Brand New as a band has been called a lot of things (Emo, Punk, etc.), but one thing you won't find anyone calling them is brand new. Yes, that was a bad dad joke and no, I do not regret it.
Formed in 2000, the band has been around the block a time or two, and they are largely considered to be one of the most influential bands in the early 2000's "emo" music scene—let's be honest here, if you were there, then you already know.

It was in 2003 when the band released their second studio effort to the masses. This was also the first album where the band decided to switch its sound up from what fans had gotten used to with their debut release "Your Favorite Weapon" which sold over 50,000 copies but not nearly as much as they had hoped. "Deja Entendu" which is French for "already heard" debuted at number 63 on the Billboard 200, and after just 7 weeks sold more than 51,000 copies already closing in on the total figure of its predecessor.
Deja Entendu was a welcomed change for the fans of the band, and its popularity opened up new doors and industry opportunities —which resulted in the band being signed to their first major record label. Up to that point, the band had been riding the indie record label wave and hadn't caught the eye of the major players in the music industry. By 2007, four years after its release "Deja Entendu" was certified Gold by the RIAA for surpassing 500,000 sales in the United States.

You can love them, you can hate them—hell you can even love to hate them, but you certainly cannot deny their influence on the early 2000's emo/rock scene as a whole. You've almost certainly heard at least one of their songs on your local radio station, and watched at least one of their music videos on MTV after you got out of school. This week we take it back to High School and dig into what it was (or wasn't) that made us latch on to what Brand New was willing to offer up at the time. It's season 3, episode 15 of your favorite retired Warped Tour roadie's favorite music podcast. LET'S GO!

Keep up with all of the music we talk about in each episode by listening to the Infectious Groove Podcast Companion Songs playlist, exclusively on Spotify.

Infectious Groove Podcast, part of the OddPods Media Network.