What Is Love? (Clean Bandit album)

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What Is Love?
Studio album by
Clean Bandit
Released30 November 2018 (2018-11-30)
Recorded2016–2018[1]
Studiovarious (see studio locations)
Genre
Length42:54
LabelAtlantic
Producer
Clean Bandit chronology
New Eyes
(2014) 		What Is Love?
(2018)
Singles from What Is Love?
  1. "Rockabye"
    Released: 21 October 2016
  2. "Symphony"
    Released: 17 March 2017
  3. "I Miss You"
    Released: 27 October 2017
  4. "Solo"
    Released: 18 May 2018
  5. "Baby"
    Released: 2 November 2018
  6. "Mama"
    Released: 22 February 2019

What Is Love? is the second studio album by British electronic music group Clean Bandit. It was released on 30 November 2018 by Atlantic Records.[3] It includes the singles "Tears" (featuring Louisa Johnson), "Rockabye" (featuring Sean Paul and Anne-Marie), "Symphony" (featuring Zara Larsson), "I Miss You" (featuring Julia Michaels), "Solo" (featuring Demi Lovato), "Baby" (featuring Marina and Luis Fonsi) and "Mama" (featuring Ellie Goulding).[3] In addition, the album also features collaborations with Rita Ora, Charli XCX, Bhad Bhabie and Tove Styrke.[4] It is the band's first album as a trio, following the departure of multi-instrumentalist Neil Amin-Smith in 2016.

Background[edit]

Speaking about the gap between albums, bassist and saxophone player Jack Patterson told Fault magazine in late 2017: "It just takes us so much longer to create each piece of music. But our second one is nearly done – hopefully early next year." Cellist and vocalist Grace Chatto also explained that the album would be "more serious" as well as more "dancey" than 2014's New Eyes, saying: "I think the first album was a lot more light-hearted. While our second album, with the lyrics anyway, are more serious. Some of them are about breaking up, like 'I Miss You' and 'Tears', which are both on the album."[5]

Jack later told The Guardian that a collaboration with Elton John did not make the album because the band "realised there was a sound developing in a certain part of the Venn diagram of the album and we wanted to push that. It was kind of this tropical, plastic-y, mournful sound, whereas his songs were more from the Rather Be world."[6] A track was also recorded featuring Chatto's "childhood idol" Gwen Stefani but it "fell through", which Chatto called "devastating".[6]

The album was part-recorded at The Crypt Studio, London.

Promotion[edit]

In September 2018, the group revealed through their social media accounts that they had been working with Rita Ora, and that recording for the album was finished.[7] Several days later, they announced the title, track listing and artwork, as well as a statement on the themes: "The album looks at many different kinds and stages of love. We've been making it over three years, during which time we've all experienced love in our lives in different ways [...] brotherly love; family love; romantic love; crazy all-consuming love; the pain of love turning into something different or dishonest; and, of course, in Rockabye, unconditional motherly love."[1]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic66/100[8]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
The Guardian[10]
The Independent[2]

Since release, What Is Love? has received generally positive reviews from music critics. According to review aggregation site Metacritic, the album has received an average score of 66/100 based on four reviews.[8] Neil Z. Yeung reviewing for AllMusic gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, saying it was "worth the long wait" and that it took "the promise of Rather Be and [topped] it many times over."[9]

Mark Beaumont of The Independent called What Is Love? "another album of formulaic EDM pop and Latino R&B dance floor grinders," while praising "Baby" as the record's stand-out track.[2]

Track listing[edit]

Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Symphony" (featuring Zara Larsson)
3:32
2."Baby" (featuring Marina and Luis Fonsi)
3:25
3."Solo" (featuring Demi Lovato)
  • Patterson
  • Chatto
  • Ralph
  • Fred
3:43
4."Rockabye" (featuring Sean Paul and Anne-Marie)
4:10
5."Mama" (featuring Ellie Goulding)
  • Patterson
  • Chatto
  • Ralph
3:09
6."Should've Known Better" (featuring Anne-Marie)
3:35
7."Out at Night" (featuring Kyle and Big Boi)
  • Patterson
  • Chatto
  • Ralph
3:54
8."Last Goodbye" (featuring Tove Styrke and Stefflon Don)
  • Patterson
  • Chatto
  • Ralph
  • Ilya
3:19
9."We Were Just Kids" (featuring Craig David and Kirsten Joy)
  • Patterson
  • Cara Salimando
  • Jonathan Price
  • Patterson
  • Chatto
  • Ralph
3:29
10."Nowhere" (featuring Rita Ora and Kyle)
3:46
11."I Miss You" (featuring Julia Michaels)
  • Patterson
  • Michaels
  • Chatto
  • Patterson
  • Chatto
  • Ralph
3:25
12."In Us I Believe" (featuring Alma)
  • Patterson
  • Chatto
  • Ralph
3:27
Total length:42:54
Deluxe edition bonus tracks[1]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
13."24 Hours" (featuring Yasmin Green)
  • Patterson
  • Parmenius
  • Ryan II
  • Bunetta
3:02
14."Playboy Style" (featuring Charli XCX and Bhad Bhabie)
3:40
15."Beautiful" (featuring Davido and Love Ssega)
  • Patterson
  • Chatto
  • Ralph
3:44
16."Tears" (featuring Louisa Johnson)
  • Patterson
  • Romans
  • Patterson
  • Ralph
3:45
Total length:57:05
Japanese CD bonus tracks[13]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
17."Rather Be" (featuring Jess Glynne)
  • Patterson
  • James Napier
  • Nicole Marshall
  • Chatto
  • Patterson
  • Chatto
3:48
18."I Miss You" (Piano Version; featuring Julia Michaels)
  • Patterson
  • Michaels
  • Chatto
  • Patterson
  • Chatto
3:38
Total length:64:32

Personnel and credits[edit]

Credits adapted from the liner notes of What Is Love?.[14]

Musicians and technicians[edit]

  • Jack Patterson – producer, mixing, piano, synths, vocals engineer, MIDI guitar, keyboards, trumpet, guitar synth, bass synth, flute, baritone saxophone, accordion, programming, electronic wind instrument
  • Mark Ralph – producer, mixing, rhythm acoustic guitar, guitar, programming
  • Grace Chatto – producer, cello, bass, synths, backing vocals, mixing, grand marimba
  • Drew Smith – engineer
  • Tom AD Fuller – engineer
  • Zara Larsson – vocals
  • Luke Patterson – percussion, drums, additional drum programming
  • Kirsten Joy – backing vocals, vocals
  • James Boyd – viola
  • Stephanie Benedetti – violin
  • Beatrice Philips – violin
  • Liam Nolan – strings engineer
  • Ray Charles Brown Jr – engineer, vocals engineer
  • Greg Eliason – assistant engineer, assistant vocals engineer
  • Ross Fortune – engineer
  • Marina – vocals
  • Luis Fonsi – vocals
  • Mike Horner – vocals engineer, strings engineer
  • Alex Robinson – assistant vocal engineer
  • Nakajin – acoustic guitar
  • FRED – producer, keys, synths, drum programming
  • Demi Lovato – vocals
  • Mitch Allan – vocals engineer
  • Camille Purcell – backing vocals
  • Steve Mac – producer, keyboards
  • Sean Paul – vocals
  • Anne-Marie – vocals
  • Caroline Ailin – backing vocals
  • Kelly Barnes – additional vocals
  • Chris Laws – vocals engineer
  • Dann Pursey – vocals engineer
  • Hal Ritson – vocals engineer
  • Braimah Kanneh-Mason – violin
  • Anthony Leung – strings engineer
  • Ellie Goulding – vocals
  • Jason Elliott – vocals engineer
  • Mark Knight – assistant vocals engineer
  • Yasmin Green – backing vocals, vocals
  • Romans – vocal production, backing vocals
  • Sam Skirrow – fretless bass
  • Kyle – vocals
  • Big Boi – vocals
  • Keith Gretlein – vocals engineer, engineer
  • Collin Kadlec – assistant vocals engineer
  • Renegade El Rey – vocals engineer
  • John Ryan – backing vocals, guitar, producer, programming
  • ILYA – producer, drums, keys, guitar
  • Tove Styrke – vocals
  • Stefflon Don – vocals
  • Simon Nordberg – vocals engineer
  • Rymez – vocals engineer
  • Bradley Giroux – assistant engineer
  • Craig David – vocals
  • Lotus IV – producer, keys, shire flute
  • Rita Ora – vocals
  • David Simpson – assistant vocals engineer
  • Julia Michaels – vocals
  • Rob Cohen – vocals engineer
  • Alma – vocals
  • Kalle Keskikuru – vocals engineer
  • LaDonna Harley-Peters – backing vocals
  • Sharlene Hector – backing vocals
  • Vula Malinga – backing vocals
  • MNEK – backing vocals
  • Julian Bunetta – producer, drum programming, programming
  • Jeff Gunnell – engineer
  • The Invisible Men – producer
  • Salt Wives – producer
  • Charli XCX – vocals
  • Bhad Bhabie – vocals
  • John Costello – assistant vocals engineer
  • Jon Shave – vocals engineer, keyboards, programming
  • Josh Collins – vocals engineer
  • George Astasio – keyboards, programming
  • Alex Oriet – keyboards, programming
  • Jason Pebworth – keyboards, programming
  • David Phelan – keyboards, programming
  • Davido – vocals
  • Love Ssega – vocals
  • Guy Kastav – vocals engineer
  • Liam Mugwanya – vocals engineer
  • Adam Stokes – assistant strings engineer
  • Maxwell Cook – additional strings arrangement
  • Louisa Johnson – vocals
  • AWA – backing vocals
  • Neil Amin-Smith – violin
  • Stuart Hawkes – mastering

Recording studio locations[edit]

  • Track 1 recorded at Club Ralph, London; Metropolis Studios, London
  • Track 2 recorded at Club Ralph, London; Metropolis Studios, London; RAK Studios, London and Westlake Studios, Los Angeles
  • Track 3 recorded at Club Ralph, London; Downtown Music Studios, New York; Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, Alabama; RAK Studios, London and Tileyard Studios, London
  • Track 4 recorded at Club Ralph, London; The Crypt Studio, London and Rokstone Studios, London
  • Track 5 recorded at Club Ralph, London; Kore Studios, London and RAK Studios, London
  • Track 6 recorded at Club Ralph, London; and Nightingale Studios, London
  • Track 7 recorded at Club Ralph, London; Enemy Dojo, Calabasas, CA; Henson Studios, Los Angeles and Stankonia Recording Studios, Atlanta, Georgia
  • Track 8 recorded at Club Ralph, London; MXM Studios, Los Angeles; Northbound Studios, Stockholm; Soho Recording Studios, London and Wolf Cousins Studios, Stockholm
  • Track 9 recorded at Club Ralph, London and Henson Studios, Los Angeles
  • Track 10 recorded at Club Ralph, London; The Crypt Studio, Ldon; Lotus Lounge, Los Angeles; RAK Studios, London and Westlake Studios, Los Angeles
  • Track 11 recorded at Club Ralph, London and Westlake Recording Studios, Los Angeles
  • Track 12 recorded at Clean Bandit tour bus, Lokeren; Club Ralph, London and Fried Studios, Helsinki
  • Mixed at Club Ralph, London

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Certifications for What Is Love
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[38] Platinum 80,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[39] Gold 10,000‡
Netherlands (NVPI)[40] Platinum 40,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[41] 2× Platinum 40,000‡
Singapore (RIAS)[42] 2× Platinum 20,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[43] Platinum 300,000‡
United States (RIAA)[44] Gold 500,000‡

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history[edit]

Region Date Format Label Edition
Various 30 November 2018
Atlantic
  • Standard
  • deluxe

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Stickler, Jon (27 September 2018). "Clean Bandit Announce Release Of Second Studio Album 'What Is Love?'". Stereoboard. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d e Beaumont, Mark (29 November 2018). "Clean Bandit, What is Love? review: A shallow, algorithm-friendly array of synthetic pop devotion". The Independent. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  3. ^ a b "What Is Love? (Deluxe) by Clean Bandit on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  4. ^ Lukarcanin, Emina (27 September 2018). "Clean Bandit's 'What Is Love' Track List: See It Here". Billboard. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  5. ^ "Clean Bandit's second album coming in 2018". Bang Showbiz. 1 December 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2018 – via MSN.
  6. ^ a b Cragg, Michael (23 November 2018). "Clean Bandit: Britain's biggest pop group on Labour, Israel and female masturbation | Music". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
  7. ^ Hulton, Anna Sky (27 September 2018). "Clean Bandit: Details of their new album have been released". Planet Radio. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  8. ^ a b "What Is Love? by Clean Bandit Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  9. ^ a b Yeung, Neil Z. "What Is Love? – Clean Bandit". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  10. ^ Aroesti, Rachel (30 November 2018). "Clean Bandit: What Is Love? review – underwhelming chart catnip". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  11. ^ "GEMA – Members – Repertoire Search". online.gema.de.
  12. ^ "In Us I Believe". ASCAP. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  13. ^ "Clean Bandit / クリーン・バンディット「What Is Love?/ホワット・イズ・ラブ？」 | Warner Music Japan". ワーナーミュージック・ジャパン | Warner Music Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  14. ^ What Is Love? (CD liner notes). Clean Bandit. Warner Music Group. 2018. 0190295552572.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Clean Bandit – What Is Love?". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
  16. ^ "ARIA Dance – Week Commencing 10th December 2018" (PDF). ARIA Charts (1502): 17. 10 December 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 December 2018. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  17. ^ "Ultratop.be – Clean Bandit – What Is Love?" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
  18. ^ "Ultratop.be – Clean Bandit – What Is Love?" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
  19. ^ "Clean Bandit Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  20. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Clean Bandit – What Is Love?" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
  21. ^ "Clean Bandit: What Is Love%3F (Deluxe)" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  22. ^ "Lescharts.com – Clean Bandit – What Is Love?". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  23. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2018. 49. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  24. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Clean Bandit". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  25. ^ "What Is Love? on Billboard Japan Hot Albums". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  26. ^ "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2018-12-10" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
  27. ^ "Mūzikas patēriņa topa 49.nedēļa" (in Latvian). LAIPA. 9 December 2018. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  28. ^ "Charts.nz – Clean Bandit – What Is Love?". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  29. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  30. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Clean Bandit – What Is Love?". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  31. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Clean Bandit – What Is Love?". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  32. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  33. ^ "Clean Bandit Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  34. ^ "Clean Bandit Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  35. ^ Copsey, Rob (1 January 2020). "The Official Top 40 biggest albums of 2019". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  36. ^ "Top Dance/Electronic Albums – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  37. ^ "Top Dance/Electronic Albums – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  38. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Clean Bandit – What Is Love?". Music Canada. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  39. ^ "Danish album certifications – Clean Bandit – What Is Love?". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  40. ^ "Dutch album certifications – Clean Bandit – What Is Love?" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 15 March 2019. Enter What Is Love? in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 2019 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  41. ^ "Wyróżnienia – Platynowe płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2019 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  42. ^ "Singapore album certifications – Clean Bandit – What Is Love?". Recording Industry Association Singapore. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  43. ^ "British album certifications – Clean Bandit – What Is Love?". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  44. ^ "American album certifications – Clean Bandit – What Is Love?". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
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