Good Charlotte released Motel du Cap on 8 August – so what do the critics think? Here’s a round-up of reviews and some interviews and US TV live performances.
Kerrang 4/5 “Good Charlotte’s refusal to rest on their laurels while letting their present-day brotherhood dominate proceedings makes for a commendable mix, reminding the world why there’s still plenty left in their tank.”
Punktastic “You won’t like everything on this album, loosely based on their time on holiday at the eponymous resort in the South of France, but you’ll definitely like at least something on their first collection of songs in eight years.”
Wall of Sound Australia 8/10 “Motel Du Capis a heartwarming listen as a long-time Good Charlotte fan. A heightened sense of togetherness finds itself tracing through this release, embedding the body of work with a conviction and authenticity unseen to this degree within the past years of this band.”
Euphoria 4/5 “Motel du Capproves that Good Charlotte can offer much more than just nostalgia to the fans who’ve grown up with their idols.”
Chorus.fm “Motel Du Cap may not be perfect, but anytime we can get new music from Good Charlotte, it’s a nice treat, since the band consistently speaks from the heart and from an authentic place.”
When The Horn Blows “What elevates Motel Du Cap beyond just nostalgia-bait, however, is its heart. For a band once defined by their youthful rebellion, Good Charlotte has found something more powerful in vulnerability. Their maturity isn’t dressed up or manufactured; it’s bruised, imperfect, and honest.”
Daily Mail 4/5 “There’s a sense that Motel du Cap is a bid to cement Good Charlotte’s legacy.”
And a more negative one from The Soundboard Review “If you were expecting a new fire to be lit under Good Charlotte (like it seems they themselves were), you might have another seven-year wait in store.”
Alongside the reviews, Good Charlotte have given a number of interviews around the release of Motel du Cap – here’s a few of them:
Good Charlotte’s new album Generation Rx has now been released and reached 20 in the midweek UK album chart. There’s been a flurry of press about it, so here’s a round-up of some of the reviews and interviews for the album.
“After more than 20 years together, pop-punk band Good Charlotte want to use their seventh album to highlight the “darker sides of being human” by tackling issues like religious divisions and the US opioid crisis.”
“While the content is heavy, Generation Rx makes the group’s emotionally charged pop-punk sound more authentic than ever — and Joel couldn’t agree more: ‘It really does feel like Good Charlotte belong to us again.'”
“Good Charlotte have been the voice of a generation since the early noughties, and twenty years into their career the band have solidified their position as one that makes a difference.”
“..equipped with a new-found boost of excitement and vitality, Good Charlotte now have in hand their seventh full-length record, Generation Rx. It’s their most anticipated offering in years, and with good reason; the band are rejuvenated, pissed off, and ready to make a statement.”
“At about thirty minutes, Generation RX is a short album but one that is an easy listen that feels like Good Charlotte have broken free as musicians and have created an honest, pure album, further honing their mastery at creating heartfelt anthems just like they always have.”
“From start to finish, Generation Rx reads like a Good Charlotte record should: delicate moments alongside catchy rockers, a smile alongside the clear-cut understanding for why, some days, we just have to frown.”
[Billy: ]”We wanted to make another record that would connect and that was another chapter in our careers. Lyrically, hopefully it helps people, but I want people to know that it’s serious to us – that Good Charlotte is not just a thing we’re going to do once in a while again, that we’re back to this a hundred percent, and we’re all in.”
“Facing their demons, and beating them, the band have grown into the anthemic outfit that they always had the potential to be. Generation Rx is a successful, and very fine addition to the veteran’s back-catalogue. Emotional self-help has never sounded so good!”
“Generation Rx is not what I need right now—but I know there are a lot of someones out there who will find this 9-track album to be just the melodic cure-all they’re looking for.”
It’s time to get excited – Good Charlotte’s new album Generation Rx is released on 14 September. If you’re looking to get hold of a copy for yourself, preorders are now available. Various sites – both based in the UK and overseas – are offering preorders and here’s a run through of some of them.
The official Good Charlotte website has a number of packages available including exclusive hoodies and t-shirts. You can also order the CD or vinyl individually. But shipping isn’t cheap For just the vinyl and shipping is $28.50 making it about £35 in total but if you want the full set of items for $105 shipping is $42.75 making it about £110.
UK Good Charlotte merch store Impericon has the CD and vinyl for preorder. It’s £13.99 for the CD and £17.99 for the vinyl. Shipping for orders of less than £50 is £2.99 and for above that it’s free. It’s not the cheapest webstore but if you want to order some merch as well it could be a good option!
HMV are offering both the CD and vinyl for preorder. The CD is £9.99 and the vinyl is £14.99 and the site offers free shipping for orders over £10. It also states that they will be dispatched before the release date so it should reach you in time.
Indie record shop Banquet Records are also selling the CD and the vinyl editions of Generation Rx. The CD is £10.99 and the vinyl, which comes with an mp3 download link, is £15.99. Shipping is 80p for the CD or £2 for the vinyl.
RCRDSTR is offering an exclusive yellow vinyl version of Generation Rx. The yellow vinyl is available for $24.99 with the cheapest UK shipping available at $33.96 making it about £44.50 to get it shipped over here so again, not the lowest priced option but it is an exclusive edition.
Good Charlotte have released the first song from their new studio album, which will be called Generation Rx, and announced a 2019 London Good Charlotte show.
Actual Pain is now available on Spotify, Apple Music and more – listen to it your choice of digital provider here. It’s also on YouTube with a teaser video. The album will be released on 14 September, it has been confirmed.
Good Charlotte also this morning announced dates for a European tour for Generation Rx.
They will be playing at Alexandra Palace, London on Wednesday 20 February 2019.
Tickets will go on sale to members of their fan club, GC Fam, at 10:00am on Tuesday 29 May and to the general public on Friday 1 June.
Good Charlotte have confirmed they will be releasing their seventh studio album later this year.
The announcement came as Good Charlotte announced they and their label MDDN had signed a deal with music publishing publishing company BMG for the release of the album.
No name or release date has been given for the follow up to 2016’s Youth Authority.
The band have been teasing something on social media in recent weeks which started off with images of themselves with skulls overlaid on their faces, before using the same graphics on pictures of artists such as Coolio, Celine Dion and Kenny G.
The images have featured the phrase “Actual Pain” and a teaser posted earlier this week had the date of 25 May, this Friday on.
Good Charlotte have been announced as one of the headliners for Slam Dunk Festival 2018.
The band will play all three dates of the pop punk and emo-led festival in Leeds, Hatfield and Birmingham.
Good Charlotte’s appearance at Slam Dunk 2018 was announced on the Radio 1 Rock Show – you can hear the episode here (the announcement is about 28 minutes in and is followed by Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous).
The dates are:
26 May: Slam Dunk North (Leeds city centre)
27 May : Slam Dunk South (Hatfield Park)
28 May: Slam Dunk Midlands (Birmingham – NEC)