A group known for the 2014 Billboard Hot 100 hit “Best Day of My Life” is shifting its focus to children and families. American Authors is starting Bogoo’s Best Day, a venture centered around puppets and a pineapple-themed character, with their first record, The Greatest Adventure Yet, set for release on Oct. 23.
American Authors have built an album around Bogoo, a cheerful character who embarks on adventures with his best friend, Bestie, and the older, more experienced Papa Piña. Throughout the record, the band applies their gift for memorable hooks and group vocals to songs about friendship, confidence, individuality and the small daily events that can feel like grand adventures to a child.
The project has already let loose three tracks: “Celebrate,” “Sing With Friends”, and “Luckiest Kid Alive,” with the fourth, “Zombie Walk,” due out Thursday (Oct. 1). That last offering fits snugly within the Bogoo world, a dance-driven Halloween tune designed to get young ghosts moving.
The Songs So Far
Four songs have been released ahead of the album:
- “Celebrate”
- “Sing With Friends”
- “Luckiest Kid Alive”
- “Zombie Walk”
The fourth song arrives Thursday, Oct. 1.
A Departure, Not a Break
For over a decade, American Authors has made buoyant melodies and communal choruses into pop-rock standards, with “Best Day of My Life” serving as its signature hit. That track gave the group their only spot on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. 11 back in 2013 and 2014 along the way. Now, the band is applying those same instincts to music built for families to enjoy together.
There has been a notable shift in who the music reaches, though the underlying feeling stays the same. This band has always drawn its strength from collective pleasure, and that trait follows through into a project aimed at younger listeners. The catchiness remains intact, as does the group singing — they merely arrive inside a universe of puppets and pineapples rather than grown-up subjects.
What We Make Of It
A band whose biggest hit was a cheerful anthem has shifted its focus to songs about friendship and adventure, with a puppet named Bogoo at their center, alongside his companions Bestie and Papa Piña. The crowd listening to them has changed greatly, yet the heart of what American Authors does remains constant: constructing communal hooks around simple ideas.
The project carries a genuine personal thread, stemming from Sanchez’s grandfather and his Mexican heritage inform Papa Piña, while Barnett”s own experiences growing up around his father’s puppetry and magic work shaped the blueprint for Bogoo’. Emma Sanchez’s contributions helped shape the vision for the project.
“Zombie Walk” is a seasonal entry to the Bogoo universe, as it is a dance-infused Halloween-themed track that will have little ghouls up on their feet.
The album lands Oct. 23.
Source material: “American Authors Are Taking ‘Best Day of My Life’ to a Whole New Generation With Kids Project Bogoo’s Best Day,” Billboard.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.