Hoobastank

Fight or Flight, the new album from Hoobastank, marks the beginning of what promises to be a

vital new chapter in the nearly two-decade run of the versatile L.A. band. This musically and

emotionally intense work is Hoobastank’s initial release on Open E Entertainment (EMI)

following a productive decade on Island Records during which they ruled the modern rock

charts, crossed over big-time with the iconic smash “The Reason” and sold 10 million albums.

“The time had come to end the relationship with Island,” says lead singer Doug Robb, “and that

has led to a new mindset for us. We’re older and wiser, we have families now, we’ve

experienced the ups and downs that come with the territory for any successful band, and we

couldn’t ask for anything better than where we are now, with new management and our

quote/unquote ‘indie’ situation. We’re in a spot where it feels like we’ve got nothing to lose and

everything to gain, and that’s exciting.”

The band’s muscular and sensitive modes are both very much in evidence throughout Fight or

Flight’s dozen tracks, but here, for the first time, they’ve managed to seamlessly and

dramatically fuse these seemingly antithetical impulses on powerful yet heartfelt songs like “You

Before Me,” “Magnolia,” “Incomplete” and “No Destination (Fight or Flight).” Other songs

eloquently and unflinchingly document the struggle for self-awareness; these include such

cathartic cuts as “Slow Down,” “The Fallen” and “This Is Gonna Hurt,” the first single. The

expressiveness of the material is masterfully put across by the band—rounded out by bass player

Jesse Charland and drummer Chris Hesse —and captured with breathtaking immediacy by

producer Gavin Brown (Metric, Billy Talent).

Robb, Estrin and their cohorts have come full circle, taking the reins of their collective destiny,

just as they did back in the ’90s when, barely out of high school, they charged out of their West

Valley ’hood to become part of a posse of similarly brash and versatile young SoCal hard rock

bands like Incubus and Linkin Park. Now, once again, they’re challenging themselves, and

they’ve responded with what stands as Hoobastank’s most accomplished and expressive effort.

“We’ve been on this journey for a long time now,” says Robb, “and we’ve come to a greater

appreciation of what motivated us when we were first starting out: We play music, enjoy each

other’s company, have a good time and let the chips fall where they may. It’s like a clean slate,

but not in a bad way—quite the opposite. We’re no longer trying to satisfy others, not even on a

subconscious level; we’re comfortable in our own skin. We know who we are and we know what

we do, and there’s a certain amount of peace in that.”

CONNECT WITH HOOBASTANK ONLINE!

Click the album cover below to purchase HOOBASTANK’s new CD “Fight or Flight” from iTunes!