In 1998, they released The Proximity Effect , their follow-up album, in Europe. Produced by Fred Maher , the album gained little commercial success in the US. Their record label, thinking the album lacked a hit like “Popular”, had the band record several covers, including “Black & White” ( The dBs ) and “Why Are You So Mean to Me?” ( Vitreous Humor ), to use as singles. Tired of the requirements of the A&R director, the band judged the album was perfect as-is (even though Elektra suggested the inclusion of an acoustic version of “Popular”), and broke their contract. As a consequence, Elektra did not release the album in the US and dropped the band while they were on a promotional tour in Europe. Despite these events, this album was critically acclaimed in France, where the band did a 30-show tour the following year.
Released The Proximity Effect
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