Never Shout Never
| Industry | Music |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2007 in Joplin, Missouri, United States |
| Founder | Christofer Drew Ingle |
| Defunct | 2018 (ceased operations announced) |
| Fate | Disbanded |
| Headquarters | Joplin , United States |
Area served | United States |
Key people | Christofer Drew Ingle (vocalist, multi-instrumentalist), Taylor MacFee (bassist), Hayden Kaiser (drummer) |
| Products | Music albums and EPs |
| Parent | Loveway Records (imprint label under Warner Bros. Records) |
Never Shout Never—initially styled as nevershoutnever! and NeverShoutNever!—was an American rock ensemble originating from Joplin, Missouri in 2007. The group began as a solo endeavor by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Christofer Drew before evolving to include bassist Taylor MacFee and drummer Hayden Kaiser. Throughout their career, the band produced eight full-length albums alongside nine EPs.
2007–2009: Origins and initial progress
At the age of 16, Christofer Drew Ingle launched his musical journey under the moniker nevershoutnever! in 2007. He first gained attention through Myspace, subsequently releasing The Yippee EP on July 29, 2008, which sold 46,000 units in the United States. On July 30, 2008, he made his television debut performing the single "Big City Dreams" on TRL, with the track reaching the top position on the Billboard Hot Singles Sales chart. To support this EP, he embarked on a U.S. tour during summer 2008 alongside acts such as Jamestown Story, Owl City, and Handshakes and Highfives, followed by autumn tours with Hellogoodbye and Ace Enders.
The lead track "Trouble" from his third EP, Me & My Uke, was released on December 29, 2008, peaking at number five on the Hot Singles Sales chart and later earning gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. The full EP was officially released in January 2009.
In early 2009, NeverShoutNever! toured with groups including The Scene Aesthetic and The Honorary Title, then participated in the spring leg of The Bamboozle Roadshow 2009, sharing stages with bands like Forever the Sickest Kids and The Cab. Performances at both The Bamboozle Left 2009 and The Bamboozle 2009 festivals also marked this period. That year, Never Shout Never received the Breaking Woodie award at the mtvU Woodie Awards.
2009–2010: Releases of What Is Love and Harmony
On May 29, 2009, Ingle secured a contract with Warner Bros. Records, concluding a competitive major-label bidding process. The agreement allowed him to maintain control over his own imprint label, Loveway Records. His stage name was officially presented as Never Shout Never. The Summer EP, issued on June 23, 2009, marked his first release under Warner Bros., selling 46,000 copies. Its lead single "Happy" was launched on iTunes on March 3, 2009. Production for his debut album commenced in June 2009 with producer Butch Walker in Los Angeles and London's renowned Abbey Road Studios.
In July 2009, Never Shout Never appeared at the mtvU Sunblock Festival. They led a headline tour in October featuring Carter Hulsey and Now Now Every Children, then joined Dashboard Confessional’s tour in November.
A self-titled EP was released on December 8, 2009, containing tracks from the forthcoming debut album What Is Love? along with reimagined earlier songs. That same month, Ingle collaborated on Ready Set’s Christmas single "Blizzard of '89". The debut album What Is Love?, released January 26, 2010, reached number 24 on the Billboard 200 chart and sold 21,000 copies initially. Singles from this album included "What Is Love?" (December 15, 2009), "I Love You 5" (February 4, 2010), and "Can't Stand It" (March 4, 2010), with the latter attaining number 29 on the US Rock Digital Song Sales chart. The band headlined the spring leg of the Alternative Press AP Tour in 2010 alongside Joplin, The Cab, Hey Monday, Every Avenue, and The Summer Set.
Their song "Seewhatweseas" was featured on the soundtrack for Tim Burton's film Alice in Wonderland.
Never Shout Never participated in the summer edition of the Vans Warped Tour in 2010. On July 27 of that year, they released the digital EP Melody, which included three songs such as "CheaterCheaterBestFriendEater". Their sophomore studio album Harmony followed in August 2010; it peaked at number 14 on the Billboard 200 and sold approximately 23,000 copies during its first week.
In August, they co-headlined the VMA Tour with Ready Set and made an appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon in September. On September 8, they offered a demo titled "No Pain No Gain" as a free download. During October and November, they co-headlined the Harmony Tour with The Maine, encouraging fans to contribute canned goods; a live split EP was made available for free via their website. At year's end, Never Shout Never earned the Artist of the Year accolade from AP Magazine Readers' Poll.
2011–2012: Time Travel and Indigo
On April 12, 2011, Never Shout Never unveiled the compilation album Year One, which compiled tracks from their earlier EPs and demo recordings. Following the catastrophic EF5 tornado that struck Joplin, Missouri on May 22, 2011, Ingle initiated a relief campaign in partnership with United Way, aiming to raise $1.2 million. To encourage contributions, he shared a YouTube video showcasing scenes of the destruction accompanied by the track "Time Travel," which served as the lead single for their third studio album released on July 22, 2011. The album, recorded at 2100 Studios in Springfield, Missouri, was the band's first effort featuring the full lineup in the studio. The follow-up single, "Simplistic Trance - Like Getaway," was released on August 26, 2011. The album officially dropped on September 20, 2011, reaching number 35 on the Billboard 200 chart. To support the album's launch, the band embarked on The Time Travel Tour during the fall of that year. The official music video for "Time Travel" was directed by Joey Boukadakis.
In May 2012, Ingle revealed the name of their fourth studio album and later confirmed its release date as September 20 via Twitter. For Indigo, each track was produced by a different producer in diverse cities to achieve varied sonic textures throughout the record. Prior to its release, five tracks were made available for free streaming through Alternative Press and Billboard. When released on November 13, 2012, Indigo entered the Billboard 200 at number 194, marking a notable decline from their earlier peak at number 14. The band supported this release with a nationwide tour named the Indigo tour in late 2012.
2013: Sunflower and The Xmas EP
In May 2013, Never Shout Never announced their fifth studio album titled Sunflower, which was released on July 2, 2013. To promote this album, they issued four singles: "Good Times" (May 23), "Subliminal Messages" (May 28), "Malibu" (June 4), and "Knock, Knock" (June 18). Additionally, the band participated in the 2013 Warped Tour where frontman Drew Ingle collaborated with BandHappy to conduct workshops aimed at aspiring musicians, including fan Q&A sessions and meet-and-greet opportunities.
On November 22, 2013, the group released The Xmas EP, a holiday-themed collection recorded at Ingle’s residence. This EP featured both cover songs and an original composition titled "Under The Mistletoe," co-written with Dia Frampton and made available for streaming on November 15. To promote this festive release, Never Shout Never headlined the Xmas Tour in December of that year with support acts The Downtown Fiction and Nick Santino.
2014–2016: Recycled Youth, Black Cat, and Departure of MacFee
Towards the end of 2013, Never Shout Never announced plans to work on Recycled Youth, Vol. 1, an album comprising reimagined versions of earlier fan-favorite tracks. Recording sessions began in January 2014 under the production of Eric Palmquist in Los Angeles. This project was intended as the initial installment in a trilogy of re-recorded collections highlighting both fan and band preferred songs. In June 2014, Ian Crawford joined as lead guitarist. The album was officially released on March 3, 2015.
On June 9, 2015, the band revealed their seventh studio album titled Black Cat, which was released on August 7, accompanied by its lead single "Hey! We OK". This record was produced by Dennis Herring at DTLA Recording Studio in Los Angeles and featured promotional singles such as "Boom!" and "Red Balloon." Black Cat achieved a peak position of number 52 on the Billboard 200 chart. On November 24 of that year, Ian Crawford publicly announced his exit from the band.
The Black Cat Tour commenced in January 2016 with "Red Balloon" being officially released as the second single on February 5. The track "Hey! We OK" earned a nomination for Song of the Year at the Alternative Press Music Awards in 2016. During June of that year, Never Shout Never headlined a U.S. tour supported by Hundred Handed and Me Like Bees. On June 26, bassist Taylor MacFee declared his departure from the group. Later in November 2016, the band issued their ninth EP entitled Advent Of Violett Soul.
2017–2018: Cancelled Albums and Disbandment
In June 2017, Never Shout Never took part in the 2017 Warped Tour before launching the Throwback Tour, which included an appearance at the So What?! Music Festival. This tour highlighted tracks from earlier releases that were seldom performed in recent years. Earlier that same year, in April, Drew revealed intentions to produce an eighth studio album titled Emerald Sun, described as a concept album focused on themes of love, comprising 13 completed songs. Although anticipated for a summer 2018 release, this album never appeared on any streaming services.
On March 23, 2018, the band unveiled a rendition of Elvis Presley's "Love Me Tender," intended for their forthcoming cover project All for Love, which was planned to feature exclusively love song covers. Shortly after, on April 2, they released their take on the Beatles' "Something". Despite these releases, it seems All for Love was never finalized or officially issued, though Drew kept sharing cover versions on his YouTube channel.
By December 2018, Ingle announced that following a brief tour across Mexico and Brazil, Never Shout Never would cease operations. Nevertheless, he soon engaged fans on Instagram to gather opinions about continuing the band’s journey. Despite this interaction, performances took place in early 2019 in Brazil and Mexico. After concluding their last concert in Brazil—absent long-time drummer Hayden Kaiser—Ingle expressed ambiguity regarding the band's continuation but stopped short of confirming a formal dissolution.
2020–2023, 2025: Unborn Spark and Retirement
On April 29, 2020, Drew revealed plans for a solo acoustic album titled Unborn Spark, originally slated for release on May 13. The launch was postponed until June 12 to allow additional time for mixing and finalizing artwork. The lead single "Time to Change" premiered on June 8, with the album ultimately released under the Never Shout Never moniker.
Late 2021 marked the band's comeback with the single "Easy Swagger." However, on March 8, 2022, Drew announced his retirement from music and confirmed the conclusion of Never Shout Never. Contrarily, by December 24, 2022, he disclosed intentions to return in 2023 alongside a new album release.
On November 25, 2023, Drew declared a second retirement to focus on a career in professional painting and shared final mixes of the previously unreleased album Advent of Violet Soul. The band was scheduled to appear at the 2025 When We Were Young festival but withdrew due to a mouth infection disclosed on September 11.
Former members
- Christofer Drew – lead vocals, guitars, bass, ukulele, violin, drums, percussion, piano, keyboards, synthesizers, programming, banjo, harmonica (2007–2023, 2025)
- Caleb Denison – guitars, drums, percussion, backing vocals (2008–2011)
- Ian Crawford – guitars, backing vocals (2014–2015)
- Taylor Macfee – bass guitar, backing vocals (2008–2016)
- Hayden Kaiser – auxiliary percussion, backing vocals, drums, guitars (2009–2018)
- Dustin Dobernig – piano, percussion instruments, keyboards, violin (2009–2011)
- Nathan Ellison – drums and percussion (2008–2011)
- Tof Hoglen – keyboards (2016–2018)
Discography
- Studio Albums
- What Is Love? (2010)
- Harmony (2010)
- Time Travel (2011)
- Indigo (2012)
- Sunflower (2013)
- Recycled Youth (2015)
- Black Cat (2015)
- Unborn Spark (2020)
Awards and nominations
| Year | Organization | Category | Work Nominated | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | mtvU Woodie Awards | Breaking Woodie | Never Shout Never | Template:Won |
| 2010 | AP Magazine Readers' Awards | Artist of the Year | Template:Won | |
| 2011 | PETA's Libby Awards | Most Animal-Friendly Band | Template:Won | |
| Favorite Animal-Friendly Celebrity | Christofer Drew | Template:Won | ||
| Sexiest Vegetarian | Template:Won | |||
| 2016 | Alternative Press Music Awards | Song of the Year | "Hey! We Ok" | Template:Nom |