The Chainsmokers announced the upcoming debut of ‘Everybody Hates Me,’ which launched on Spotify on Friday, March 16, 2018, with social media teasers from the Alex Pall and Drew Taggart that set the stage for the third track from their yet unknown album.
The ever-active Chainsmokers’ social networking accounts shared two interesting updates on March 12th, teasing a song drop. The dance music favorites announced the impending release with their usual flourish and invited fans to register for alerts so that they do not miss it.
To hear our new music FIRST and the new song out Friday go to think link https://t.co/OG6vkVGw59 so you never miss anything! And we got a lot coming 🚨
— THE CHAINSMOKERS (@TheChainsmokers) March 13, 2018
The embedded link leads to Spotify and invites you to connect with The Chainsmokers on the platform to receive all new releases as soon as they’re live. Could this mean the album is coming soon in its entirety?
Fans on Instagram and Twitter got a sneak peek at what could be the video. In the shot, Alex Pall and Drew Taggart watch a car engulfed in flames.
Updates from The Chainsmokers
The real teases about the yet unnamed song came next, however. March 12th was just the beginning of a series of posts that fanned the flames of interest.
On March 13th, a cryptic video post was published from the band’s Twitter.
I just want to drink tequila with my friends #friday #newmusic pic.twitter.com/p0jwFcDBVH
— THE CHAINSMOKERS (@TheChainsmokers) March 13, 2018
Fans that follow The Chainsmokers’ Instagram got the same look.
The 2:20 clip depicts a hooded figure (Taggart?) standing on a stage in an arena. A massive audience spreads out before him, a sea of glowing smartphones in the air. The caption reads, “I just want to drink tequila with my friends #friday #newmusic,” presumably a lyric from the song. Alex Pall and Drew Taggart used a similar tactic when teasing ‘Sick Boy’ earlier this year.
There aren’t many hints about the sound we should expect, since the only background noise is a slow crescendo of bassy rumble. It feels and sounds like a storm is rolling in. A few fans sussed out the clues and called out ‘Everybody Hates Me’ by name.
Keeping the buzz alive, The Chainsmokers’ Twitter released another post the evening of March 14th.
FRIDAY pic.twitter.com/8y5p195U0K
— THE CHAINSMOKERS (@TheChainsmokers) March 14, 2018
And with that, the track was officially named, proving some of the speculating fans right. Around the same time, Alex Pall updated his IG Stories. Pall’s quick story silently depicted the song’s cover art.
The Third Release from a Pending Chainsmokers’ Album?
Before the band’s release of ‘Sick Boy’ in January of 2018, their last single was ‘Honest’ from the Memories…Do Not Open record. ‘Honest’ released July 11, 2017, and fans have been feeling the dry spell. ‘Sick Boy,’ reached 65 on the Billboard Hot 100 list and continues to create a buzz about the duo’s new direction.
Alex Pall and Andrew Taggart took to social and conventional media to promote the ‘Sick Boy’ release as the New Year rolled in. On January 1st, The Chainsmokers’ official Twitter released a post displaying their new logo and a leading caption, “How many likes is my life worth?” On January 16th, a banner quoting the same statement appeared in Times Square. The very next day, ‘Sick Boy’ released.
The next new single followed on February 6, 2018. Called ‘You Owe Me,’ the track is a poppy song with a sweet sound to usher in the spring and take on the road.
The Chainsmokers are on tour now, playing in Europe and Asia while holding court in Vegas thanks to a three-year residency at the XS Nightclub and Encore Beach Club.
Rumors about a forthcoming album aren’t new, but no details are available about the title or its release date.
The Chainsmokers Understand the New Reality of the Music Industry
As you may have guessed, there is a formula to The Chainsmokers’ media strategy. They believe more is more and regular is best. Manager Adam Alpert had this to say to Billboard about the power or regular releases:
“Everybody knows music is consumed song-by-song now due to streaming. We’ve also realized that people want instant gratification. So we decided to deliver a song every four weeks to our core fan base. The strategy works very well for streaming services, because they are getting regular content, and playlist editors can help you narrate that story month to month. And they know how this artist is performing, where they’d best be placed and how to market them through their other channels. Apple Music and Spotify have been very supportive of that strategy. We’ve found that the monthly releases are causing the artist to go more viral, too. If we didn’t do that, people would forget about us during that time because there’s so much noise.”
Fans React to New Song Announcement
While some EDM fans feel The Chainsmokers are moving away from their roots, the fan base is still very strong. They’re embracing the differences in the duo’s sound as they mature as musicians.
Love this new vibe they are on. How they are fusing almost a punk rock sound into EDM
— AC.jR & BradyJames (@acjr_bradyjames) March 13, 2018
The comments quickly piled up under the initial linked announcement with followers eagerly responding that they’d connected on Spotify.
Done pic.twitter.com/Bf5EY2AqvL
— Lluvia🇲🇽 (@croakietaggart) March 13, 2018
More accolades and spoilers about the song from fans who caught the tour accumulated after the video clip.
The view is awesome and magical!
— Kevin Funk (@All_Frequencies) March 14, 2018
OMG YAS, I LOVE THE SONG SO MUCH
— stefi ◟̽◞̽ ➕✖️ (@edmlwt) March 14, 2018
The Chainsmokers’ promotion strategy appears to be working well.
The Chainsmokers Ride Momentum After iHeartRadio Wins
All this hype comes right after a winning night for The Chainsmokers at the iHeartRadio awards on March 11, 2018. They walked away with three wins: Dance Artist of the Year, Best Collaboration, and Best Dance Album of the year for Memories…Do Not Open.
3x winners tonight! Thank you @iHeartRadio for believing in our music and supporting us and helping making us the artists we are! And thank you to your FUCKING AWESOME fans who allow us to express ourselves and always show LOVE pic.twitter.com/KD8fs5qADP
— THE CHAINSMOKERS (@TheChainsmokers) March 12, 2018
The duo’s nominations for the night included Best Duo/Group of the Year, Song of the Year, and Dance Song of the Year.
Can’t get enough of The Chainsmokers? Read our last article on them, or follow them on Spotify and Facebook!