Underdog Alma Mater is the debut studio album by American pop punk band Forever the Sickest Kids. It was released on April 29, 2008 by Universal Motown.

Composition

Many of the songs from Underdog Alma Mater had already been released in the band's previous EPs.^[1]

The band's very first EP, Television Off, Party On, featured the tracks "Believe Me, I'm Lying", "She's a Lady", and "Breakdown".^[2] However, these tracks have a significantly different sound to them in their respective recordings from the EP and Underdog Alma Mater. On the band's release, The Sickest Warped Tour EP, "Hey Brittany" and "Coffee Break" were featured on it,^[3] but were also different from their respective recorded versions on the album. Unlike the other songs, on the band's EP, Hot Party Jamz, the track "That for Me" was featured, but its recording remained the same as it was on the album.

The band recorded the album in Annetenna Studio in Burbank, California and Red Bull Studios in Santa Monica.^[4] During the writing of the songs for the album, guitarist Marc Stewart stated, "Our songs are about real stuff that's happened to us because that's what kids want to hear about. They want to listen to stories about things that could happen to them as well, or that already have happened to them."^[5]

"Hey Brittney" was the first song the group ever wrote. The song combines elements of power pop, pop-punk, electro-pop and '80s radio rock.^[6]^[1] The track "Believe Me, I'm Lying", written by Austin Bello and Caleb Turman, is based on how Turman once ran into trouble with his girlfriend after he lied to her and left her in tears. Turman stated, "I was hanging out with some other girls, but I told my girlfriend that I was going out by myself. So, the girls and I decided to get some coffee, and as we're walking to the car, my girlfriend pulled up and her headlights were right there in my face. I was totally busted."^[5]

"Believe Me, I'm Lying" and the track "My Worst Nightmare" were both written by Bello and Turman and both tracks had originally descended from the duo's former acoustic/electronic project Been Bradley. The original recordings of these two songs are featured on the deluxe edition of Underdog Alma Mater.^[7]

Release

Between mid-March and early May 2008, the band participated in the Alternative Press Tour.^[8] "Whoa Oh! (Me vs. Everyone)" was released on the band's MySpace page on March 18, 2008.^[9] It was released as the lead single from the album on April 1, 2008.^[10] On April 10, a music video was released for the song.^[11] Underdog Alma Mater was released on April 29 through Universal Motown Records.^[1] The album was made available for streaming on May 2 through Imeem.^[12] A couple of days later, the band appeared at the 2008 edition of the Bamboozle festival.^[13] Also in May, the group went on a US tour alongside Metro Station, the Maine, the Cab and Danger Radio.^[14] Between June and August, the band performed on the 2008 edition of Warped Tour.^[15] "She's a Lady" was released on July 11, 2008 as the second single from the album.^[16] A music video was released for the song on September 23.^[17] In October and November, the band supported Cobra Starship on their Sassy Back (Tour) in the US.^[18]

On February 4, 2009, the band posted a cover of Taylor Swift's "Love Story" online.^[19] Later in February, the band went on a tour of Europe, followed by appearances at Soundwave festival in Australia and a tour of Japan, ending in early March.^[20] In April, the band performed on the Bamboozle Roadshow^[21] and appeared at The Bamboozle festival in early May.^[22] Between late June and late August, the band performed on the Warped Tour.^[23] On July 7, the deluxe edition of the album was released. It featured the twelve original songs from the album and seventeen additional tracks from the band, mainly from the band's earlier days.^[7] A DVD with live shows and other footage was also included, as well.^[7]

In 2018, the group released Underdog Alma Mater on vinyl to the celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the album.^[24]

Promotion

Fans would receive special bonuses by pre-ordering the album from certain retailers.^[25]

Best Buy
- Two bonus tracks: "Give & Take (remix)" and "Hurricane Haley"
- A bonus live video of the band's full set at SXSW
Interpunk
- Button, sticker, and signed poster
iTunes (digital download)
- Two bonus tracks: "Becky Starz (remix)" and "Indiana"
Newbury Comics
- Signed CD booklet
SmartPunk
- Autographed poster

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AbsolutePunk.net	(78%)^[26]
AllMusic	^[27]
Punknews.org	^[28]

Underdog Alma Mater was met with generally positive reviews from music critics. Joe DeAndrea of AbsolutePunk.net praised the album for its catchy melodies, infectious chorus' and high production work. He stated, "it becomes obvious that not only does Forever the Sickest Kids have the ability to break through the mainstream, but completely burst through it." He called tracks such as "Hey Brittany" and "She's a Lady" a "harder punch that makes them irresistible." He also praised the song "Whoa Oh! (Me vs. Everyone)" for its simple lyrics and catchy chorus. However, he was critical on the tracks "Believe Me, I'm Lying" and "Coffee Break" calling them "watered down" and "out of place." Overall, he stated that the album would be "people's guiltiest pleasure of the year."^[26]

Jordan Rogowski of Punksnew.org also gave the album a positive review. He complimented the band's songwriting ability and lyrical themes on the album that make them stand out among their peers within the genre.^[28] However, Katherine Fulton of AllMusic stated the opposite of that, remarking; "The ultimate goal of a debut album should be to set a band apart from its peers, but it appears that Forever the Sickest Kids have missed that point with Underdog Alma Mater." Despite giving a negative review, she did praise the track "Uh Huh" calling it "light and bouncy." She ended off stating, "they're not enough to make up for what amounts to a shallow debut that shows Forever the Sickest Kids' talent for appropriation, not originality."^[27]

Track listing

All music is composed by Forever the Sickest Kids, except "Catastrophe" by FTSK and Shep Goodman. All vocals by Jonathan Cook, Austin Bello, and Caleb Turman, except where noted

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Whoa Oh! (Me vs. Everyone)"	Cook Bello Turman	Matt Squire Geoff Rockwell	3:24
2.	"Hey Brittany" (Cook/Turman)	Cook Bello Turman	Squire Rockwell	3:05
3.	"My Worst Nightmare"	Bello Turman	Matt Mahaffey Jeff Turzo Rockwell	3:45
4.	"Believe Me I'm Lying"	Bello Turman	Squire Rockwell	3:05
5.	"The Way She Moves"	Bello Turman	Mahaffey Turzo Rockwell	3:42
6.	"She's a Lady"	Cook Bello Turman Marc Stewart	Squire Rockwell	4:00
7.	"Uh Huh"	Bello Turman	Mahaffey Turzo Rockwell	2:58
8.	"Phone Call"	Bello Turman	Squire Rockwell	3:18
9.	"Breakdown" (Cook/Turman)	Cook Turman	Mahaffey Turzo Rockwell	3:37
10.	"That for Me"	Bello Turman	Squire Rockwell	2:56
11.	"Coffee Break" (Cook/Turman)	Cook Turman	Squire Rockwell	2:40
12.	"Catastrophe"	Bello Turman Goodman	Squire Rockwell	3:18
Total length:				39:50

Best Buy bonus tracks
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
13.	"Give and Take (remix)"	Cook Bello Turman	2:19
14.	"Hurricane Haley"	Bello Turman	3:42

iTunes bonus tracks
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
13.	"Indiana"	Bello Turman	3:47
14.	"Becky Starz (remix)"	Cook Bello Turman	3:47

UK bonus track
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
13.	"The Party Song"	Cook Bello Turman	3:30

Deluxe edition track listing
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Intro"	Cook Bello Turman Burns Stewart Kent Garrison	0:19
2.	"Whoa Oh! (Me vs. Everyone)"	Cook Bello Turman	3:24
3.	"Hey Brittany" (Cook/Turman)	Cook Bello Turman	3:05
4.	"My Worst Nightmare"	Bello Turman	3:45
5.	"Believe Me I'm Lying"	Bello Turman	3:05
6.	"The Way She Moves"	Bello Turman	3:42
7.	"She's a Lady"	Cook Bello Turman Stewart	4:00
8.	"Uh Huh"	Bello Turman	2:58
9.	"Phone Call"	Bello Turman	3:18
10.	"Breakdown" (Cook/Turman)	Cook Turman	3:37
11.	"That for Me"	Bello Turman	2:56
12.	"Coffee Break" (Cook/Turman)	Cook Turman	2:40
13.	"Catastrophe"	Bello Turman Goodman	3:18
14.	"Middletro"	Cook Bello Turman Burns Stewart Garrison	0:15
15.	"Believe Me I'm Lying (original demo)" (Bello/Turman)	Bello Turman	1:59
16.	"Indiana (hotel demo)" (Bello/Turman)	Bello Turman	2:44
17.	"Who Invited the Monster" (Bello)	Bello	1:53
18.	"Bundled Up" (Cook)	Cook Bello Turman	2:47
19.	"Uh Huh (Demo)"	Bello Turman	1:40
20.	"Catastrophe (acoustic demo)"	Bello Turman Goodman	2:53
21.	"Believe Me I'm Lying" (featuring Chae Hawk)	Bello Turman Chae Hawk Geoff Rockwell	3:52
22.	"My Worst Nightmare (demo)" (Bello/Turman)	Bello Turman	1:21
23.	"Give and Take (acoustic demo)"	Cook Bello Turman	1:22
24.	"Give and Take (remix)"	Cook Bello Turman	2:19
25.	"Heat Wave Jam Out" (Cook)	Cook	1:35
26.	"The Party Song"	Cook Bello Turman	3:30
27.	"Love Story" (Cook)	Taylor Swift	3:24
28.	"Cop Car (demo)"	Cook Bello Turman	3:14
29.	"Outro"	Cook Bello Turman Burns Stewart Garrison	0:08

Deluxe edition bonus DVD
No.	Title	Length
1.	"To the Show"
2.	"Alien Encounters"
3.	"Battle of the Bands"
4.	"The Death of Scuz"
5.	"Forever the Sickest Epilogue"
6.	"1755 Live"
7.	"In the Mix"
8.	"She's a Lady" (music video)
9.	"She's a Lady" (UK music video)
10.	"Behind the Video of Whoa Oh! (Me vs. Everyone)"
11.	"Whoa Oh! (Me vs. Everyone)" (music video)
12.	"Jumping (Out the Window)" (music video)
13.	"London September 2008"
14.	"London September 2008 part 2"
15.	"London September 2008 part 3"
16.	"London September 2008 part 4 – 'Whoa Oh! (Me vs. Everyone)'"
17.	"London September 2008 part 5 – 'She's a Lady'"
18.	"London September 2008 part 6 – 'Hey Brittany'"

Personnel

Credits for Underdog Alma Mater adapted from AllMusic.^[4]

Forever the Sickest Kids

Jonathan Cook – vocals
Austin Bello – bass guitar, vocals
Caleb Turman – rhythm guitar, vocals
Marc Stewart – lead guitar
Kent Garrison – keyboards, synthesizers
Kyle Burns – drums, percussion

Additional musicians

Matt Mahaffey – backing vocals, keyboards
Greg Suran – acoustic guitar
Jeff Turzo – keyboards

Production

Jennifer Beal – production director
Tom Coyne – mastering
Chris Graham – creative director
Shep Goodman – A&R
William Green – management
Evan Hunt – photography
Jessica Johnson – product manager
Tom Lord-Alge – mixing
Matt Mahaffey – engineering, producer
Robi Menace – management
Rosa Menkes – art direction
Tommy Quon – management
Geoff Rockwell – producer
Matt Squire – engineering, producer
Eric Stenman – digital editing, engineering
Jeff Turzo – engineering, producer
Cover concept and Underdog Alma Mater emblem illustration by Kyle Burns

Charts

Chart performance for *Underdog Alma Mater*
Chart (2008)	Peak position
US Billboard 200 (Billboard)^[29]	45
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)^[30]	9
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)^[31]	13

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Lance Fiasco (April 28, 2008). "Forever The Sickest Kids Touring preps Underdog Alma Mater". idobi Radio. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
^ "Forever the Sickest Kids - Television Off, Party On". AllMusic. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
^ "Forever the Sickest Kids - The Sickest Warped Tour EP". AllMusic. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
^ ^a ^b "Underdog Alma Mater Forever the Sickest Kids Biography Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
^ ^a ^b "About Forever The Sickest Kids". JamBase.com. July 15, 2015. Archived from the original on November 5, 2019. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
^ Corey Apar. "Forever the Sickest Kids Biography by Corey Apar". AllMusic. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Underdog Alma Mater (Deluxe Edition) - Album by Forever the Sickest Kids". Apple Music. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
^ Wippsson, Johan (March 5, 2008). "All Time Low On Jimmy Kimmel This Friday; Catch Them on the AP Tour". Melodic. Archived from the original on May 29, 2017. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
^ Bryce Jacobson (March 18, 2008). "Forever The Sickest Kids Post New Single". Retrieved June 8, 2023.
^ "Whoa Oh! (Me vs. Everyone) - Single by Forever the Sickest Kids". AllMusic. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
^ "Forever The Sickest Kids Whoa Oh (Me vs Everyone) Video". April 15, 2008. Archived from the original on May 10, 2023. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
^ "Forever The Sickest Kids stream Underdog Alma Mater". Alternative Press. May 2, 2008. Retrieved July 9, 2017.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ "Chiodos, Finch, the Starting Line, Senses Fail on Bamboozle 08". Alternative Press. November 9, 2007. Archived from the original on July 28, 2017. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
^ Kohli, Rohan (March 28, 2008). "Metro Station / FTSK / The Cab / The Maine / DR Tour Dates". AbsolutePunk. SpinMedia. Retrieved March 17, 2017.^{[dead link]}
^ "Venues for Warped Tour 2008 revealed". Alternative Press. March 12, 2008. Archived from the original on July 28, 2017. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
^ "Forever the Sickest Kids - She's a Lady". Archived from the original on May 18, 2011. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
^ "Forever The Sickest Kids post video for "She's A Lady"". Alternative Press. September 23, 2008. Retrieved July 25, 2017.
^ "Cobra Starship, Forever The Sickest Kids are bringing Sassy Back". Alternative Press. August 5, 2008. Archived from the original on July 28, 2017. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
^ "Forever The Sickest Kids, A Rocket To The Moon cover Taylor Swift". Alternative Press. February 4, 2009. Archived from the original on August 1, 2017. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
^ "Forever The Sickest Kids announce last U.S. show before overseas tour". Alternative Press. January 3, 2009. Archived from the original on July 30, 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
^ "Bamboozle Roadshow tickets on sale". Alternative Press. February 10, 2009. Archived from the original on August 1, 2017. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
^ "Bamboozle set single-day lineups". Alternative Press. February 8, 2009. Archived from the original on August 1, 2017. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
^ Paul, Aubin (March 26, 2009). "Warped Tour 2009". Punknews.org. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
^ Natasha Heinz (May 21, 2018). "Forever The Sickest Kids' Underdog Alma Matter (sic) is coming out on vinyl". Alternative Press. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
^ "Forever the Sickest Kids' MySpace". MySpace, Forever the Sickest Kids. Retrieved 2008-04-17.
^ ^a ^b Jo DeAndrea (April 22, 2008). "Forever the Sickest Kids - Underdog Alma Mater". AbsolutePunk.net. Archived from the original on September 9, 2012. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
^ ^a ^b Fulton, Katherine. "Underdog Alma Mater – Forever the Sickest Kids | Songs, Reviews Credis | AllMusic". AllMusic. All Media Network. Archived from the original on 13 February 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
^ ^a ^b Jordan Rogowski (October 28, 2008). "Forever the Sickest Kids - Underdog Alma Mater (2008)". Punknews.org. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
^ "Forever the Sickest Kids Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 14, 2012. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
^ "Top Alternative Albums: Week of May 17, 2008". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
^ "Top Rock Albums: Week of May 17, 2008". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2023.

v t e Forever the Sickest Kids
Albums	Underdog Alma Mater Forever the Sickest Kids J.A.C.K.
EPs	Television Off, Party On Hot Party Jamz The Weekend: Friday
Singles	"Whoa Oh! (Me vs. Everyone)" "She's a Lady" "What Do You Want from Me" "She Likes (Bittersweet Love)" "Chin Up Kid" "Nice to Meet You" "Nikki"
Related	Discography