, Dear You returns to the darker sound of Jawbreaker‘s second album Bivouac (1992). The lyrics largely revolve around the aftermath of the relationship that was the inspiration for 24 Hour Revenge Therapy; others, such as “Save Your Generation” and “Chemistry”, deal with slacker culture and attending school, respectively.
Unlike previous releases, Dear You sees Schwarzenbach sing more instead of scream: his vocals evoked Morrissey, while the overall band was compared to the work of Green Day, Jawbox, and Nirvana.
Dear You was met with generally favorable reviews from music critics, many of whom praised the album’s sound and highlighted the lyrics. It peaked at number 22 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart in the United States. There, it would sell 40,000 copies by 2002.
“Fireman” was released as the album’s lead single in August 1995; Jawbreaker embarked on the Monsters of Jaw tour with Jawbox, and then toured Australia as part of the Summersault festival. “Accident Prone” was released as the next single by April 1996, which was promoted with a supporting slot for the Foo Fighters. Following a fist fight between Bauermeister and Schwarzenbach, Jawbreaker announced their break up in July 1996.
Jawbreaker‘s fanbase was not receptive to Dear You at its release, criticizing its production; the decision to sign with a major label would overtake the album’s content, becoming the narrative that dominated the press.
Following the band’s demise, fan perception changed to a positive one, as the album would become an influence on the next wave of emo and pop-punk artists. Many of Dear You songs would feature on tribute albums in the ensuing years, and several publications included it on best-of emo album lists.
After going out of print, Pfahler‘s label Blackball Records would reissue it in 2004. Jawbreaker would eventually embark on a celebratory tour of the album in 2022.
Tracklist:
SIDE A
- Save Your Generation
- I Love You So Much It’s Killing Us Both
- Fireman
- Accident Prone
- Chemistry
- Oyster
- Million
SIDE B
- Lurker II: Dark Son of Night
- Jet Black
- Bad Scene, Everyone’s Fault
- Sluttering (May 4th)
- Basilica
- Unlisted Track
Jawbreaker
Blake Schwarzenbach: lead vocals, guitar
Adam Pfahler: drums
Chris Bauermeister: bass
Production
Rob Cavallo: production
Jerry Finn: mixing
Neill King: engineering
Bob Ludwig: mastering
Artwork
Daisy Arts: book
Adam Pfahler: front cover, insert photo
John Dunne: back cover photo
Don Lewis: insert live photo
Jane Bauermeister: insert plaid photo
John Yates: “Built” (at Stealworks)
Francesca Restrepo: additional construction
Label: Geffen Records
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Clear with Blue & White Smoke
Country: US
Released: 2015
