2.0 is the fifth studio album by British boy bandJLS. It was released on 3 December 2021 through BMG Rights Management. The band's first project in nearly a decade, it marked their first studio album since 2012's Evolution. JLS largely reteamed with previous collaborators such as producers Deekay, Toby Gad, Steve Mac, Stargate, and Jerry Duplessis to work on material for the album, while expanding their lineupto include Dom Decoy and Lost Boy. Ed Sheeran co-wrote the lead single "Eternal Love," which helped shaping the album's musical direction and served as the first new material recorded for the project.
Upon release, critics found 2.0 an enjoyable but familiar return to form and praised the album for its easy-listening appeal and maintaining the group’s earlier quality. Commercially, 2.0 debuted at number four on the UK Albums Chart, becoming JLS' sixth consecutive top-ten entry, while also reaching number 35 in Ireland. Three singles were released from the album, including "Eternal Love", "Day One" and "Postcard," with the latter two released as promotional singles only.
Background
By the early 2010s, JLS had established themselves as one of the United Kingdom's leading boy bands,[1] having released a string of albums and embarked on large-scale tours.[2] Despite their success and initial plans for a fifth studio album after 2012's Evolution,[3] in April 2013 the group announced they would be disbanding after six years together.[4] In their statement, they confirmed plans to release a farewell compilation album,Goodbye – The Greatest Hits, and to undertake a final arena tour later that year.[4] Their final single as a group, "Billion Lights," was released in November 2013.[4] JLS officially disbanded following the final gig of their Goodbye Tour at The O2 Arena in London on 22 December 2013.[2]
In November 2019, it was reported that JLS would return as a band after six years, with plans to launch a tour and release new music.[5] This was confirmed on 12 February 2020, when JLS announced their reformation for a reunion tour called the Beat Again Tour.[6][7] In March, it was revealed that JLS had signed a new record deal with BMG to release new music, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, new music was put on hold.[8] Recording for their next album 2.0 took place throughout 2020 and 2021, with sessions adapted to COVID-19 safety restrictions.[9] As a result, much of the early songwriting and pre-production was conducted remotely, with the group collaborating via digital file-sharing and virtual writing sessions before later reuniting in the studio.[9]
Kate Solomon from The i Paper rated the album three out of five stars. She found that 2.0 "sounds like a lot of existing things and it is lyrically questionable, but as an album it is enjoyable enough for me to leave it playing twice without really noticing. Is that praise? Not really, but I don't mind JLS 2.0: a reliable octet of hands to hold on to vintage pop for a couple of minutes while newer artists push it forward."[10]Medium critic Q. Cummins felt the album was "picking up right" where previous album Evolution "left off," writing: "Despite this nostalgia-based juxtaposition, the album definitely meets the same standard and quality as those before it, making it undeniably JLS through and through. It's undoubtedly impressive how despite a seven-year hiatus between albums, JLS have managed to maintain the same quality and standard as though they hadn't missed a day."[11]
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