Days of the New (also known as the Orange or Yellow album) is the debut studio album by American alternative rock band Days of the New, and the first of their three self-titled albums. The album was released on June 3, 1997, through Outpost Records.
In 2025, Lauryn Schaffner of Loudwire named the album the best post-grunge release of 1997. That same year, she said it was the band's best album.
The band recorded its debut album in late October and early November 1996 at Woodland Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. Drummer Matt Taul was called away from the studio during the sessions for the birth of his daughter, so session drummer Adam Turgeon filled in on some tracks.
Travis Meeks named Dead Can Dance as an inspiration while working on the album.
The last song on the album, "Cling," is a home demo that Meeks recorded on a four-track machine. The entire album is acoustic, with emphasis on guitar, and features dark melodies such as "Face of the Earth" and "Freak" as well as more up-tempo songs like "The Down Town" and "Where I Stand."
Days of the New was a success, selling 1.5 million copies worldwide. Three songs from the album were hits: "Touch, Peel and Stand," "The Down Town," and "Shelf in the Room." "Touch, Peel and Stand" was number one on Billboard's Rock Chart for 17 weeks; "The Down Town" and "Shelf in the Room" were each top 40 hits. Music videos produced for the three singles also found rotation.
Shortly after releasing the album, the band went on tour with Metallica and Jerry Cantrell in 1998. Internal problems became publicly evident, however, and soon after concluding the tour, the band split up. Todd Whitener, Matt Taul and Jesse Vest would go on to form Tantric while Meeks formed a new band under the Days of the New name.
Reviewing for The Village Voice in December 1997, Robert Christgau was unenthusiastic about the album: "As marketing, pure genius. Looks like alt-country, no electric guitars even, yet is actually America's answer to Silverchair. And hey, it's sincereâÂÂ17-year-old heartland frontman Travis Meeks really is depressed, really has immersed in Soundgarden, really does think it's deep to hook your single to the all-purpose trope 'abuse.' This is why grownups need Hanson. It's also why they need Radish."
Stephen Thomas Earliwine was more complimentary, giving the album three out of five stars. He said Meeks's vocals and lyrics were occasionally disappointing, but the album's stronger moments "prove that teenagers can rock as hard, and with as much purpose, as adults." Mike Peake of Kerrang!, who gave the album four stars out of five, stated that "the sheer songwriting class, production and the obvious musical savvy of the band makes [Days of the New] one of the most appealing and powerful debut albums for some time."
Adapted credits from the Days of the New booklet. Drum credits as per Meeks' official biography.
On December 1, 1998, Outpost released Days of the New: Live, a VHS featuring concert footage and two music videos. The video includes numerous songs that would be released on future Days of the New albums.