Chronic Future released their self-titled debut album in August 1997 and a followup, 4 Elements, in August 2000. Both albums gained them local popularity, but the band didn't achieve commercial success until the release of their third album, Lines in My Face, in 2004. They signed their first major label deal with Interscope for the release of the album and it reached #18 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. The lead single was "Time and Time Again" which saw heavy airplay on MTV, MTV2, and Fuse. The single also reached #40 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart and was featured in the video games Burnout 3: Takedown and MVP Baseball 2004. During this time the band recruited Ryan Breen to play rhythm guitar on the road. He joined as a full-time member but quit in the same year to begin a solo project of his own, Back Ted N-Ted. He was replaced by Mike Loy who also left to embark on his own musical ventures.
In 2006, Chronic Future left Interscope to continue as an indie band. Members collaborated with Back Ted N-Ted, Busse began a hip hop side project with Charlie Brand of Miniature Tigers called Future Lords. On October 1, 2006, Ben Collins launched his own label Modern Art which signed Back Ted N-Ted, Miniature Tigers, Brothers Backward, Foxglove Hunt, Gospel Claws, and Future Lords.
In late 2006, Chronic Future released a limited edition album, This and of That. It was available exclusively from their official website in 1000 copies. Demos of some of the songs were uploaded to the website leading up to the album's release. The album showed their change from rap rock to an alternative/hip hop/electronic crossover style; their guitar sounds changed to a more electronic sound as opposed to the normal rock sound of previous recordings. Ryan Breen had also returned to provide programming on the album.
In 2008, Chronic Future performed at Bamboozle for its west coast show in Irvine, CA on April 6. They also toured with fellow Arizonans The Medic Droid later that year after opening for them twice in AZ earlier in the year. On November 11, they released the Modern Art EP. It further demonstrated their crossover style, but with far more melodic music than This and of That. The digital EP featured re-recordings of demos previously uploaded to their official website and MySpace page.
From mid-2009, the band stopped updating their online pages. No information was available until a fan posted an email from Ben Collins who stated that the band members had all moved to New York City and that Chronic Future "isn't over yet." According to his personal Facebook page, he had left the band in January 2010.
On March 12, 2015, Ben Collins tweeted that Chronic Future currently has "no plans to tour, but are having fun together (as we always have) and playing NYC this summer." The band is once again active and will be playing their first show together at Bowery Ballroom on July 18, 2015. Opening the show will be Jangula and Charlie Brand.
Stop Pretending
Chronic Future Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We could stop pretending
That we're never ending
'Cause soon I'll have to go
My biggest fear in life is that the universe works
I guess to be blessed we have to be cursed first
Well obviously waiting on honesty hurts worse
If that type of magic when creative spurts burst
Can turn to a flat line from hospitalized bird chirps
Would you line up with me to be the first cursed
To prove to this nervous earth the universe works
For just one night
Could we just stop pretending
That we're never ending
'Cause soon I'll have to go
These days are coming
To an end my friend
So can we just stop pretending
I'm here to stay
All right all right the universe works had enough with the crisis
I'm sure that all our heads have been stuck in vice grips
When advice gets repetitive that's because it is
So we should stop pretending we haven't heard it before this
So who ever you share life with whether it be your lover parent
Grandparent sister or brother
Let them know to make sure they knew
That they were appreciated for taking on the challenge of you
Try
Get to the other side
Rise
Watch your halo grow in size
I
Hope to god that I
Will never be given another personality that I'll have to resign
'Cause you didn't cherish all those times we had
You find yourself feeling sad
'Cause I've gone away
The lyrics of Chronic Future's song Stop Pretending provide a clear and direct message. The song is about being honest with one another and acknowledging the finite nature of our experiences. The opening lines of the song refer to the desire to stop pretending that we are immortal or that things will never change. The singer acknowledges that they will soon have to leave and that this knowledge adds a layer of urgency to living in the present.
The song continues with a reflection on the struggles of life and the idea that we have to experience pain and hardship in order to appreciate the good things. The line "to be blessed we have to be cursed first" is a powerful statement about the nature of life and how we need to go through difficult times in order to truly appreciate the good. The song also touches on themes of honesty, creativity, and the importance of cherishing the people in our lives.
In the chorus, the singer urges us to embrace the present moment and to stop pretending that things will last forever. They remind us that everything comes to an end eventually, and that we should make the most of the time we have. The bridge of the song offers a message of hope and encouragement, urging us to keep trying, to keep rising, and to appreciate the unique qualities that make us who we are.
Overall, the song Stop Pretending is a heartfelt and inspiring message about the importance of cherishing the present moment and being honest with ourselves and others.
Line by Line Meaning
If for just one night
If we could take a break from our usual act for just a night
We could stop pretending
We could stop pretending that everything is fine and perfect
That we're never ending
That our happiness will last forever
'Cause soon I'll have to go
Because my good times will have to end and I'll have to leave
My biggest fear in life is that the universe works
I fear that the universe will end and I'll have no control over it
I guess to be blessed we have to be cursed first
To appreciate the good things in life, we have to go through some bad experiences first
Well obviously waiting on honesty hurts worse
It's better to be honest and deal with the pain rather than waiting and feeling hurt later
Than arguing over how much the dirt's worth
It's pointless to argue over the little things that don't matter in the larger scheme of things
If that type of magic when creative spurts burst
If the feeling of creativity could be turned into something concrete
Can turn to a flat line from hospitalized bird chirps
If that creativity could be lost, leaving you like a hospitalized bird that can't chirp anymore
Would you line up with me to be the first cursed
Would you take the risk with me to prove the universe works?
To prove to this nervous earth the universe works
To show the world that the universe does work and we can survive it
These days are coming
These happy times will soon be over
To an end my friend
It will all end, my friend
So can we just stop pretending
So can we stop pretending that everything is perfect?
I'm here to stay
I want to make the most of the time we have together
All right all right the universe works had enough with the crisis
Enough with the crisis, let's accept that the universe works
I'm sure that all our heads have been stuck in vice grips
I'm sure we've all been through tough times that have left us feeling trapped
When advice gets repetitive that's because it is
When advice gets repeated, it's because it's important and needs to be taken seriously
So who ever you share life with whether it be your lover parent
So whoever you share your life with, whether it's your partner or your family
Grandparent sister or brother
Your grandparents, siblings, or anyone else
Let them know to make sure they knew
Tell them that you appreciate them and that they are important to you
That they were appreciated for taking on the challenge of you
Thank them for sticking with you and helping you become who you are
Try
Put in effort to make the most of the time you have
Get to the other side
Get through the tough times to reach the good times
Rise
Rise above the challenges and become stronger
Watch your halo grow in size
See how much you've accomplished and how much better you are for it
I
I am afraid
Hope to god that I
I hope that I never
Will never be given another personality that I'll have to resign
Will have to change who I am again and again because it hurts too much
'Cause you didn't cherish all those times we had
Because you didn't make the most of the good times we had
You find yourself feeling sad
You feel sad now that they are over
'Cause I've gone away
Because I had to leave
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BARRY LOUIS COLLINS, BENJAMIN MELAN COLLINS, BRANDON MICHAEL LEE, MICHAEL COOK BUSSE, RYAN MICHAEL BREEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sweet T
It amazes me how this album is so slept on, I never stop coming back to it
Oscar Torres
I'm litterally the ONLY one that knows about this band out of everyone I know. Makes me kinda proud that I out of everyone, I was the one chosen to find this amazing band! :)
Happy Camper
you are certainly not alone for that one :D Ive never met anyone who has either lol
Rob Bob
@Happy Camper fr I only made one other friend like them when I was younger lol
Zogun
Same here dude, I wouldn't be surprised if I'm the only person in Sweden who knows about this band. Well perhaps a lot of people have heard the one song from Gran Turismo 4 without ever knowing the name of the band.
pootis penserhere
This was my shit when it came out and still to this day moves me. Brings back memories of a recently deceased best friend of mine. Thank you so much for hosting the album friend! Happy tears!
Mr.MeatBeat
If for just one night, we could stop pretending that we’re never-ending cause soon I’ll have to go.
Such a beautiful line
Jeffro Beaux Dean
A basic explanation of how to live your life. Love you Chronic Future
Skyler Amettis
I once showed this song to tree of my closest friends and we all ended up in tears and saying how great this song was. I call that powerful in every way, shape and form. Seriously under-rated. I wish these guys kept going. Maybe the world would be a beter place.
PONY MAGICO
tenia tanto potencial esta banda