| A Celebration of Endings | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 14 August 2020 | |||
| Recorded | 2019 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 45:19 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
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| Biffy Clyro chronology | ||||
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| Singles from A Celebration of Endings | ||||
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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.
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]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.9/10 [5] |
| Metacritic | 84/100 [6] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| American Songwriter |   [7] |
| Classic Rock |  [8] |
| DIY | [9] |
| The Independent | [10] |
| Kerrang! | 5/5 [11] |
| Mojo | [12] |
| NME | [13] |
| The Observer | [14] |
| Q | [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]
All tracks are written by Simon Neil; additional writers listed
| No. | Title | Writer(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 | ||
Biffy Clyro
Additional personnel
Production
Artwork and design
| 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 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI) [31] | Silver | 60,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Biffy Clyro are a Scottish rock band that formed in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, composed of Simon Neil, James Johnston, and Ben Johnston. Currently signed to 14th Floor Records, they have released nine studio albums, six of which reached the top five in the UK Albums Chart, with their sixth studio album, Opposites claiming their first UK No. 1 album. Three consecutive studio albums peaked at number one in the UK official albums chart. After their first three albums, the band expanded their following significantly in 2007 with the release of their fourth album, Puzzle, creating more mainstream songs with simpler rhythms and distancing themselves from the more unusual dissonant style present in their previous three albums. Puzzle peaked at No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart on 16 June 2007. The album went platinum in the UK in 2012, having sold over 300,000 copies. In the early 2010’s, they built up a reputation of being one of the biggest rock bands in the UK.
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