# Violent Things

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***Violent Things*** is the fourth studio album by American [indie pop](/source/Indie_pop) band [the Brobecks](/source/The_Brobecks). Written by lead vocalist and bassist [Dallon Weekes](/source/Dallon_Weekes), with production by [Casey Crescenzo](/source/Casey_Crescenzo), it was independently released on May 18, 2009.

## Background

In contrast to the Brobecks' previous three albums, [Dallon Weekes](/source/Dallon_Weekes) is the sole writer of *Violent Things*.[1] Weekes recorded the album's 15 songs over a week-and-a-half period with producer [Casey Crescenzo](/source/Casey_Crescenzo) in his home basement studio in [Boston](/source/Boston), [Massachusetts](/source/Massachusetts). It was published without [mixing](/source/Audio_mixing_(recorded_music)) or [mastering](/source/Mastering_(audio)) due to budget constraints, leading to a retroactive dissatisfaction with the album.[2]

## Reception

Although the album had little success upon release, it became a trend on [TikTok](/source/TikTok) in the early 2020s.[3] The song "Better Than Me" received particular attention for its self-deprecating content,[4][5] amassing over 85 million streams on [Spotify](/source/Spotify).[6] Claire Cicero of *[The Red & Black](/source/The_Red_%26_Black_(University_of_Georgia))* praised the distorted bass, harmonies, and lyricism of "All of the Drugs", complimenting its momentum from a minimalistic start.[7] Davy Washington of *[The Bullet](/source/The_Bullet_(UMW))* highlighted the track "Boring" as an anthemic encapsulation of the album's sorrow, building from soft piano and vocals into an electronic instrumental burst.[8]

## Re-recordings

In 2011, "Visitation of the Ghost" was re-recorded for a planned Brobecks EP, but this was scrapped after Weekes joined [Panic! at the Disco](/source/Panic!_at_the_Disco) as a bassist. It was later released as a single.[9] Re-recorded editions of "Love at First Sight" and "Second Boys Will Be First Choice" were leaked on multiple occasions under an EP titled *This Is Heavy* along with a demo for "Far Too Young To Die," used later on the Panic! at the Disco album *[Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die!](/source/Too_Weird_to_Live,_Too_Rare_to_Die!)* (which was leaked on [SoundCloud](/source/SoundCloud) prior). Weekes has stated that these were released without his consent, by a third-party, to make money off of his old songs and demos, and requested they not be streamed online.[citation needed]

After the formation of [I Dont Know How but They Found Me](/source/I_Dont_Know_How_but_They_Found_Me) between Weekes and [Ryan Seaman](/source/Ryan_Seaman), the duo initially had a short catalog of music. They chose to perform [cover songs](/source/Cover_version) to lengthen concerts, including songs originally by the Brobecks.[10] Three of these are from *Violent Things*: "Visitation of the Ghost",[11] "Boring",[12] and "[Clusterhug](/source/Clusterhug)". The latter was proposed as a demo to Panic! at the Disco, but the band declined. It would eventually appear re-recorded on I Dont Know How but They Found Me's debut album, *[Razzmatazz](/source/Razzmatazz_(album))* (2020).[13]

## Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's [Bandcamp](/source/Bandcamp) page.[14]

- [Dallon Weekes](/source/Dallon_Weekes) – lead vocals, bass, guitar, keyboards
- Drew Davidson – drums
- Casey Crescenzo – production, guitar, piano
- Lyndsey Lesh – album artwork
- Bill Ferenc – [typography](/source/Typography)

## References

1. Becker, Sarah (June 16, 2024). ["Hacked Dallon Weekes account slanders Taylor Swift and others"](https://audiophix.com/posts/hacked-dallon-weekes-account-slanders-taylor-swift-others-01j0c1bej867). *[AudioPhix](/source/FanSided)*. Retrieved August 1, 2024.

1. Riddell, Rose (August 21, 2017). ["Interview: I Don't Know How but They Found Me's Dallon Weekes on his upcoming album."](https://www.coupdemainmagazine.com/dallon-weekes/13127). *Coup De Main Magazine*. Retrieved August 1, 2024.

1. Shutler, Ali (February 28, 2024). ["iDKHOW: "You think I'm going to do one thing, so I'm going to do something else""](https://readdork.com/features/idkhow-interview-mar24/). *[Dork](/source/Dork_(magazine))*. Retrieved August 1, 2024.

1. Uribe, Yonni (June 28, 2024). ["Local Review: The Brobecks – Understanding The Brobecks"](https://www.slugmag.com/music/local-review-the-brobecks-understanding-the-brobecks/). *[SLUG Magazine](/source/SLUG_Magazine)*. Retrieved August 1, 2024.

1. Schaumburg, Sage (December 11, 2017). ["Album Review: "Violent Things" by the Brobecks"](https://thevisionmsms.org/8864/entertainment/album-review-violent-things-by-the-brobecks/). *The Vision*. Retrieved August 1, 2024.

1. ["Violent Things - Album by The Brobecks"](https://open.spotify.com/album/1KLBdhphdiK82hYpAiw8DR). *[Spotify](/source/Spotify)*. April 25, 2009. Retrieved April 23, 2025.

1. Cicero, Claire (February 21, 2018). ["Short and sweet: A playlist of songs under two minutes long"](https://www.redandblack.com/culture/short-and-sweet-a-playlist-of-songs-under-two-minutes-long/article_48b499b4-16be-11e8-a290-f7e864e4af5e.html). *[The Red & Black](/source/The_Red_%26_Black_(University_of_Georgia))*. Retrieved April 23, 2025.

1. Washington, Davy (September 29, 2022). "Weekly Picks: New song releases students need to hear". *[The Bullet](/source/The_Bullet_(UMW))*

1. ["Visitation of the Ghost (2011 Fancy Studio Version) Anniversary Bonus*, by Dallon Weekes"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160523040002/https://dallonweekes.bandcamp.com/track/visitation-of-the-ghost-2011-fancy-studio-version-anniversary-bonus). *[Bandcamp](/source/Bandcamp)*. Archived from [the original](https://dallonweekes.bandcamp.com/track/visitation-of-the-ghost-2011-fancy-studio-version-anniversary-bonus) on May 23, 2016. Retrieved December 4, 2019.

1. Carter, Lucy (February 16, 2024). ["Album Review: GLOOM DIVISION // iDKHOW"](https://www.indiependent.co.uk/album-review-gloom-division-idkhow/). *The Indiependent*. Retrieved November 4, 2024.

1. Venus, George (July 8, 2024). ["Live Review: IDKHOW - SWG3, Glasgow 30/06/2024"](https://whenthehornblows.com/content/2024/7/8/live-review-idkhow-swg3-glasgow-30062024). *When The Horn Blows*. Retrieved August 1, 2024.

1. Walker, Shiona (July 8, 2024). ["PHOTO GALLERY: iDKHOW, Balancing Act, SWG3, Glasgow, 30/06/2024"](https://www.bringthenoiseuk.com/202407/photo-galleries/photo-gallery-idkhow-balancing-act-swg3-glasgow-30-06-2024). *Bring the Noise UK*. Retrieved August 1, 2024.

1. Mosk, Mitch (November 17, 2020). ["'Razzmatazz' & Razzle-Dazzle: iDKHOW Go Track-by-Track Through Thrilling Debut Album"](https://atwoodmagazine.com/razzmatazz-idkhow-album-review-feature/). *Atwood Magazine*. Retrieved August 1, 2024.

1. ["Violent Things, by The Brobecks"](https://thebrobecks.bandcamp.com/album/violent-things). *[Bandcamp](/source/Bandcamp)*. September 9, 2012. Retrieved September 17, 2018.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Violent Things](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violent_Things) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violent_Things?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.