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"Syndicate"
Single by The Fray
from the album The Fray
Released	January 12, 2010
Recorded	2008
Genre	Pop rock
Length	3:32
Label	Epic
Songwriter(s)	Isaac Slade and Joe King
Producer(s)	Mike Flynn and Aaron Johnson
The Fray singles chronology
"Heartless" (2009) "Syndicate" (2010) "Heartbeat" (2011)

"Syndicate" is a song by Denver-based rock band the Fray. It is the opening track and the third single from their eponymous second studio album. It was released on January 12, 2010, for radio airplay, while the music video was released on February 9, 2010. Despite a generally positive critical reception, the song is the lowest charting single from the album.

Critical reception

AbsolutePunk stated the song had "a winning piano line" and commented upon its musical style, saying it "pushed out into a grander, denser sound than found before." Sputnikmusic called it an "uplifting opener."

Music video

The music video, directed by Mark Pellington, premiered on February 9, 2010, on Yahoo! Music. The video is abstract in concept. It makes use of the multiple exposure technique: most scenes feature the band members' faces overlapping, rather than showing each of them individually. However, a few scenes do show the band members performing separately. Various miscellaneous objects and people are interspersed in the sequences, while the entire video is set against a glittering blood red and yellow background. This is the second time Pellington is working with the band; he had earlier directed a video for "How to Save a Life" in 2007.

The music video uses the "Radio Remix Version" of the song which adds extra vocals towards the end of the song, although the length of the remix is the same as that of the album version.

Chart performance

"Syndicate" debuted at No. 25 on the Adult Top 40 chart for the week ending January 17, 2010, and peaked at No. 16 on the chart dated April 11, 2010. The song also charted at No. 40 on the Mainstream Top 40 chart, entering the chart the week ending March 13, 2010, and dropping out the following week.

Charts

References

1. "The Fray - Album Review". AbsolutePunk.com. Retrieved April 9, 2010.
2. "The Fray - Album Review". Sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
3. "Syndicate music video out now". thefray.net. Retrieved 9 February 2010.
4. The Fray - Syndicate - Making the Video. YouTube.com. Retrieved 19 March 2010.
5. "The Fray - Artist History". Billboard.com. Retrieved 17 April 2010.
6. "The Fray - Artist History". Billboard.com. Retrieved 17 April 2010.
7. "The Fray Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
8. "The Fray Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
9. "The Fray Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 19, 2011.

• 2008 songs
• 2010 singles
• The Fray songs
• Epic Records singles
• Songs written by Joe King (guitarist)
• Songs written by Isaac Slade
• Music videos directed by Mark Pellington
• Rock ballads