All Your Happy Life
| All Your Happy Life | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 30 September 2016 | |||
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 36:03 | |||
| Label | Heavenly Recordings | |||
| Producer |
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| The Wytches chronology | ||||
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All Your Happy Life is the second studio album by English rock band The Wytches. It was released on 30 September 2016 via Heavenly Recordings. Recording sessions took place at Chapel Studios in South Thoresby, Lincolnshire and at Toe Rag Studios in Hackney, London. Production was handled by the Wytches, Luke Oldfield and Jim Sclavunos.
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 6.7/10[1] |
| Metacritic | 76/100[2] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [3] |
| Crack Magazine | 6/10[4] |
| DIY | [5] |
| Dork | [6] |
| The Line of Best Fit | 7/10[7] |
| Loud and Quiet | 6/10[8] |
| Record Collector | [9] |
| The Spill Magazine | [10] |
All Your Happy Life was met with generally favorable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 76 based on seven reviews.[2] The aggregator AnyDecentMusic? has the critical consensus of the album at a 6.7 out of 10, based on nine reviews.[1]
Emma Swann of DIY describes the album "gloomy, grey but definitely not dull" adding "The Wytches have cast another stellar spell".[5] AllMusic's Timothy Monger called it "a challenging listen but there's plenty of craft here, making it an improvement upon their debut".[3] Ryan Lunn of The Line of Best Fit wrote: "They never really embrace as much lyrical darkness as they did on their debut album, though, and they don't exactly reach for the occasional glimpse of light either. As a result, All Your Happy Life is a lightswitch that keeps awkwardly flickering, intentionally making the mise-en-scène as unsettling as possible".[7]
In mixed reviews, Sammy Jones of Crack Magazine stated: "a leap forward for a band that's still dripping with potential".[4] Joe Goggins of Loud and Quiet said: "They still haven't quite figured out how to channel the raw energy they conjure up so readily onstage into the sort of nervous tension that might suit their songwriting style better".[8] Jake Kennedy of Record Collector said: "slower, heavier and maybe a little bit more messed up than before, while not stabbing at the same loud/quiet buttons, All Your Happy Life is a most welcome, if mildly unhinged continuation".[9]
Track listing
All tracks are written by The Wytches and Mark Breed
| No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro" |
| 0:24 |
| 2. | "C-Side" |
| 3:18 |
| 3. | "Can't Face It" |
| 4:18 |
| 4. | "A Feeling We Get" |
| 3:28 |
| 5. | "Throned" | Jim Sclavunos | 2:49 |
| 6. | "Ghost House" |
| 4:03 |
| 7. | "Bone-Weary" | Jim Sclavunos | 3:19 |
| 8. | "Crest of Death" | Jim Sclavunos | 2:55 |
| 9. | "A Dead Night Again" | Jim Sclavunos | 1:57 |
| 10. | "Dumb-Fill" |
| 5:34 |
| 11. | "Home" | Jim Sclavunos | 3:58 |
| Total length: | 36:03 | ||
Personnel
- Kristian Bell – main artist, vocals, guitar, organ, percussion, songwriter, producer (tracks: 1-4, 6, 10), arranger (tracks: 2, 7)
- Dan Rumsey – main artist, backing vocals, bass, songwriter, producer (tracks: 1-4, 6, 10), arranger (tracks: 2, 7)
- Gianni Honey – main artist, drums, percussion, songwriter, producer (tracks: 1-4, 6, 10), arranger (tracks: 2, 7)
- Mark Breed – organ & mellotron (tracks: 2, 6, 11), piano (track 10), additional songwriter
- Jim Sclavunos – producer (tracks: 5, 7-9, 11), arranger (tracks: 2, 7), mixing (tracks: 8, 9)
- Luke Oldfield – producer & recording (tracks: 1-4, 6, 10)
- Mikey Young – mixing (tracks: 1-7, 10, 11), mastering
- Tim Morris – recording (tracks: 5, 7-9, 11)
- Guy Davie – additional mastering
- Samuel Gull – artwork
- Tim Hampson – layout
Charts
| Chart (2016) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[11] | 23 |
| UK Vinyl Albums (OCC)[12] | 20 |
| UK Record Store (OCC)[13] | 7 |
References
- ^ a b "All Your Happy Life by The Wytches reviews | Any Decent Music". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ a b "Critic Reviews for All Your Happy Life - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ a b Monger, Timothy. "All Your Happy Life - The Wytches | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ a b Jones, Sammy (6 October 2016). "The Wytches fall short of potential on All Your Happy Life". Crack Magazine. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ a b Swann, Emma. "The Wytches - All Your Happy Life". DIY. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ Loftin, Steven (29 September 2016). "The Wytches - All Your Happy Life". Dork. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ a b Lunn, Ryan (21 September 2016). "The Wytches return with an awkwardly flickering, deliberately difficult second album". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ a b Goggins, Joe (27 September 2016). "The Wytches - All Your Happy Life - Album review". Loud and Quiet. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ a b Kennedy, Jake (6 October 2016). "All Your Happy Life - Record Collector Magazine". Record Collector. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ Carlan, Josh (30 September 2016). "SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE WYTCHES - ALL YOUR HAPPY LIFE". The Spill Magazine. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ "Official Vinyl Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ "Official Record Store Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
External links
- The Wytches – All Your Happy Life at Discogs (list of releases)