Out with a Bang (Self song)

"Out with a Bang"
Mini CD single distributed by Matt Mahaffey
Song by Self
from the album Ornament & Crime
ReleasedAugust 25, 2017
RecordedMarch 2001–January 8, 2004
Studio
Genre
Length3:25
Label
SongwriterMatt Mahaffey
ProducerMario Caldato Jr.
Audio
"Out with a Bang" on YouTube

"Out with a Bang"[a] is a song by the American pop rock band Self, released on August 25, 2017. It appears as the eleventh track on their fifth studio album Ornament & Crime (2017), distributed through El Camino Media. The song lyrically adapts the spy comedy film Spies Like Us (1985), instrumentally backed by energetic alternative rock music with pop-punk influence. It appeared in the film Evolution (2001) and the Team Fortress 2 machinima Team Fabulous 2 (2012), boosting its popularity online before its official release.

Background

After the release of Self's third studio album Breakfast with Girls (1999) on DreamWorks Records,[1] lead member Matt Mahaffey was offered soundtracking work for the label's film division. The first of these was the song "Stay Home", appearing in the animated fantasy comedy film Shrek (2001).[2] Director Ivan Reitman later held a meeting with Mahaffey, offering to produce music for his sci-fi comedy film Evolution (2001). He subsequently wrote the song "Out with a Bang",[3] which appeared in the film's end credits.[4] Evolution never received an official soundtrack album, leading the song to be unavailable outside the film. Mahaffey correspondingly encouraged fans to watch the film to listen to the song,[3] while Self bassist Mac Burrus assured fans that "Out with a Bang" would "eventually make its way to some medium".[5]

Release

Main article: Ornament & Crime

Mahaffey moved to Los Angeles[6] with Self pianist Chris James and bassist Mac Burrus in 2000,[7] with plans to release their fifth studio album Ornament & Crime by the summer of 2001,[8] although Mahaffey stated that the album was still “in progress” by June 2001.[3] "Out with a Bang" was later added to its tracklist,[9] and subsequently re-recorded,[10] with DreamWorks asking them to make Ornament & Crime's songs more radio-friendly.[11]

On November 11, 2003, DreamWorks Records announced the sale of their company to Universal Music Group's Geffen Records for $100 million ($175 million in 2025).[12] Self finished Ornament & Crime on January 8, 2004,[13][14] with plans to release it on March 3, 2004,[15] with DreamWorks sale to Geffen finalized on January 9.[16] Geffen executives did not believe the album would be profitable to release, cancelling the album and leaving it unreleased. Ornament & Crime was indefinitely delayed, later leaking online via LiveJournal shortly after the announcement,[15] with a second leak occurring on LimeWire thereafter.[17] Following the death of guitarist Mike Mahaffey in 2005, the band entered hiatus.[14] Matt Mahaffey eventually made "Out with a Bang" available for download on his MySpace.[15] Ornament & Crime was eventually released on August 25, 2017, by El Camino Media.[18]

Reception

"Hi Kitty0706 fans! Very sorry to hear of his passing. My name is Matt. I wrote, produced, and sang this song. I'm glad you stopped by to listen to it."

Matt Mahaffey (@mamorymoog)[19]

In 2012, "Out with a Bang" was featured in the intro of the Team Fortress 2 machinima Team Fabulous 2 by Kitty0706,[20][21] gaining popularity online through the Team Fortress 2 community.[20] By February 2016, it had received over 17 million views, gaining an award from Guinness World Records for being the "Most watched Team Fortress machinima on YouTube". Kitty0706, whose real name was Colin Wyckoff, died on January 25, 2015.[22] Mahaffey shared his condolences on a reupload of the track on YouTube in 2021, thanking viewers for listening to it.[20] As of December 2025, Team Fabulous 2 has garnered over 30 million views on YouTube.[21]

Writing for AudioPhix, Gerald Dih praised the song as “perfect for punchy, action-driven videos” and speculating it would be picked up and reach further virality on TikTok, comparing it to music by the American bands Vulfpeck and Glass Beach.[20]

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[23]

Musicians

Technical

Notes

  1. ^ Also known solely as "Bang!" in Mini CD singles sent to Dreamwork executives and band associates.

References

  1. ^ Paulson, Dave (October 11, 2018). "Matt Mahaffey: the Nashville music genius behind the new 'Ninja Turtles'". The Tennessean. Retrieved March 23, 2026.
  2. ^ Venable, Malcolm (January 23, 2019). "Composer Matt Mahaffey Animatedly Talks About Life With Shrek, The Ninja Turtles, and More". Broadcast Music Inc. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c Murray, Noel (June 7, 2001). "Self Promotion". Nashville Scene. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  4. ^ Go Electronica (2001). "Once again, Self is making some noise". Go Electronica. Archived from the original on July 21, 2001. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
  5. ^ Eades, Michael (July 11, 2001). "Self Quick Update". Silent Uproar. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
  6. ^ Swann, Travis (July 10, 2011). "The little label that could". The Murfreesboro Post. Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  7. ^ Harkey, Scott (September 11, 2000). "Self / Interviews". Silent Uproar. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  8. ^ Mailman, Craig (March 10, 2001). "Self announces new album, web site". Soluble Sound. Archived from the original on April 10, 2001. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  9. ^ "Self - Ornament & Crime (Unreleased LP)". Self.is. 2025. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  10. ^ Eades, Michael (July 9, 2002). "You thought you'd lost your Self..." Silent Uproar. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
  11. ^ Hughey, Noah (July 10, 2025). "Self-Made Genius: Tracing the Musical Legacy of Matt Mahaffey". Mixed Alt Mag. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  12. ^ BBC (November 11, 2003). "Universal buys Dreamworks Records". BBC News. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  13. ^ Heisel, Scott (August 27, 2014). ""We never broke up, but we got burned out"—Matt Mahaffey on the return of Self". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on August 30, 2014. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  14. ^ a b Besecker, Gabe (December 11, 2023). "sElf-Indulgent: A Retrospective on the Band That Started Matt Mahaffey's Career". Woof Magazine. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  15. ^ a b c Dih, Gerald (April 26, 2025). "Lost Self album finally drops after 13-year delay: Is it worth the wait?". AudioPhix. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  16. ^ Newman, Melinda (January 24, 2004). "DreamWorks Keeps A&R Staff". Billboard. Vol. 116, no. 4. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 5. ISSN 0006-2510.
  17. ^ Dih, Gerald (June 30, 2025). "5 classic albums that deserve way better cover art". AudioPhix. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  18. ^ El Camino Media (June 9, 2017). "13 years in the making, sElf's Ornament & Crime is finally coming this summer!". Instagram. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  19. ^ Self Music (February 6, 2020). "Self - Out with a Bang - Ornament and Crime". YouTube. Archived from the original on January 24, 2024. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  20. ^ a b c d Dih, Gerald (June 9, 2025). "5 indie songs that deserved to go viral on TikTok". AudioPhix. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  21. ^ a b Wyckoff, Colin (February 22, 2012). Team Fabulous 2 (YouTube video). YouTube. Event occurs at 0:00. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  22. ^ "Most watched Team Fortress machinima on YouTube". Guinness World Records. February 21, 2016. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  23. ^ Ornament & Crime (Media notes). Self. El Camino Media. 2017.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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