Concrete Love
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 61/100[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [2] |
| NME |   [3] |
| The Line Of Best Fit | [4] |
Concrete Love is the fourth studio album from British indie rock band The Courteeners, released on 18 August 2014 via PIAS Cooperative label.[5]
Overview
The band's follow up to Anna was again produced by Joe Cross, and recorded and released within a year from the previous release. Most of the album was written by Fray in the latter part of 2013 during a stay in Montmartre. He described the material as: "There are stories, they come from somewhere. They're a little bit less literal, a bit more abstract, which is something that I thought I'd give a go. I've always been a fan of that kind of kitchen sink style of writing. I suppose because it's real, it's what people know. There are little pockets of abstract dotted around. So there's a bit more, 'Let people make their mind up', I guess, than the last record".[5]
The band embarked on a UK/European tour in support for the album, which included headlining slots at the Radio One/NME Stage at the Reading and Leeds Festival.[6] The album debuted at number 3 in the UK Album chart, marking the band's highest chart entry to date.[7]
The track "Summer' was offered as an immediate download when the album was pre ordered.[8] The first official release from the album was the 'How Good It Was' E.P released on 21 July 2014.[9] It featured the title track and the songs 'Hometown One', 'Sunflower', and 'Why Are You Still With Him?' and reached number 2 on the official UK iTunes chart. Of the title track Fray explained that "it almost felt like a kind of Beach Boy Motown, as a kind of homage to Danny Zuko and it happened".[5]
A deluxe version of the album was released containing a CD and DVD of the bands Castlefield Bowl shows on 5 and 6 July 2013.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Liam Fray
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "White Horses" | 3:58 |
| 2. | "How Good It Was" | 4:05 |
| 3. | "Small Bones" | 4:14 |
| 4. | "Has He Told You That He Loves You Yet" | 4:11 |
| 5. | "Black & Blue" | 3:51 |
| 6. | "International" | 4:43 |
| 7. | "Next Time You Call" | 3:33 |
| 8. | "Summer" | 3:35 |
| 9. | "Saboteur" | 3:36 |
| 10. | "Dreamers" | 5:14 |
| 11. | "Beautiful Head" | 5:18 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Are You in Love With a Notion?" | – |
| 2. | "Lose Control" | – |
| 3. | "Cavorting" | – |
| 4. | "Acrylic" | – |
| 5. | "Van Der Graaff" | – |
| 6. | "Please Don't" | – |
| 7. | "Bide Your Time" | – |
| 8. | "Scratch Your Name Upon My Lips" | – |
| 9. | "That Kiss" | – |
| 10. | "When You Want Something You Can't Have" | – |
| 11. | "Take Over The World" | – |
| 12. | "You Overdid It Doll" | – |
| 13. | "The Opener" | – |
| 14. | "Welcome to the Rave" | – |
| 15. | "Sycophant" | – |
| 16. | "Marquee" | – |
| 17. | "Smiths Disco" | – |
| 18. | "The Rest of the World Has Gone Home" | – |
| 19. | "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" | – |
| 20. | "Fallowfield Hillbilly" | – |
| 21. | "Here Come the Young Men" | – |
| 22. | "Not Nineteen Forever" | – |
| 23. | "What Took You So Long?" | – |
Credits
- The Courteeners
- Liam Fray – vocals, guitars,
- Daniel Moores – guitars
- Mark Cuppello – bass guitars
- Michael Campbell – drums
- Adam Payne – Keyboards
- Continuous
Charts
| Chart (2014) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart | 3 |
References
- ^ "Album Review". Metacritic.com. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
- ^ "Allmusic Review".
- ^ "NME Review".
- ^ "The Line Of Best Fit Review".
- ^ a b c XFM Announcement Tim Cocker, Courteeners announce new album Concrete Love, XFM, 18 August 2014.
- ^ "Courteeners warm up for Reading and Leeds with Liverpool show". Gigwise. August 19, 2014. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
- ^ "Liam Fray interviewed, by Fergal Kinney". Louder Than War. October 22, 2014. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
- ^ "Courteeners Announce New Album 'Concrete Love'". MTV. June 20, 2014. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
- ^ "The Courteeners to release new EP 'How Good It Was' – listen". NME. July 21, 2014. Retrieved November 21, 2014.