{{Use American English|date=April 2016}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2016}} {{Infobox album | name = What We Live For | type = studio | artist = American Authors | cover = American Authors - What We Live For (Artwork).jpg | border = yes | alt = | released = July 1, 2016 | recorded = 2014–16 | venue = | studio = | genre = {{hlist|Indie rock|alternative rock|pop rock}} | length = 42:21 | label = Island | producer = {{hlist|Aaron Accetta|Shep Goodman|Frequency}} | prev_title = Oh, What a Life | prev_year = 2014 | next_title = Seasons | next_year = 2019 | misc = {{Singles | name = '''What We Live For''' | type = studio | single1 = Go Big or Go Home | single1date = May 18, 2015 | single2 = Pride | single2date = December 11, 2015 | single3 = What We Live For | single3date = April 1, 2016 | single4 = I'm Born to Run | single4date = February 14, 2017 }} }}
'''''What We Live For''''' is the second studio album by American pop rock band American Authors, produced by returning collaborators Aaron Accetta and Shep Goodman. Running at 42 minutes and comprising twelve tracks, the album was released worldwide by Island Records on July 1, 2016. The album marks the third major release by the band under the American Authors moniker, and largely continues the sound of their debut album, ''Oh, What a Life''.
''What We Live For'' was a critical and commercial success debuting at number 60 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and spawned four singles: "Go Big or Go Home", "Pride", "What We Live For" and "I'm Born to Run". To promote the album, the band went on a U.S. tour to promote the record ahead of its release.
==Background and recording== {{Reduced pull quote|1=left|2=We’re really feeling the pressure of, ‘OK, how do we take what people know and love about us from the first album, but really give it where we’re at today and kind of take it to the next level, for who we are as people, and who we are as musicians right now'|3=Frontman Zac Barnett|4=discussing feelings about the band's second album.<ref name="business-insider-quote">{{cite web|last1=Stern|first1=Andrew|title=This band of college dropouts has a monster hit single -- but people still don't know who they are|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/american-authors-try-to-take-next-step-2015-8|website=Business Insider|publisher=Axel Springer SE|access-date=April 18, 2016|date=September 1, 2015}}</ref>}}
In March 2014, American Authors released their debut studio album, ''Oh, What a Life'', after many years releasing extended plays under the moniker The Blue Pages.<ref name="usatoday-bestday">{{cite web|last1=Lopez|first1=Korina|title=On the Verge: American Authors write their own ticket|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2014/02/02/on-the-verge-american-authors-write-their-own-ticket/4964219/|website=USA Today|publisher=Gannett Company|access-date=April 18, 2016|date=February 2, 2014}}</ref> American Authors enjoyed considerable success with the album, gaining significant exposure, especially through adult contemporary radio.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Trust|first1=Gary|title=Chart Highlights: American Authors Are 'Best' On Adult Pop Songs|url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/chart-highlights-american-authors-are-best-on-adult-pop-songs/|magazine=Billboard|publisher=Prometheus Global Media|access-date=April 18, 2016|date=March 3, 2014}}</ref> Their success is largely due to the commercial boom of their hit single, "Best Day of My Life",<ref name="usatoday-bestday"/><ref>{{cite web|last1=Corner|first1=Lewis|title=American Authors 'didn't like hit at first'|url=http://www.digitalspy.com/music/interviews/a560890/american-authors-qa-we-didnt-like-best-day-of-my-life-at-first/|website=Digital Spy|publisher=Hearst Corporation|access-date=April 17, 2016|date=April 8, 2014}}</ref> which by April 2015 had been certified 3× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, marking sales exceeding three million.<ref>{{cite web|title=Gold & Platinum - RIAA - American Authors, "Best Day of My Life"|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=American+Authors&ti=Best+Day+of+My+Life#search_section|website=Recording Industry Association of America|access-date=April 18, 2016|date=April 2015}}</ref> Drummer Matt Sanchez described the band's achievements; "truthfully, most people don’t realize we’ve been a band for about eight years, so success seems like it’s come in marathon form and we still got a long way to go."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Jason|first1=Andrew|title=American Authors On Fargo, Success And Touring With One Republic|url=https://www.fargomonthly.com/entertainment/american-authors-on-fargo-success-and-touring-with-one-republic/|website=Fargo Monthly Magazine|publisher=Spotlight Media LLC|access-date=April 18, 2016|date=August 14, 2014}}</ref> Heading into the creative process for their follow-up album, the band expressed a preference to preserve most of the sound that made "Best Day of My Life" and ''Oh, What a Life'' commercially successful, but with a more mature feel, citing the need to reflect the growth of the band as artists.<ref name="business-insider-quote"/>
Songwriting and early recording sessions for the band's follow-up to ''Oh, What a Life'' began as early as on tour in 2014. While serving as a supporting act on the Native Summer Tour, the band entertained the idea of co-writing a song with OneRepublic's frontman Ryan Tedder, hoping to add what American Authors frontman Zac Barnett as "the Ryan Tedder touch".<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Baltin|first1=Steve|title=American Authors Look to Add 'Ryan Tedder Touch' to Next Album|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6106459/american-authors-writing-next-album-ryan-tedder-onerepublic-tour|magazine=Billboard|publisher=Prometheus Global Media|access-date=April 18, 2016|date=June 3, 2014}}</ref> The band continued to write and record new songs for the album during their time on the 13th Annual Honda Civic Tours and tours throughout 2015, with some songs even being premiered and exercised live in their tours, such as "Nothing Better" and "Pride".{{efn|Citations for live performances of "Nothing Better"<ref>{{cite web|title=American Authors Setlist at House of Blues, San Diego, CA, USA|url=http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/american-authors/2014/house-of-blues-san-diego-ca-7bcf5af0.html|website=Setlist.fm|access-date=April 18, 2016|date=October 2, 2014}}</ref> and "Pride"<ref>{{cite web|title=American Authors Setlist at Iron City, Birmingham, AL, USA|url=http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/american-authors/2015/iron-city-birmingham-al-bf65dda.html|website=Setlist.fm|access-date=April 18, 2016|date=August 2, 2015}}</ref>}}<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hudelson|first1=Molly|title=Exclusive: Interview with American Authors' Zac Barnett|url=https://www.axs.com/exclusive-interview-with-american-authors-zac-barnett-16415|website=AXS TV|publisher=2929 Entertainment|access-date=April 18, 2016|date=August 11, 2014}}</ref> Principal recording commenced in early to mid 2015,<ref name="columbia-may">{{cite web|last1=Eitel|first1=Zoe|title=American Authors talks 'the next level'|url=http://www.columbiachronicle.com/arts_and_culture/article_b8f56624-0e8a-11e6-b91c-830453907529.html|website=The Columbia Chronicle|publisher=Columbia College Chicago|access-date=May 3, 2016|date=May 2, 2016}}</ref> and was primarily recorded with producers Aaron Accetta and Shep Goodman, who had previously worked with the band on their eponymous extended play and ''Oh, What a Life''. While the band had an extensive set of songs at the beginning of the sessions, enough to create an album outright, the band exercised their material and continued to write and record new songs well into 2016.<ref name="columbia-may"/>
==Composition== [[File:American Authors at Heaven London, 2014 (4).jpg|thumb|right|The album features biographical themes concerning the band's perspective on their present and future. ''(Pictured: American Authors performing in November 2014)'']] ''What We Live For'' largely continues the sound of the band's debut studio album, ''Oh, What a Life''. Lead singer Zac Barnett stated that "we tried to take a lot of the stuff that our fans like and love about us from Oh, What a Life and take that to the next level as far as sounds go. [We] brought back some of the old instruments like mandolin and banjo, but also experimented with a lot of different sounds like vocal samples. We brought back a lot of piano [and] bigger harmonies."<ref name="columbia-may"/> Lyrically, the album builds on ''Oh, What a Life''{{'}}s biographical themes, which followed the band's origins and journey; ''What We Live For'' documents the band's experiences during the present and their perspective on the future.<ref name="columbia-may"/>
==Promotion== "Go Big or Go Home", which would ultimately appear as the seventh track on the final album, was released in May 2015 as a single, after the band's last single promoting ''Oh, What a Life'', "Luck", was released a year previously.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Marcus|first1=Ezra|title=American Authors Return with 'Go Big or Go Home': Listen|url=http://radio.com/2015/05/18/american-authors-go-big-or-go-home/|website=Radio.com|publisher=CBS Local Digital Media|access-date=April 18, 2016|date=May 18, 2015}}</ref> "Pride" also appeared on a single in December 2015,<ref>{{cite web|title=Pride - Single by American Authors|url=https://itunes.apple.com/au/album/pride-single/id1063878649|website=iTunes Store AU|publisher=Apple Inc.|access-date=April 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417201809/https://itunes.apple.com/au/album/pride-single/id1063878649|archive-date=April 17, 2016 }}</ref> and was also solicited as a promotional single to United States adult contemporary radio thereafter.<ref name="island-announcement">{{cite web|author1=Island Records staff|title=American Authors Announce New Album & Tour|url=http://www.islandrecords.com/news/american-authors-announce-new-album-tour/|website=Island Records|publisher=Universal Music Group|access-date=April 18, 2016|date=March 2, 2016}}</ref> ''What We Live For'' was officially unveiled by the band and Island Records on March 2, 2016, with pre-orders for both a digital download and compact disc version of the album being made available the same day.<ref name="island-announcement"/><ref name="abcnews-announcment">{{cite web|author1=ABC News Radio Music News Group|title=American Authors Announce New Album Title, Release Date & Tour Dates|url=http://abcnewsradioonline.com/music-news/2016/3/2/american-authors-announce-new-album-title-release-date-tour.html|website=ABC News Radio|publisher=American Broadcasting Company|access-date=April 18, 2016|date=March 2, 2016}}</ref> The album's opening two tracks, "What We Live For" and "I'm Born to Run" were also made available to purchase in April 2016, on the album's page on iTunes.<ref name="itunes-us">{{cite web|title=What We Live For by American Authors|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/what-we-live-for/1440844649|website=iTunes Store US|publisher=Apple Inc.|access-date=April 18, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417192335/https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/what-we-live-for/id1097283640|archive-date=April 17, 2016 }}</ref> Supporting the album, the band embarked on a 19-date tour of the United States from March through to May 2015, performing songs appearing on the new album live, in the lead-up to its release.<ref name="abcnews-announcment"/> It was announced through the band's Facebook page that the album's release date was pushed nearly two months from their original date, saying they are "putting the finishing touches" on their album and planned to release new music videos before their album was available in stores.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/americanauthors/photos/a.440973109269460.105687.398310963535675/1172041219495975/?type=3|title=Hey guys! We are still putting the finishing... - American Authors|work=Facebook}}</ref>{{Better source needed|date=May 2016}}
== Critical reception ==
{{Album ratings | rev1 = AllMusic | rev1Score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref>{{cite web|last=Yeung|first=Neil Z.|title=What We Live For - American Authors|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/what-we-live-for-mw0002930834|website=AllMusic|access-date=May 15, 2017}}</ref> | noprose = yes }}
''What We Live For'' received generally positive reviews from critics. Neil Yeung writing for AllMusic remarked of the album: “The sophomore set from New York-based American Authors doesn't stray too far from their debut Oh, What a Life, but they make up for the lack of freshness with scope.” <ref>{{Citation |title=What We Live For - American Authors {{!}} Album {{!}} AllMusic |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/what-we-live-for-mw0002930834 |access-date=2026-03-02 |language=en}}</ref>
==Soundtrack appearances== *"Go Big or Go Home" was featured in NBA videos showing highlights from the 2015 playoffs. *"Right Here Right Now" is featured on EA Sports game, ''Madden NFL 17''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Madden NFL 17 Soundtrack|url=https://www.easports.com/madden-nfl/news/2016/madden-nfl-17-soundtrack?cid=10207&ts=1470663731445 |website=EA Sports|publisher=Electronic Arts Inc.|date=August 3, 2016|access-date=August 8, 2016}}</ref> *"What We Live For" was featured in 2016 World Cup of Hockey video packages.
==Track listing== {{Track listing | total_length = 42:21 | title1 = What We Live For | writer1 = {{hlist|Zachary Michael Barnett|Benjamin Harris Berger|Ryan David Vincent McMahon|David M. Rublin|Matthew John Sanchez|James Adam Shelley{{efn|name=writingcredits|The writing credits attributed to "What We Live For", "Right Here Right Now", "Nothing Better", and "Go Big or Go Home" are sourced from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers' songwriting credits database, which can be found at [https://www.ascap.com/Home/ace-title-search/index.aspx this link].}}}} | length1 = 2:58 | title2 = I'm Born to Run | writer2 = {{hlist|Barnett|Kevin Fisher|Rublin|Sanchez|Shelley{{efn|name=writingcredits2|The writing credits attributed to "I'm Born to Run", "Pride", "Replaced", "Mess with your Heart", "No Love", "Pocket Full of Gold", "Superman" and "Mind Body Soul" are sourced from the All Music' songwriting credits database, which can be found at [http://www.allmusic.com/album/what-we-live-for-mw0002930834 this link].}}}} | length2 = 3:26 | title3 = Pride | writer3 = {{hlist|Aaron Accetta|Barnett|Shep Goodman|Rublin|Sanchez|Shelley{{efn|name=writingcredits2}}}} | length3 = 3:11 | title4 = Right Here Right Now | writer4 = {{hlist|Barnett|Berger|McMahon|Ryan Rabin|Rublin|Sanchez|Shelley{{efn|name=writingcredits}}}} | length4 = 3:01 | title5 = Nothing Better | writer5 = {{hlist|Accetta|Barnett|Goodman|Rublin|Sanchez|Shelley{{efn|name=writingcredits}}}} | length5 = 3:38 | title6 = Replaced | writer6 = {{hlist|Accetta|Barnett|Goodman|Rublin|Sanchez|Shelley{{efn|name=writingcredits2}}}} | length6 = 3:32 | title7 = Go Big or Go Home | writer7 = {{hlist|Accetta|Barnett|Jonnie Davis|Goodman|Rublin|Sanchez|Shelley{{efn|name=writingcredits}}}} | length7 = 2:49 | title8 = Mess with Your Heart | writer8 = {{hlist|Accetta|Barnett|Goodman|Rublin|Sanchez|Shelley{{efn|name=writingcredits2}}}} | length8 = 4:03 | title9 = No Love | writer9 = {{hlist|Accetta|Barnett|Goodman|Rublin|Sanchez|Shelley{{efn|name=writingcredits2}}}} | length9 = 3:33 | title10 = Pocket Full of Gold | writer10 = {{hlist|Accetta|Barnett|Goodman|Rublin|Sanchez|Shelley{{efn|name=writingcredits2}}}} | length10 = 3:00 | title11 = Superman | writer11 = {{hlist|Accetta|Barnett|Goodman|Rublin|Sanchez|Shelley{{efn|name=writingcredits2}}}} | length11 = 4:08 | title12 = Mind Body Soul | writer12 = {{hlist|Barnett|Rublin|Sanchez|Shelley{{efn|name=writingcredits2}}}} | length12 = 5:02 | all_writing = }}
==Personnel== '''American Authors''' *Zac Barnett – lead vocals, guitar *James Adam Shelley – lead guitar, banjo, mandolin *Dave Rublin – bass, keyboard *Matt Sanchez – drums, percussion
'''Production''' *Aaron Accetta – producer *Shep Goodman – producer *Frequency – producer of "Mess With Your Heart"
==Charts== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |- ! scope="col"| Chart (2016) ! scope="col"| Peak<br /> position |+Album |- {{album chart|Billboard200|60|artist=American Authors|rowheader=true|accessdate=July 12, 2016}} |- {{album chart|BillboardDigital|10|artist=American Authors|accessdate=July 12, 2016|rowheader=true}} |- {{album chart|BillboardRock|6|artist=American Authors|rowheader=true|accessdate=July 12, 2016}} |- {{album chart|BillboardAlternative|6|artist=American Authors|rowheader=true|accessdate=July 12, 2016}} |- |}
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |- !scope="col"|Chart (2016) !scope="col"|Peak<br/>position |+"What We Live For" |- {{single chart|Billboardrocksongs|40|artist=American Authors|rowheader=true|accessdate=July 30, 2016}} |- {{single chart|Billboardadultpopsongs|26|artist=American Authors|rowheader=true|accessdate=July 30, 2016}} |- |}
==Release history== {|class=wikitable ! Region ! Date ! Label ! Format ! Catalog no. |- | Australia<ref>{{cite web|title=What We Live For by American Authors|url=https://music.apple.com/au/album/what-we-live-for/1096157550|website=iTunes Store AU|publisher=Apple Inc.|access-date=April 18, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417192757/https://itunes.apple.com/au/album/what-we-live-for/id1096157550|archive-date=April 17, 2016 }}</ref> | rowspan="4"| July 1, 2016 | rowspan="4"| Island | rowspan="3"| Digital download | rowspan="3" {{n/a}} |- | France<ref>{{cite web|title=What We Live For by American Authors|url=https://music.apple.com/fr/album/what-we-live-for/1440844649|website=iTunes Store FR|publisher=Apple Inc.|access-date=April 18, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417192937/https://itunes.apple.com/fr/album/what-we-live-for/id1096157550|archive-date=April 17, 2016 }}</ref> |- | United Kingdom<ref>{{cite web|title=What We Live For by American Authors|url=https://music.apple.com/gb/album/what-we-live-for/1096157550|website=iTunes Store GB|publisher=Apple Inc.|access-date=April 18, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417192854/https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/what-we-live-for/id1096157550|archive-date=April 17, 2016 }}</ref> |- | United States{{efn|Citations for United States release of ''What We Live For'': Compact Disc,<ref>{{cite web|title=What We Live For - CD|url=http://www.bestbuy.com/site/what-we-live-for-cd/5093901.p?id=3569242&skuId=5093901|website=Best Buy|access-date=April 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417192533/http://www.bestbuy.com/site/what-we-live-for-cd/5093901.p?id=3569242&skuId=5093901|archive-date=April 17, 2016 }}</ref> Digital<ref name="itunes-us"/>}} | {{hlist|CD|digital download}} | SUK 5093901 {{small|(CD)}} |}
==References== '''Notes''' {{notelist}}
'''Citations''' {{reflist|30em}}
==External links== {{Portal|Rock music|Pop music}} *[http://www.weareamericanauthors.com/ American Authors official website]
{{American Authors}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:2016 albums Category:American Authors albums Category:Albums produced by Aaron Accetta Category:Albums produced by Shep Goodman Category:Island Records albums