A Celebration of Endings

Last updated

A Celebration of Endings
A Celebration of Endings Cover.jpg
Studio album by
Released14 August 2020 (2020-08-14)
Recorded2019
Studio
  • Lotus Easter (Santa Monica, California)
  • United Recording (Los Angeles, California)
  • Abbey Road (London, England)
  • RAK (London, England)
  • Rockstone (London, England)
Genre
Length45:19
Label
Producer
Biffy Clyro chronology
Balance, Not Symmetry
(2019)
A Celebration of Endings
(2020)
The Myth of the Happily Ever After
(2021)
Singles from A Celebration of Endings
  1. "Instant History"
    Released: 20 February 2020
  2. "End Of"
    Released: 5 March 2020
  3. "Tiny Indoor Fireworks"
    Released: 14 May 2020
  4. "Weird Leisure"
    Released: 30 July 2020
  5. "Space"
    Released: 13 August 2020
  6. "Cop Syrup"
    Released: 10 January 2021

A Celebration of Endings is the eighth [note 1] studio album by Scottish alternative rock band Biffy Clyro. It was produced by Rich Costey and was released on 14 August 2020. It debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, making it the band's third consecutive studio album to top the chart.

Contents

Background

The band confirmed they were working on new material in an NME interview in July 2019, [2] having released their soundtrack album Balance, Not Symmetry a few months earlier. Another NME interview in October 2019 confirmed the release of the album, with the working title Opus 8, for the 'first half of next year'. [3]

The first single, "Instant History", was released on 20 February 2020, and first played on Annie Mac's BBC Radio 1 show.

The album was initially planned for release of 15 May 2020, but was pushed back to 14 August due to difficulties surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. [4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic? 7.9/10 [5]
Metacritic 84/100 [6]
Review scores
SourceRating
American Songwriter Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Classic Rock Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [8]
DIY Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [9]
The Independent Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [10]
Kerrang! 5/5 [11]
Mojo Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [12]
NME Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [13]
The Observer Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [14]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [15]
Uncut 8/10 [16]

The album received critical acclaim upon release. On review aggregate website Metacritic, the album has an average score of 84 out of 100, indicating "universal acclaim," based on 16 reviews. [6] Kerrang! gave the album a perfect score, stating that "Biffy Clyro have delivered an album of restless invention, substance and style that arrives like a spray of water on the arid expanse of this saddest of summers." [11] The Independent also gave the album a positive review, writing that the album "soothes, shakes and surprises at every turn". [10]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Simon Neil; additional writers listed

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."North of No South" 4:05
2."The Champ" 3:37
3."Weird Leisure" 4:08
4."Tiny Indoor Fireworks" 3:16
5."Worst Type of Best Possible" 3:50
6."Space" Steve Mac 3:56
7."End Of" 4:37
8."Instant History" Steve Mac, Ammar Malik 3:31
9."The Pink Limit" 3:55
10."Opaque" 4:07
11."Cop Syrup" (Collector's Edition contains hidden track "Less is More") 6:17
Total length:45:19

Personnel

Biffy Clyro

Additional personnel

Production

Artwork and design

Charts

Chart performance for A Celebration of Endings
Chart (2020)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [17] 21
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [18] 5
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [19] 77
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [20] 127
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [21] 23
French Albums (SNEP) [22] 104
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [23] 4
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ) [24] 6
Irish Albums (OCC) [25] 2
Italian Albums (FIMI) [26] 82
Scottish Albums (OCC) [27] 1
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [28] 42
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [29] 4
UK Albums (OCC) [30] 1

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [31] Silver60,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Notes

  1. The band referred to the album using the working title Opus 8. This numbering does not include the soundtrack album Balance, Not Symmetry from 2019. See also: Biffy Clyro discography

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