Starbomb

Starbomb
OriginLos Angeles, California, U.S.[1]
Genres
Years active
  • 2013–2019
  • 2023–present
Spinoff ofNinja Sex Party
Members
Websitestarbomb.com

Starbomb is an American musical comedy group composed of Dan Avidan and Brian Wecht of musical comedy duo Ninja Sex Party together with Flash animator and Internet personality Arin Hanson[3] and "space rock masters" TWRP, a Canadian music group known for collaborations with NSP. The songs of Starbomb consist of video game parodies; Avidan provides sung vocals, Hanson provides rapping vocals, and Wecht performs instruments. All three are also known as a part of YouTube Let's Play web series Game Grumps.

The group has released four studio albums, Starbomb (2013), Player Select (2014), and The TryForce (2019), and Starbomb Boom: Rise of Lyrics (2024). Starbomb has also released several music videos, which occasionally feature known Internet, film, and video game fandom personalities such as Markiplier and Ashly Burch. Although the project was not announced until 2013, Hanson stated that the band had actually been formed "way before", without specifying when.[4]

History

[edit]

Formation and Starbomb (2013)

[edit]
Main article: Starbomb (album)

In summer 2013, Avidan began making comments about creating a new music project with Wecht and Hanson.[5] The project wasn't officially announced until December 2, 2013, when the group released a preview of their song "I Choose You to Die" on Ninja Sex Party's official YouTube channel.[6][7] They also announced that their first album, the self-titled Starbomb, would be released only two weeks later on December 17, 2013. Leading up to the album's launch date, the group released further previews on the Ninja Sex Party and Game Grumps YouTube channels, the latter of which was hosted by Avidan and Hanson.[8][9][10]

In the weeks following its release, Starbomb placed on multiple Billboard charts, reaching #1 on Comedy Albums and Heatseekers Albums.[11][12] Music videos for several of the album's songs such as "Luigi's Ballad" (in which Rachel Bloom voiced Princess Peach) and "It's Dangerous to Go Alone" were released to YouTube that same year and in spring of the following year.[13][14] Destructoid commented on the album's release, stating that "While the concept itself may seem a bit juvenile, the awesome music (provided by Ninja Sex Party) and hilarious situations are more than enough to keep the more "mature" fan entertained."[15]

Player Select (2014)

[edit]
Main article: Player Select

Starbomb's final song, "Outro," hinted at a future album. However, no official confirmation of a second album was forthcoming until fall of the following year. On December 16, 2014, Starbomb's second album, Player Select, was released. Like its predecessor, snippets of the album's songs were released on YouTube prior to its release. Additionally, Player Select placed on several Billboard charts, and achieved #1 on Comedy Albums.[16] Player Select also charted on position #3 on Billboard's end of year charts for US Comedy Albums.[17] AllMusic gave the album an overall favorable review, remarking that "Plenty of swearing and 8-bit innuendo make this for the adult retro gamer and not the kids, but the laughs are plentiful and big."[18]

The TryForce (2015–2019)

[edit]

In the video for "The Simple Plot of Metal Gear Solid", released on December 25, 2015, Hanson indicated there would be a third album.[19]

On March 31, 2017, it was announced Hanson would join Ninja Sex Party for the Rock Hard 2017 tour, performing as Starbomb.[20] However, on July 5, 2017, Hanson announced that he would not make the remainder of the Rock Hard Tour dates.[21]

On November 7, 2017, the official Instagram for the band posted images of Hanson and Wecht working on a new project, with the caption, "Interesting things are happening...".[22] On November 15, 2017, a third album was teased again, with the Starbomb Twitter account posting "hey @tomhanks do u want to do a guest verse on our next album, this is a serious offer" which never received an official response.[23]

On a November 28, 2017, episode of Game Grumps, Avidan and Hanson confirmed that they had finished recording the third Starbomb album in El Paso, Texas. The writing and recording process was very different from previous albums, as the trio challenged themselves by spending only one day writing and recording each song; they also mentioned a tentative release date of December 2018.[24] Tupper Ware Remix Party, Ninja Sex Party's frequent recording and touring partner band, will be featured on the album.[24] On a July 29, 2018, episode of Game Grumps, Hanson and Avidan announced that the title of the upcoming album was The TryForce, "as in, we're trying our best! We're a force that tries", with a planned December 2018 release.[25] On August 19, 2018, Ninja Sex Party mentioned in a Facebook post that The TryForce would be produced by Jim Roach, who had produced their album Cool Patrol; Wecht had acted as producer on previous Starbomb albums.[26]

Regarding the songwriting process, Hanson stated in July 2018 that the third album was an equal effort between the three members, in opposition to previous albums in which he felt that Avidan and Wecht were responsible for most of the songwriting. He stated "my footprint on the first two albums wasn't super huge. It was... Ninja Sex Party does video game songs, featuring Egoraptor, you know, whereas the third Starbomb album really feels like we all wrote it together."[4] Later the same month, Avidan agreed that the new album would be more of a team effort in a video.

On December 23, 2018, the official Starbomb Twitter account released an image that was presumed to be a small portion of the album cover for The TryForce.[27] Over the course of the next few months, they also released several more portions of the image.

On January 8, 2019, in a Game Grumps video titled "2019 Game Grumps Updates + More!", Avidan and Hanson stated that The TryForce would be due for a late March 2019 release. On February 4, 2019, Starbomb announced in a new animated music video (for their first album's "Regretroid") that the album would instead be released on April 19, 2019.[28][29] On March 29, 2019, a Game Grumps video titled "NEW STARBOMB ALBUM (2019)" confirmed that pre-orders for The TryForce would be available April 5, 2019.[30]

On April 5, 2019, a music video for "Blowing the Payload", Starbomb's first original song since 2014, was released on Egoraptor's YouTube channel, titled, "Overwatch RAP".[31] On April 12, 2019, another new video, for the song, "A Boy and His Boat", titled, "BEST Zelda Rap IN THE WORLD!!!" was uploaded to the same channel.[32] On April 19, 2019, the album's release date, a music video for "Welcome to the Mario Party" was uploaded to the channel, titled, "SICKEST Mario Party RAP!!".[33] On April 26, 2019, another new video, for the song, "Filling in the Name Of", titled, "Tetris RAP ANIMATED! The Long Piece is the BEST PIECE!!" was uploaded to the same channel.[34]

On April 19, 2019, the album was released, along with several new merchandise items.[35]

Starbomb Boom: Rise of Lyrics (2023–present)

[edit]

In a tweet on February 27, 2023, Starbomb announced that a fourth album was in development.[36] On March 22, 2024, a sneak peek of the album was tweeted.[37] In an Instagram post on August 12th, 2024, Starbomb announced the music video for the song "Pokémon Smash or Pass", which was released on Friday, August 16th. [38]

Discography

[edit]

Studio albums

[edit]
Title Album details
Starbomb
  • Released: December 17, 2013
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download, streaming, CD
Player Select
  • Released: December 16, 2014
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download, streaming, CD
The TryForce
  • Released: April 19, 2019
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download, streaming, CD
Starbomb Boom: Rise of Lyrics
  • Released: October 25, 2024
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download, streaming, CD

Compilations

[edit]
Title Album details
The Essential Collection[39]
  • Released: March 4, 2022
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Vinyl

Members

[edit]

Band members

Session and touring musicians

Commercial performance

[edit]
Chart Peak
position 		Album Year
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[40] 42 Starbomb 2013
US Comedy Albums (Billboard)[11] 1 Starbomb 2013
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[12] 1 Starbomb 2013
US Rap Albums (Billboard)[41][42] 17 Starbomb 2013
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[43] 2 Player Select 2014
US Comedy Albums (Billboard)[16] 1 Player Select 2014
US Rap Albums (Billboard)[44] 4 Player Select 2014
Australian Digital Albums (ARIA)[45] 9 The TryForce 2019
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[46] 96 The TryForce 2019
Scottish Albums (OCC)[47] 44 The TryForce 2019
US Billboard 200[48] 22 The TryForce 2019
US Digital Albums (Billboard)[49] 6 The TryForce 2019
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[50] 2 The TryForce 2019
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[51] 4 The TryForce 2019
US Top Comedy Albums (Billboard)[52] 1 The TryForce 2019
US Top Rap Albums (Billboard)[53] 10 The TryForce 2019


Year-end charts

[edit]
Chart (2015) Position Album Year
US Comedy Albums (Billboard)[17] 3 Player Select 2015

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Starbomb | Bandcamp". Retrieved January 28, 2021 – via Bandcamp.
  2. ^ a b ""Luigi's Ballad" Aims To Woo The Princess…Mario Doesn't Approve". December 18, 2013. Retrieved May 12, 2021 – via bloody-disgusting.com.
  3. ^ Napierski, Steve (December 19, 2013). "Luigi's Ballad". Dueling Analogs. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  4. ^ a b Game Grumps (July 11, 2018), Arin Wikipedias Himself - PART 3 - Game Grump, retrieved July 13, 2018
  5. ^ "NinjaSexParty Dan, Commander Holly, and Chad - FriendZone! - Polaris". Polaris. YouTube, Google. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
  6. ^ "Egoraptor and NSP are STARBOMB!". Arin Hanson. Show You. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
  7. ^ Herd, James. "Egoraptor and Ninja Sex Party announce their newest project: STARBOMB". Pixcelation Entertainment. WordPress. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
  8. ^ "Starbomb Is Coming NEXT WEEK!". Ninja Sex Party. YouTube, Google. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
  9. ^ "STARBOMB Debut Album Pre-Order - GET HYPED!!". Game Grumps. YouTube, Google. December 10, 2013. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
  10. ^ "Starbomb drops TOMORROW!". Ninja Sex Party. YouTube, Google. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
  11. ^ a b "Starbomb chart history". Billboard.com. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  12. ^ a b "Starbomb chart history". Billboard.com. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  13. ^ Bonds, Ian (December 17, 2013). "Starbomb is here, shove it in your eyes and earholes". Destructoid. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
  14. ^ Aziz, Hamza (March 18, 2014). "Ryu and Ken have a rap battle about their dicks". Destructoid. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
  15. ^ Bonds, Ian (December 17, 2013). "Starbomb is here, shove it in your eyes and earholes". Destructoid. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  16. ^ a b "Comedy Albums". Billboard.com. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
  17. ^ a b "Comedy Albums: Year End". Billboard.com. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  18. ^ "Player Select (review)". AllMusic. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  19. ^ "The Simple Plot of Metal Gear Solid - ANIMATED MUSIC VIDEO by Studio Yotta - Starbomb". YouTube. December 25, 2015. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  20. ^ "ROCK HARD 2017 TOUR ANNOUNCEMENT! - YouTube". YouTube. Archived from the original on March 31, 2017. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  21. ^ "Ninja Sex Party thrusting into 2017 with TWRP and Starbomb for Rock Hard Tour - AXS". Archived from the original on October 15, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  22. ^ "Interesting things are happening..." Instagram. November 7, 2017. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  23. ^ @starbomb (November 15, 2017). "hey @tomhanks do u want to do a guest verse on our next album, this is a serious offer" (Tweet). Retrieved November 24, 2017 – via Twitter.
  24. ^ a b "Super Mario Odyssey: Tales of Recording - PART 15 - Game Grumps". YouTube. November 28, 2017. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  25. ^ GameGrumps (July 29, 2018), We Wikipedia Dan: So Many Projects - PART 4 - Game Grumps, retrieved July 30, 2018
  26. ^ Ninja Sex Party (August 18, 2018), Thank you, everybody, for your reaction to Cool Patrol., retrieved August 19, 2018
  27. ^ "Starbomb on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  28. ^ "2019 Game Grumps Updates + More!". YouTube. January 8, 2019. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  29. ^ "REGRETROID - Starbomb 3D Animated Music Video (by Antony Manley)". YouTube. February 4, 2019. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  30. ^ "NEW STARBOMB ALBUM (2019)". YouTube. March 29, 2019. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  31. ^ "Overwatch RAP Music Video - Starbomb (animated by Knights of the Light Table)". YouTube. April 5, 2019. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  32. ^ "BEST Zelda Rap IN THE WORLD!!! - ANIMATED MUSIC VIDEO!! (Animated by Shoocharu)". YouTube. April 12, 2019. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  33. ^ "SICKEST Mario Party RAP!! - ANIMATED MUSIC VIDEO (animated by Gregzilla)". YouTube. April 19, 2019. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  34. ^ "Tetris RAP ANIMATED! The Long Piece is the BEST PIECE!! - (Animated by TopSpinTheFuzzy and Lady Red)". YouTube. April 26, 2019. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  35. ^ @starbomb (April 19, 2019). "We also have some AMAZING NEW MERCH in our store: 3 new shirts and 2 new pins! And if you spend $100 or more (before tax & shipping), you get a LIMITED EDITION PIN while supplies last!" (Tweet). Retrieved September 25, 2021 – via Twitter.
  36. ^ @starbomb (February 27, 2023). "starbomb 4 is happening" (Tweet). Retrieved February 28, 2023 – via Twitter.
  37. ^ @starbomb (March 22, 2024). "soon" (Tweet). Retrieved April 5, 2024 – via Twitter.
  38. ^ "We're back. New music video FRIDAY. "Pokémon Smash or Pass" — animated by @shoocharu!". Instagram. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  39. ^ "Starbomb: The Essential Collection Box set". March 4, 2022.
  40. ^ "Starbomb chart history". Billboard.com. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  41. ^ "Starbomb chart history". Billboard.com. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  42. ^ "Starbomb - Chart history | Billboard". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 26, 2016. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  43. ^ "Starbomb - Chart History - Independent". Billboard.com. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  44. ^ "Starbomb - Chart History - Rap". Billboard.com. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  45. ^ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Digital Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. April 29, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  46. ^ "Starbomb Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  47. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  48. ^ "Starbomb Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  49. ^ "Starbomb Chart History (Digital Albums)".[dead link‍] Billboard. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  50. ^ "Starbomb Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  51. ^ "Starbomb Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  52. ^ "Starbomb Chart History (Top Comedy Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  53. ^ "Starbomb Chart History (Top Rap Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
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