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Californian Soil

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Californian Soil
Studio album by
London Grammar
Released16 April 2021 (2021-04-16)
Length44:16
Label
Producer
London Grammar chronology
Truth Is a Beautiful Thing
(2017) 		Californian Soil
(2021)
Singles from Californian Soil
  1. "Baby It's You"
    Released: 19 August 2020
  2. "Californian Soil"
    Released: 1 October 2020
  3. "Lose Your Head"
    Released: 4 January 2021
  4. "How Does It Feel"
    Released: 12 March 2021

Californian Soil is the third studio album by English indie pop band London Grammar, released on 16 April 2021 by Metal & Dust and Ministry of Sound.

It was initially intended to be released on 12 February 2021, but was postponed for unknown reasons.[1]

Californian Soil was preceded by four singles—"Baby It's You", the title track, "Lose Your Head" and "How Does It Feel".

Composition

Vocalist Hannah Reid said the album deals with themes of feminism and fame. She wrote:

"This record is about gaining possession of my own life. You imagine success will be amazing. Then you see it from the inside and ask, 'Why am I not controlling this thing? Why am I not allowed to be in control of it? And does that connect, in any way to being a woman? If so, how can I do that differently?'".[2]

Release

The album was announced on 1 October 2020, alongside the release of the title track. The band said the track was a "turning point" for them, deciding to name the album after the song.

On 5 January 2021, the band posted on their Twitter page that the release date had been postponed to 9 April of that same year, before being subsequently pushed back to 16 April. No reason was given for either delay.[3]

Promotion

Singles

Californian Soil was preceded by four singles: "Baby It's You", released on 19 August 2020,[4] the title track, released on 1 October 2020,[2] "Lose Your Head", released on 4 January 2021[5] and "How Does It Feel" on 12 March 2021.[6]

Track listing

All tracks are written by London Grammar, except where noted

Californian Soil track listing[2]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Intro" London Grammar2:25
2."Californian Soil" 
3:41
3."Missing" London Grammar3:35
4."Lose Your Head"
FitzGerald3:19
5."Lord It's a Feeling" 
  • London Grammar
  • FitzGerald[m]
4:12
6."How Does It Feel"
3:31
7."Baby It's You"
  • Reid
  • Major
  • Rothman
  • FitzGerald
  • London Grammar
  • FitzGerald
4:02
8."Call Your Friends"
  • Reid
  • Major
  • Rothman
  • McCutcheon
  • London Grammar
  • Mac
  • Everton Nelson[m]
3:11
9."All My Love" London Grammar4:32
10."Talking" 
  • London Grammar
  • Nelson[m]
3:23
11."I Need the Night" 
  • London Grammar
  • Nelson[m]
4:20
12."America" 
  • London Grammar
  • Andrew
4:05
Total length:44:16

Critical reception

Californian Soil received mostly positive reviews from critics upon release. On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized score out of 100 to ratings from publications, the album received a weighted mean score of 77 based on 9 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[7] Christopher Hamilton-Peach of The Line of Best Fit scored the album 9 out of 10 and said that "London Grammar use Californian Soil to hone their lush sonics and embrace the future".[8]

The Guardian's Alim Kheraj scored the album 3 stars, stating that "the British trio stick to boilerplate emoting and bland imagery, but there are small sonic steps forward".[9] Writing for Pitchfork, Hannah Jocelyn wrote that "the UK electronic-pop trio’s third album draws on a renewed sense of extroversion and energy, which can’t always overcome its lyrical and production missteps", giving the album 6.2 out of 10.[10] Praising the album's surrealist sound and tone, The Telegraph's Neil McCormick said that the album was "hypnotically compelling".[11] However, Slant Magazine's Charles Lyons-Burt felt that "the band’s willingness to harness the latest sonic trends is hit and (mostly) miss."[12]

Personnel

Musicians

London Grammar

  • Hannah Reid – vocals, writing (1–12)
  • Dominic Major – writing (1–12)
  • Dan Rothman – writing (1–12)

Other musicians

Technical

  • London Grammar – production (2)
  • Charlie Andrew – production (2)
  • George FitzGerald – production (7)

Release history

Release history for Californian Soil
Region Date Formats Label
Various 16 April 2021
Australia
Dew Process

References

  1. ^ Brandle, Lars (6 January 2021). "London Grammar set new release date for 'Californian Soil,' Share 'Lose Your Head': Watch". Billboard. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Krol, Charlotte (1 October 2020). "London Grammar reveal full details of new album 'Californian Soil' and share title track – listen". NME. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  3. ^ London Grammar [@londongrammar] (5 January 2021). "Californian Soil / April 9th" (Tweet). Retrieved 13 January 2021 – via Twitter.
  4. ^ Helman, Peter (19 August 2020). "London Grammar – "Baby It's You"". Stereogum. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  5. ^ Trendell, Andrew (4 January 2021). "Listen to London Grammar's heavenly and "empowering" new single "Lose Your Head"". NME Australia. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  6. ^ "Listen to London Grammar's beautiful new single "How Does It Feel"". NME. 12 March 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  7. ^ "Californian Soil by London Grammar Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 17 April 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ Hamilton-Peach, Christopher (16 April 2021). "London Grammar - Californian Soil | Album Review". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 17 April 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ "London Grammar: Californian Soil review – bold sounds amid the usual spectral fare". the Guardian. 16 April 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  10. ^ "London Grammar: Californian Soil". Pitchfork. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  11. ^ McCormick, Neil (16 April 2021). "London Grammar on Californian Soil? Same lush pop, but with a fresh political edge". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  12. ^ Lyons-Burt, Charles. "Review: London Grammar's Californian Soil Is Slick, Trendy, and Ultimately Anonymous". Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  13. ^ "Californian Soil (CD) – London Grammar". store.londongrammar.com. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  14. ^ "Californian Soil (LP) – London Grammar". store.londongrammar.com. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  15. ^ "Californian Soil (Hannah Cover / White Cassette) – London Grammar". store.londongrammar.com. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  16. ^ "Californian Soil (Book) – London Grammar". store.londongrammar.com. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  17. ^ "Californian Soil by London Grammar on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  18. ^ "Californian Soil – CD at JB Hi-Fi". JB Hi-Fi. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  19. ^ "Californian Soil (Limited JB Hi-Fi Australian Exclusive Transparent Royal Blue Vinyl) at JB Hi-Fi". JB Hi-Fi. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
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