The Ceiling (album)
| The Ceiling | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 5 April 2019 | |||
| Recorded | Fall 2018 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 45:35 | |||
| Producer | Gethin Pearson[3] | |||
| Jaws chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Ceiling | ||||
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The Ceiling is the third studio album by British indie rock band Jaws. The album was self-released on 5 April 2019
Background[edit]
The album was first announced the album in November 2018 coinciding with the release of their lead-off single, "Driving at Night".[4] Then, the album was announced to be released on 9 April 2019,[5] although that changed to 5 April at a later date.
On 30 January 2019, Jaws released the second single, "Do You Remember?"[6] When describing the track, Connor Schofield said, "This song is a self observation of my social anxiety, and how I always compare ourselves to others when I should be working out how to be more comfortable in my own skin. Musically I think I’ve managed to merge my love for bands like The Cure and bands like Title Fight quite well on this one and its definitely one of my favourites on the record that I'm very much looking forward to playing live."[3][6] Clash magazine described the track as "songwriting it nails that breezy '93 sound but adds a dense wall of noise, erring towards the Swervedriver wing of shoegaze".[2]
The band's third single, "Fear" was released on 28 February 2019.[7] In an interview with Dork Schofield said the track pushed the band out of their comfort zone. Schofield specifically said, "it was sort of the wake up call that we could take this record in any direction we want and still be confident with it. I think it might be my favourite song that we've ever put together, not only musically but for how it opened the door to write the rest of the record. The song is about fight or flight, trying to live via love rather than fear."[8]
Track listing[edit]
All lyrics are written by Connor Schofield, Alex Hudson, and Eddy Geach; all music is composed by Jaws
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Driving at Night" | 3:14 |
| 2. | "Feel" | 4:27 |
| 3. | "Do You Remember?" | 4:08 |
| 4. | "Fear" | 5:12 |
| 5. | "End of the World" | 5:20 |
| 6. | "Patience" | 4:21 |
| 7. | "Looking / Passing" | 5:13 |
| 8. | "The Ceiling" | 4:49 |
| 9. | "Please Be Kind" | 5:11 |
| 10. | "January" | 3:40 |
| Total length: | 45:35 | |
Critical reception[edit]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Dork |   [9] |
| Express & Star | 9/10[10] |
| Gigwise |   [1] |
| IINAG | [11] |
| Soundblab | 10/10[12] |
Johnny Edge writing for Gigwise gave The Ceiling eight stars out of ten.[1] Edge praised the albums balance between grunge, indie pop, dance punk, and shoegazing. Specifically, Edge said The Ceiling "undulates between triumphantly dreamy, shimmering and eminently danceable near-pop – the bread and butter of the likes of current era Two Door Cinema Club, along with Friendly Fires, or even Delphic – and hazy, slower paced numbers. It shouldn't work, but absolutely does. ‘Do You Remember’ is perhaps the strongest example of this, with a grungy riff giving way to the clean, dreamy sound that has become such a JAWS staple."[1]
Jamie Muir, writing for Dork, gave The Ceiling four stars out of five.[9] Muir summarized the album as the band "writing the next chapter in their own manner, ‘The Ceiling’ is another sign that Jaws are a band you can never push into one lane - with a sound the band have been promising and pointing to since the very beginning."[9]
Personnel[edit]
- Connor Schofield – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
- Alex Hudson – lead guitar
- Eddy Geach – drums
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f Edge, Johnny (1 April 2019). "Album Review: JAWS - The Ceiling". gigwise.com. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
- ^ a b Murray, Robin (30 January 2019). "JAWS Hit The Distortion On 'Do You Remember'". Clash. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
- ^ a b Kenneally, Cerys (30 January 2019). "JAWS return with electrifying new track "Do You Remember?"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
JAWS' third album The Ceiling is their first since 2016's Simplicity, and sees the trio reunite with producer Gethin Pearson.
- ^ Manno, Lizzie (28 November 2018). "Daily Dose: JAWS, "Driving At Night"". Paste. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
- ^ "JAWS announce new album 'The Ceiling', share new single 'Driving At Night'". diymag.com. 28 November 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
- ^ a b "JAWS share new track 'Do You Remember'". DIY. 30 January 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
- ^ "JAWS offer up new track 'FEAR'". DIY. 28 February 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
- ^ Taylor, Sam (28 February 2019). "Jaws push out of their comfort zone with new single, 'Fear'". Dork. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
- ^ a b c Muir, Jamie (4 April 2019). "Jaws - The Ceiling". Dork. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
- ^ Sanders, Leigh (5 April 2019). "JAWS, The Ceiling - album review". Express & Star. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
- ^ Macbeth, Katie (1 April 2019). "Jaws – The Ceiling". IINAG. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
- ^ Meissner, Florian (1 April 2019). "JAWS - The Ceiling". soundblab.com. Retrieved 2 April 2019.