Deine Lieblingsfeinde

Your Favorite Enemies ist eine kanadische Alternative-Rock-Band, die 2006 in Varennes, Québec , von Alex Henry Foster (Gesang), Jeff Beaulieu (Gitarre), Sef Lemelin (Gitarre), Ben Lemelin (Bass), Miss Isabel (Gesang und Keyboard) und Charles „Moose“ Allicie (Schlagzeug) gegründet wurde. Die Band hat ihren Sitz mittlerweile in Drummondville , in einer ehemaligen katholischen Kirche, die sie zu einem Studio umgebaut haben. Die Bandmitglieder sind seit der Gründung unverändert.

Die Bandmitglieder wurden von Bands wie The Clash , The Ramones , The Cure , Noir Désir und Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds beeinflusst und ihr Sound reicht von Alternative Rock über Shoegaze und Post Rock bis hin zu Noise Rock.

Die Band tourte und spielte in Europa (Frankreich, Deutschland, Belgien, Niederlande, Schweiz, Vereinigtes Königreich), ^{[ 1 ]} Japan, Australien, China, Taiwan, Kanada und den Vereinigten Staaten. ^{[ 2 ] [ 3 ]}

In 2007, the band's members founded their own record label, Hopeful Tragedy Records, and produced the EP And If I Was To Die In the Morning… Would I Still Be Sleeping With You.^[4] Available in June of that year, the EP sold more than 30,000 units within the first months of its release. They went on a European tour, playing in London, Paris, Berlin, and Cologne.^[5][6][7]

2008 began with Your Favorite Enemies being mentioned as "one of the top 5 Canadian acts burning their way to International stardom" by Billboard magazine.^[8] On June 1, 2008, the band released their second album, Love Is A Promise Whispering Goodbye,^[9] which sold over 60,000 copies. (In June 2011, the band released a deluxe and remastered version of Love Is A Promise Whispering Goodbye, with unreleased tracks, live versions, and exclusive videos, accompanied by 10 video interviews, answering questions about the album.^[10])

The band then embarked on their first Japanese tour alongside Simple Plan, where they played in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya. That tour attracted the attention of video game composer Takeharu Ishimoto who asked the band to arrange, write lyrics for, and perform three songs on the soundtrack for Dissidia: Final Fantasy, including the theme song. The game's soundtrack reached the 50 best-sellers chart on iTunes in Japan. Also that year, the band added a multi-media section to Hopeful Tragedy Records, YFE-TV (not to be confused with the German broadcaster of the same name).

In 2009, Your Favorite Enemies acquired a former Catholic church in Drummondville and turned it into a professional recording studio. It also houses facilities for live streaming and TV production, the offices of their label, and the offices of their non-profit organization.

Vom 2. Dezember 2008 bis zum 18. April 2010 bot die Band einen kostenlosen wöchentlichen Podcast an, der Porträts der Musiker, Einblicke hinter die Kulissen, Konzertmitschnitte, Studioaufnahmen und Interviews sowie Berichte über ihr Engagement für Menschenrechte enthielt. Am 10. Dezember 2010 startete die Band ihre eigene Talkshow „ Bla Bla Bla: The Live Show“ . ^{[ 11 ] [ 12 ]} Die Show berichtete über Neuigkeiten der Band, ihren Lebensstil, bevorstehende Veröffentlichungen, Tourneen und Merchandise-Artikel. Ab der vierten Folge am 26. Juni 2011 wurde die Show live auf Englisch und Französisch ausgestrahlt und mit japanischen Untertiteln verfügbar gemacht. ^{[ 13 ]} Die letzte Folge von „Bla Bla Bla: The Live Show“ , Folge 29, lief am 27. September 2015; die Band kündigte an, die Show auf Facebook zu übertragen. ^{[ 14 ]}

Am 11. März 2011 wurde die Nordostküste Japans von einem der verheerendsten Erdbeben und Tsunamis in der Geschichte des Landes getroffen. Your Favorite Enemies reagierten darauf mit dem Hope Project. ^{[ 15 ]} Die Band rief dazu auf, in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Roten Kreuz und zahlreichen Schulen weltweit Botschaften der Unterstützung, des Mitgefühls und der Ermutigung zu senden, die als persönliche Postkarten an die Überlebenden verschickt werden sollten. Das Projekt erhielt Hunderte von Nachrichten in verschiedenen Sprachen. Internationale Medien wie Billboard und USA Today ^{[ 16 ]} unterstützten die Initiative, indem sie das Konzept ihren Lesern und Online-Zuschauern vorstellten. Am 25. Mai 2011 besuchte die Band ein Notquartier für Überlebende in Minami Sanriku [ ^{17 ]} und spielte eine Benefiztournee durch Japan. Unter dem Titel „Arisen From Despairs, A Morning Of All Hope“ ^führte die Tour die Band nach Tokio , Osaka und Kyoto . ^{[ 18 ]} Während ihres Aufenthalts in Kyoto war Your Favorite Enemies die erste internationale Band, die im historischen Otagi Nenbutsu-ji auftrat . Dieses Erlebnis wurde auf einer DVD festgehalten, die im Januar 2012 unter dem Titel „ Running Through The Rain of Estrangement... Catching Pure Drops of Diamond Bliss“ erschien .

In April and May 2011, Your Favorite Enemies traveled across China on a tour called The Rising Youth Of The Dragon Land, playing the MIDI^[19] and ZEBRA festivals,^[20] as well as performing in clubs and venues in different cities.^[21] Known for their active support for such organizations as AIDS charity (RED) and for being long-time spokespersons for Amnesty International, the band was said to be "one of the most controversial band to ever play in China".^[22] On May 18, 2011, the band was "Artist of the Week" in Billboard magazine.^[23]

On July 31, 2012, Your Favorite Enemies released an acoustic album called Vague Souvenir.^[24] The first released single, "Turn The Dirt Over", is a cover of a song by Sea Wolf. The album contains 14 tracks that include poetry, spoken-word, songs from the early years of the band, and covers from artists that have inspired the band. The album was explained in details in a series of blogs called From A Spark To A Song.^[25] This album also gave birth to Sacred Kind of Whispers, an album released on June 7, 2013.^[26] It was released only on vinyl, and contains four original songs of the band, three of which are on Vague Souvenir, and five spoken-words poems in French, one of which is exclusive to the vinyl album.

Your Favorite Enemies finished the recording of their album Between Illness and Migration in early January.^[27] It was mixed by John Agnello (Sonic Youth, The Kills, Bob Dylan) at Fluxivity Studio in New York City.^[28] The band released the album on March 20, 2013, in Japan, through King Records.^[29] The band was placed among 'featured artists' for weeks by Tower Records. In April, they performed at Canadian Music Week,^[30] then went overseas to play in Paris and London.^[31][32]

On July 8, 2013, Your Favorite Enemies released the EP Youthful Dreams of an Old Empire exclusively in the UK.^[33] The 3-track EP, a Prequel to Between Illness And Migration, was well received by critics.^{[34][35][36][37]}

On September 6, 2013, the band released the Australian version of Between Illness And Migration. The album received 4 out of 5 stars by The Sydney Morning Herald.^[38] In support of the release of the album, Your Favorite Enemies toured Australia and played at Brisbane's Big Sound Festival.^[39] In October, the band was invited to London by Kerrang! magazine, for a photo shoot and two private concerts; Kerrang called the band "Canada's best-kept secret".^[40]

Your Favorite Enemies played Canadian Music Week in May 2014,^[41] and was included in the Canadian Blast showcase hosted by the Canadian Independent Music Association at the 2014 MIDEM in Cannes.^[42] The band then embarked on a UK tour called From Upper Room To Higher Sky, where they played venues such as King Tuts, The Barfly,^[43]The Thekla, and The Esquires.

The France-exclusive five-track EP Entre Marées Et Autres Ressacs was released on April 22, 2014.^[44] It was made available on the band's online store in limited number, and sold out in less than two weeks. Entre Marées Et Autres Ressacs received positive reviews from numerous French webzines, amongst them Muzzart,^[45]Metalland,^[46] and Obskure Mag.^[47]

On April 20, 2014, one month before its official release, the album Between Illness And Migration was made available on iTunes. On the day of its release, May 20, it peaked at #2 in the iTunes chart. It was also #6 on Canadian charts, which earned the band the title of "best-selling artist of the week" at HMV and Archambault. The release of the album and its position in Canadian charts garnered media attention.^{[48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55]}

The album's first single, "I Just Want You To Know", started airing on the Montreal station CHOM-FM in April, and was chosen by Slaves on Dope's Jason Rockman as "Big Shiny New Song of the Week" on April 21; the song was played as often as once a day. The band also gave a live performance and interview with The Rockman at the studios of the station.^[56] The official video clip for the song was also added to the rotation on MuchMusic and MusiquePlus. The music video for the song "1-2-3 (One Step Away)", earned an exclusive premiere on the website of Kerrang! magazine, prior to its official release on March 18, 2016.^[57]

Through April and May, the band toured the USA, supporting ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead.^[58]

At the Juno Awards of 2015, Between Illness And Migration was nominated for "Rock Album of the Year".

On June 17, 2016, Your Favorite Enemies released Between Illness And Migration, Tokyo Sessions, a new interpretation of the album.^[59] In addition to re-imagined version of all 12 original tracks, there were radio edits of the singles "1-2-3 (One Step Away)", "A View From Within", "I Just Want You To Know", and "Where Did We Lose Each Other". The album made its debut in the 6th position of the Soundscan sales in Canada.^[60] On iTunes, the album made a top-5 debut in four categories, hitting No. 4 in overall album sales, No. 2 on the Rock chart, No. 3 on the Alternative chart, and No. 2 among Canadian releases.^[61]

Your Favorite Enemies feierten ihre jahrelange Tournee mit einem handgefertigten Sammlerbuch, das Songs der letzten fünf Jahre vereinte. Die limitierte Vinyl-Box mit Begleitbuch trug den Titel „A Journey Beyond Ourselves“. Die Vinyl-Schallplatten wurden in eigener „Lathe Cut“-Technik gefertigt, das Buch im Siebdruckverfahren bedruckt. Das Album war in ausgewählten unabhängigen Plattenläden im Großraum Montreal erhältlich. Die Veröffentlichung erfolgte am 1. September 2017, nachdem das Musikvideo zu „Underneath A Blooming Skylight“ am 4. Juli von Exclaim! Premiere gefeiert hatte. ^{[ 62 ]} Die Box war am 5. Oktober ausverkauft; die Band verzichtete auf eine digitale Veröffentlichung.

Im Jahr 2020 veröffentlichten Your Favourite Enemies das Kompilationsalbum „ The Early Days “. Stand 2021 trat Alex Henry Foster als Solokünstler auf und Sef Lemelin hatte ein Soloalbum aufgenommen.

Your Favorite Enemies unterstützt Amnesty International , (RED) , Rock N' Rights und War Child . Alex Henry Foster, ein ehemaliger Sozialarbeiter, ist seit vielen Jahren offizieller Sprecher von Amnesty International. ^{[ 63 ]} Er ist als Konferenzredner in Kanada tätig, hat mehrfach den jährlichen Jugendkongress von Amnesty International ausgerichtet und einen Song für die Veröffentlichung von Fred M'membe geschrieben . ^{[ 63 ]} Die Band wirkte an den Feierlichkeiten zum 30-jährigen Jubiläum von Amnesty International (2007), zum 35-jährigen Jubiläum von „Give Peace A Chance“, an „Imagine“ (2004) und am „Marche des femmes vers l'an 2000“ mit und trat beim Konzert zum 51. Jahrestag der Charta der Menschenrechte und Freiheiten auf .

In April 2005, Alex Henry Foster and Jeff Beaulieu founded Rock And Rights, a non-profit organization actively dedicated to human rights awareness, education, promotion and mobilization towards equality, dignity and justice for all, despite beliefs, sex, religion, sexual orientation, language and nationality. During the 2006 Vans Warped Tour in Toronto, Jeff Beaulieu conducted an interview about human rights with Pat Thetic of Anti-Flag.^[64] In 2010, for The Universal Declaration of Human Rights Day, the band produced a video^[65] with a strong and engaging message,^[66] supporting at the same time Amnesty International's efforts for the "Write for Rights" campaign through art.^[67] They did the same in 2011, with a different video that carried the same message.^[68]

The Juno Awards is a Canadian awards ceremony presented annually by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

Albums

• Love Is a Promise Whispering Goodbye (2008)
• Love Is a Promise Whispering Goodbye (Deluxe & Remastered) (2011)
• Running Through the Rain of Estrangement... Catching Pure Drops of Diamond Bliss (2012)
• Vague Souvenir (2012)
• Sacred Kind of Whispers (2013)
• Between Illness and Migration (Japanese Edition) (2013), King Records (Japan)
• Between Illness and Migration (Australian Edition) (2013)
• Between Illness and Migration (Canadian Edition) (2014)
• Between Illness and Migration (European Edition) (2014), Graphite Records (UK)
• Between Illness and Migration (India Edition) (2015), Times Music
• Between Illness and Migration - Deluxe: Tokyo Sessions (2016) • MC: Gold^[69]
• A Journey Beyond Ourselves (2017)
• The Early Days (Compilation Album, 2020)

EPs

• And If I Was to Die in the Morning... Would I Still Be Sleeping with You (2007)
• Youthful Dreams of an Old Empire (2013)
• Entre Marées Et Autres Ressacs (2014)
• Where Did We Lose Each Other (2014)
• A Vision of the Lights We're In (2015)
• The Uplifting Sound Of An Epiphanic Awakening (2016)

Other

• Excerpts from the Dissidia Final Fantasy Original Soundtrack, Takeharu Ishimoto, Nobuo Uematsu, Tsuyoshi Sekito, Your Favorite Enemies (2009), Square Enix^[70]

DVDs

• Running Through the Rain of Estrangement... Catching Pure Drops of Diamond Bliss (2012)
• The Uplifting Sound of an Epiphanic Awakening (2011)

Side projects

• Windows in the Sky, Alex Henry Foster (November 9, 2018)
• Deconstruction, Sef Lemelin (2019)

• Official website
• Your Favorite Enemies at IMDb