The Ithaca, New York-based band X Ambassadors first officially formed quietly in 2009 under the name Ambassadors, and spent their initial years largely self-releasing EPs and building a following in music. Eventually, the group (led by brothers Sam Nelson Harris and Casey Harris) secured a major record label deal with Interscope, getting an added push after their work was discovered by Imagine Dragons lead singer (and supporter) Dan Reynolds. That event, in turn, led to the group being able to record their debut album, titled VHS, in 2015.
The LP, led by major singles “Renegades” and “Unsteady” as well as “Low Life”, proved to be an immediate breakout for the band. VHS not only paved the way for X Ambassadors to record three follow-up albums (with the last being 2024’s Townie) but also contributed to their songs showing up in a variety of television shows and movie soundtracks. With this year being a decade since VHS was recorded, the band is planning an anniversary tour, as well as a “reimagined” version of the record as they look back at what got them where they are today.
15
Interludes: Moving Day, First Show, Smoke, Adam & Noah’s Priorities, Good News On The Remix
The Connective Tissue Of VHS
One of the major themes of VHS stringing together these songs is the interludes. Made up of audio excerpts from the band as well as sound from the video albums of the Harris brothers’ family, this connective tissue gives VHS the retro feeling of home movies, camcorders, and sepia cassette tones hinted at by the VHS title.
Ultimately, though, the interludes don’t add a significant layer of substance to the album unless you’re listening and buying into the record as an entire concept. On their own, these five tracks only add up to unnecessary excess cluttering up the proceedings. If you treat VHS as a tape to be viewed and processed in its entirety, however, the interludes do at least add a little bit of extra immersion.
14
Y2K Time Capsule (Intro), VHS Outro
The Opening And Closing Of The Door
The “Y2K Time Capsule (Intro)” and “VHS Outro” tracks are on similar footing with the five interludes on the VHS album, though they feel like they’re slightly more fleshed out as the record’s opening and closing conceptual statements. With audio again sourced from the Harris family archive and the band itself, there’s certainly a charm to feeling like X Ambassadors are showing off a personal side to themselves as part of their debut.
Related
10 Most Iconic Debut Albums In Pop Music History
Pop music has produced many iconic stars, but these 10 artists had some of the biggest debut albums to be released over the last 40 years.
That’s especially true with “Y2K”, which is audio from footage taken by lead man Sam Nelson Harris’ father asking Sam back in 1998 where he thought he’d be in 2015 when VHS came out. The young Harris accurately predicted he’d be far away from home by then, which helps to show the aspirations these young men have had almost since the beginning.
13
Fear (Feat. Imagine Dragons)
An Unafraid Rock Thumper
With a wobbling, almost tribal-sounding beat that translates into a sandpaper grit rocker, it’s apt that “Fear” features X Ambassadors ally Imagine Dragons, given the track sounds like something out of their catalog. “Fear” is an infectious song that’s meant to represent working hard and being the grinding underdog until your opposition is running afraid, as Dragons’ lead man Dan Reynolds portrays in his contrasting verse.
The track is a bit more of a style than a substance type of alt-rocker that doesn’t quite stick out as much as some of the statement tracks on VHS.
The track is a bit more of a style than a substance type of alt-rocker that doesn’t quite stick out as much as some of the statement tracks on VHS, but there’s still a lot of puffing-out-your-chest confidence in the fun of “Fear.” Sometimes, fun and confidence in the face of being afraid can be the best solution for conquering it and coming out on top.
12
Loveless
A Pumped-Up Heartbreaker
If there were ever a way to portray both the despairing feeling of being incapable of genuine, lasting affection for another person, with a hyped-up sense of arena-large conviction, those contrasts would be demonstrated by “Loveless.” Led by the cranked-up rasp of Nelson Harris’ vocals and a defiant rock instrumentation with horns, it actually seems possible to be fired up by being burned out from the idea of having loving companionship.
Rather than take the concept and demonstrate it in a typical and usually sad way, X Ambassadors flips the script with a narrator who seems angrily set in his ways and beliefs. Whether he’s telling the person in his life that this love won’t ever happen or simply being hard-headed in his stubbornness, the way seems clear, and that way won’t be through finding a connection.
11
Superpower
A Brawny Strengthened Superman Story
With a hardened edge in the vein of “Loveless,” but containing more of a sharpened electricity once again in the style of Imagine Dragons, “Superpower” has all the undeterred strength of that red-and-blue Kryptonian out there lifting boulders. Even the world’s weight and heft might not stand a chance of stopping this song.
Related
10 No Skip Rock Debut Albums That Turned Unknown Bands Into Global Superstars
In music history, some rock bands have made a debut album so good that it not only has zero skips, but it also turns them into global superstars
That’s the feeling of “Superpower” in a nutshell. No matter if death itself is chasing you down, this track is going to put on the mask, wear a cape, and pull on the tights, go out there, and take the heart and effort to the next level. This resiliency has no plans of intending to be altered or stopped.
10
Nervous
Worried On The Bad Side
Burying insecurities inside a glossy pop-rock veneer, “Nervous” has a similar mindset to “Loveless” in its seeming desire to plant the nagging concerns of doubt like seedlings within a much brighter, happier-sounding exterior. On the surface, a listener might not imagine that this wide-open road is being seen from the perspective of a stretch full of speed bumps.
“Nervous” seems to embody a cynical position in the world, but sometimes that’s just the negativity that intrusive thoughts can bring along.
But that’s exactly where Nelson Harris’ storyteller is coming from, as he might seem like he’s gliding in control with the mask he’s putting on for everybody around him. The truth, however, is that he feels too unsettled to feel happy and in a good place, worrying that even placing himself in that mindset will only lead to his downfall. “Nervous” seems to embody a cynical position in the world, but sometimes that’s just the negativity that intrusive thoughts can bring along.
9
B.I.G.
An Expansive Mindset
Like “Fear,” the track “B.I.G.” has a similar rough-rockin’ mentality of rising and grinding to overcome the odds and taking the next phase of the world by storm in conquering the opposition. Coming from a small town in Upstate New York, it’s easy to see why X Ambassadors have a chip on their shoulder and a state of mind that’s eager to disprove their doubters and show what they have to offer listeners. With a skilled and bluesy production here, it’s impossible not to be pumped up by the size of “B.I.G.” and how much of an earworm it is.
8
Hang On
A Roll With The Punches Power Track
Featuring even more excellent instrumentation and production from Alex da Kid, “Hang On” is one of many tracks on VHS to eloquently slice up a mixture of electronic and organic elements into something that’s uniquely an X Ambassadors type of slick-rocking edge of a sound. With Nelson Harris’ vocals again providing the lighthouse of guidance and balancing the whole mix, you feel the propulsion of adrenaline telling you to keep up the fight and not to stop adventuring for what’s next.
Related
10 Songs About Growing Up That Are Sure To Get You In Your Feels
There is really only one universal experience that every single person, artist and fan alike, can relate to, and that is growing up and getting older.
Even when the ancient forces, snakes, and scorpions feel like they’re on top of you and clinging to your back, it’s not a time to hang it up or give in. Keep up your inner Indiana Jones, and keep that whip ready to fight through the darkness of the unknown.
7
Feather
Arena-Ready Expansive Pop
With an airy sense of arena-level pop-rock, X Ambassadors once again provide a massively sized sense of purpose on the song “Feather,” which feels ready to provide a buoy to anyone getting weighed down by the sadness or the gray tones of their life’s experience. “Feather” feels prepackaged and ready-made to hit a big audience with equally big feelings, sweeping them away within the communal experience that is the gospel church of music.
Go and forget your troubles for a little while, and fly away under the wings of a “Feather.” It might just make sure that you find your way back to the light of your joy again.
6
Naked
A Jazzy Type Of Jammer
Taking a bit of a different approach, “Naked” is a funk-rock-esque, semi-jazzy handclapping vibe of a song with a narrator appealing to a lover in the lyrics about wanting to experience intimacy with them. Nelson Harris feels like he’s in ’90s R&B crooner mode here, sensitively saying that even though they might not be perfect or what society’s expectation is for them, he wants to be with this person and share in all their vulnerabilities together.
“Naked” also feels like a declaration of emotional honesty in addition to the physical type.
Similarly, “Naked” also feels like a declaration of emotional honesty in addition to the physical type. These lyrics are clear in wanting to eliminate the deflections and the games, and to just be real in forming a connection and getting closer to a cherished companion.
