Confidence (The Hoosiers album)

Last updated

Confidence
Confidence The Hoosiers.jpeg
Studio album by
Released15 September 2023 (2023-09-15)
StudioAngelic Studios
Genre Pop rock, indie pop, indie rock, alternative rock
Length36:57
Label Crab Race
Producer
  • Sam Miller
  • Alan Sharland
  • Irwin Sparkes
The Hoosiers chronology
The Secret Service
(2015)
Confidence
(2023)
Singles from Confidence
  1. "Hello Sunshine"
    Released: 25 April 2023
  2. "Snowflake"
    Released: 30 June 2023
  3. "Idaho"
    Released: 4 August 2023
  4. "Making a Monster"
    Released: 15 September 2023

Confidence is the fifth album released by British indie pop band The Hoosiers, their first since 2015's The Secret Service . It was released on 15 September 2023 by Crab Race [1] and is published by Downtown Music and distributed by Fuga. [2] It is the band's first album as a duo, following the 2016 departure of keyboardist Sam Swallow. [3]

Contents

Background and promotion

In January 2023, it was reported that The Hoosiers were working alongside The Trick to Life producer Sam Miller on "their first studio album in eight years." [4] In April 2023, alongside the release of the single "Hello Sunshine," [5] the album, titled Confidence, was formally announced. [6] [7]

Since this announcement, three more singles have been released: "Snowflake" on 30 June, [8] "Idaho" on 4 August [9] and "Making a Monster" on 15 September. [10] All four songs have been accompanied by music videos, created by Will Hutchinson. [11] [12] [13] [14]

To promote the album, in June 2023 the band announced a tour of the UK, to take place between September and October 2023. [15] [16] [17] [18] Sharland and Sparkes have also appeared on BBC Breakfast, [19] BBC Radio Solent, [20] [21] Virgin Radio UK [22] Talksport [23] and BBC Radio 5 Live [24] to discuss the release.

In December 2023, the duo announced that a deluxe edition of the album would be released on 19 January 2024. [25] Titled Overconfidence, it features five additional tracks. [26]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Retro Pop MagazineStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg

Upon the album's initial release, critical reception was positive, with Jeremy Williams-Chalmers of the Lancashire Times claiming the band sounds "stronger than ever before" and that Confidence is "a much-needed shot of optimism in a time of global adversity." [27]

Retro Pop Magazine too praised the album, scoring it three of five stars, likening "Hello Sunshine" to the sound of the band's debut album and noting that "16 years after releasing their first, major label LP... they continue to deliver the goods." [28]

Jane Savidge, of Bristol-based music venue The Thekla, was similarly positive, suggesting the album should be considered "one of the natural wonders of the world" and that the record was "effortlessly beguiling." [29]

Reviews of the album's associated tour were also positive, with B24/7 suggesting tracks from Confidence were "met with the same enthusiasm as the classics" at the September 28th Bristol performance. [30] Of the October 1st Newcastle event, Music For The Misfits was similarly upbeat, suggesting the set had "surpassed our expectations" and that the band "have returned with renewed energy." [31]

Track listing

Confidence
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Welcome to Confidence"Alan Sharland, Irwin Sparkes0:46
2."Making a Monster"Sharland, Sparkes3:25
3."Hello Sunshine"Sharland, Sparkes3:44
4."Idaho"Sharland, Sparkes3:37
5."G.O.A.T."Sharland, Sparkes3:18
6."Lip Sinking"Sharland, Sparkes4:31
7."Losing Your Balance"Sharland, Sparkes0:32
8."Things You Remember When You're Falling"Sharland, Sparkes3:29
9."Snowflake"Sharland, Sparkes2:48
10."Confidence (Is Easy)"Sharland, Sparkes2:30
11."So High (Acoustic)"Sharland, Sparkes3:40
12."Lying"Sharland, Sparkes4:37
Total length:36:57
Overconfidence bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Messing with My Feelings"Sharland, Sparkes3:54
14."Gung Ho"Sharland, Sparkes2:59
15."Mister Moon"Sharland, Sparkes3:34
16."Making a Monster (Live at Koko 2023)"Sharland, Sparkes3:36
17."Up to No Good (Live at Koko 2023)"Sharland, Sparkes, Sam Swallow5:04
Total length:19:07

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Confidence. [32]

Charts

Chart performance for Confidence
Chart (2023)Peak
position
Scottish Albums (OCC) [33] 22
UK Album Downloads (OCC) [34] 72
UK Album Sales (OCC) [35] 33
UK Independent Albums (OCC) [36] 17
UK Physical Albums (OCC) [37] 35
UK Record Store (OCC) [38] 10

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Hoosiers</span> English band

The Hoosiers are an English pop rock band who were originally formed in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. As of 2024, the band consists of members Irwin Sparkes, Alan Sharland and Leighton Allen (bass).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hard Life</span> English indie/alternative band

Hard Life, formerly known as Easy Life, is an English alternative indie pop group formed in Leicester in 2017. They came second in the 2020 edition of the BBC's Sound of..., an annual music poll of music critics and industry figures to find the most promising new music talent. Their third mixtape, Junk Food, reached No. 7 on the UK Albums Chart a day after its release. Their debut studio album, Life's a Beach, was released on 28 May 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alphabeat</span> Danish pop band

Alphabeat were a Danish pop band from Silkeborg, fronted by singers Stine Bramsen and Anders Stig Gehrt Nielsen. Their single "Fascination" was a major hit in Denmark during the summer of 2006, as well as the United Kingdom in 2008. Their 2007 eponymous debut album reached number two in Denmark and was certified Platinum. Following its wide release in Europe in 2008, retitled This is Alphabeat, it reached number ten in the UK and was certified Gold in the region. The album also contains their first number one hit in Denmark, "10.000 Nights of Thunder".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Everything Everything</span> English art rock band

Everything Everything are an English art rock band from Manchester that formed in late 2007. Noted for their eclectic sound and complex, avant-garde-inspired lyrics, the band has released seven albums to date Man Alive (2010),Arc (2013),Get to Heaven (2015),A Fever Dream (2017),Re-Animator (2020), Raw Data Feel (2022) and Mountainhead (2024) — and has been widely critically acclaimed. Their work has twice been shortlisted for the Mercury Music Prize and has received five nominations for Ivor Novello Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Hoosiers discography</span>

The discography of The Hoosiers, a British pop rock band, contains five studio albums, four reissues, two live albums, one compilation album, three extended plays, fifteen singles, sixteen music videos and one box set.

The Maine is an American rock band, formed in Tempe, Arizona in 2007. The band has released nine studio albums, eleven extended plays, 31 singles and 30 music videos. Their debut album, Can't Stop Won't Stop was released on July 8, 2008, peaking at No. 40 on the Billboard 200. Their second album, Black & White was released on July 13, 2010, peaking No. 19 on the Billboard 200. Their third album, Pioneer was released on December 6, 2011, and peaked at No. 90 on the Billboard 200. Forever Halloween, their fourth album, was released on June 4, 2013, and peaked at No. 39 on Billboard 200. Their fifth album American Candy was released on March 31, 2015, and peaked at No. 37 on the Billboard 200.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Becky Hill</span> English singer and songwriter (born 1994)

Rebecca Claire Hill is an English singer and songwriter. She rose to fame after appearing on the first series of The Voice UK, auditioning with John Legend's "Ordinary People". She joined Jessie J's team and reached the semi-final of the competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nina Nesbitt</span> Scottish singer, songwriter (born 11 July 1994)

Nina Nesbitt is a Scottish singer and songwriter. She has two top 40 singles, and is known for her single "Stay Out", which peaked at No. 21 on the UK Singles Chart in April 2013, and No. 11 on the Scottish Singles Chart.

John Stephen Sudduth, known professionally as Mikky Ekko, is an American singer and songwriter from Nashville. He co-wrote and was featured on Rihanna's 2013 single "Stay", which charted in multiple countries, becoming his first-charting material. Ekko released his debut studio album, Time, in 2015 through RCA Records. Fame, his second album, was released in 2018 on Interscope Records.

<i>Brand New Machine</i> 2013 studio album by Chase & Status

Brand New Machine is the third studio album by English drum and bass production duo Chase & Status. It was released on 7 October 2013 by MTA Records under exclusive license to Mercury Records. The album features vocal contributions from a new wave of British talent, including Louis M^ttrs, Moko, Jacob Banks and Elli Ingram, as well as contributions from Major Lazer, Nile Rodgers and rapper Pusha T. The duo toured the album with an arena tour beginning on 31 October 2013. They also headlined 1Xtra Live at the Bournemouth International Centre on the same day as the release of the album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhodes (singer)</span> Musical artist

David Rhodes, stagename Rhodes, is an English singer and songwriter from Baldock, Hertfordshire, England. He released his debut EP Raise Your Love on Hometown Records in October 2013 and released his second EP Morning on Rhodes Music on 12 May 2014. His debut album Wishes was released on 18 September 2015.

Tyronne Buddy-Lee Ike Hill, better known by his stage name Kid Bookie, is an English rock singer and rapper from South East London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drown (Bring Me the Horizon song)</span> 2014 single by Bring Me the Horizon

"Drown" is a song by British rock band Bring Me the Horizon released on 21 October 2014. Originally released as a stand-alone single, a remixed version features on the band's fifth studio album That's the Spirit and was released as the lead single. The track, musically, marks a shift away from the band's previously established metalcore sound. Rather, it was described by critics as a pop punk-leaning emo and rock song, being the later showcased as arena rock. It is available to play in the music video game Guitar Hero Live, added on 12 January 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leon Bridges</span> American singer-songwriter

Todd Michael "Leon" Bridges is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He signed with Columbia Records to release his debut studio album, Coming Home (2015), which peaked at number six on the Billboard 200, received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and earned a nomination for Best R&B Album at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards. His second and third albums, Good Thing (2018) and Gold-Diggers Sound (2021) both likewise earned nominations for the award; the former peaked at number three on the chart while the latter peaked at number 17 and saw critical acclaim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calum Scott</span> British singer (born 1988)

Calum Scott is an English pop singer. He rose to prominence in April 2015 after competing on the ITV talent contest Britain's Got Talent, where he performed his version of Robyn's hit "Dancing on My Own" and earned Simon Cowell's Golden Buzzer. After coming sixth in the contest, he released his version as a single the following year, which peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart and became Britain's best-selling single of summer 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonas Blue</span> English DJ and record producer (born 1989)

Guy James Robin, known professionally as Jonas Blue, is an English DJ, songwriter, and record producer. He is well-known for his singles "Perfect Strangers", "Fast Car", "Mama", "By Your Side" and more.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Headie One</span> British rapper

Irving Ampofo Adjei, known professionally as Headie One, is a British rapper and singer. In 2018 he released his second solo mixtape, titled ‘The One’, which included the single "Know Better" featuring rapper RV, it became an "underground hit". Headie One is a member of the UK drill group OFB and is considered to be a pioneer innovator of the UK drill scene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arlo Parks</span> British singer

Anaïs Oluwatoyin Estelle Marinho, known professionally as Arlo Parks, is an English singer and songwriter. Her debut studio album, Collapsed in Sunbeams, was released in 2021 to critical acclaim and peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart. It earned her nominations for Album of the Year, Best New Artist and Best British Female Solo Artist at the 2021 Brit Awards. It won the 2021 Mercury Prize for Best Album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2step (song)</span> 2022 single by Ed Sheeran featuring Lil Baby

"2step" is a song by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran from his fifth studio album = (2021), appearing as the ninth track on its track listing. It was written by Sheeran, David Hodges, Louis Bell and Andrew Wotman, and produced by the latter two. A remix featuring American rapper Lil Baby was released on 22 April 2022, making it the fifth and final single from the album. It was sent to hot adult contemporary radio in the United States three days later. On 2 May 2022, Sheeran released a version of the song featuring Ukrainian pop-rock band Antytila, and later released an additional 12 "global remixes" of the song, with artists from Finland, India, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Australia, France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Brazil.

<i>The Secret Service</i> (album) 2015 studio album by The Hoosiers

The Secret Service is the fourth album released by British indie pop band The Hoosiers. It was released on 9 October 2015 by Crab Race and marks the band's first release since bassist Martin Skarendahl departed the line-up in July 2015.

References

  1. "Confidence by The Hoosiers on Apple Music". Apple Music . 15 September 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  2. Homewood, Ben (9 September 2023). "The Hoosiers sign publishing and distribution deal with Downtown Music / Publishing / Music Week". Music Week . Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  3. Swallow, Sam (19 September 2016). "Sam Swallow". Facebook . Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  4. "The Hoosiers working on new album with producer behind their chart-topping debut - RETROPOP". Retro Pop Magazine. 10 January 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  5. "Hello Sunshine - Single by The Hoosiers - Spotify". Spotify . 25 April 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  6. "The Hoosiers announce fifth studio album Confidence - RETROPOP". Retro Pop Magazine. 25 April 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  7. "The Hoosiers new album and tour dates - Music News - Music-News.com". Music News. 25 April 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  8. "Snowflake by The Hoosiers on Apple Music". Apple Music . 30 June 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  9. "Idaho - Single by The Hoosiers - Spotify". Spotify . 4 August 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  10. "UK rock band with Fifa 08 banger release 'spring in your step' new album - Local News - News - Crewe Nub News". Crewe Nub News. 15 September 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  11. "The Hoosiers - Hello Sunshine (Official Video) - YouTube". YouTube . 25 April 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  12. "The Hoosiers - Snowflake (Official Video) - YouTube". YouTube . 30 June 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  13. "The Hoosiers - Idaho, official video on Vimeo". Vimeo . 4 August 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  14. "The Hoosiers - Making a Monster (Official Video) - YouTube". YouTube . 15 September 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  15. Kapur, Desh (2 June 2023). "The Hoosiers — Announce UK Tour For Autumn 2023 - All Music Magazine". All Music Magazine. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  16. Callen, Andi (15 September 2023). "News: The Hoosiers announce UK tour ahead of release of new album "Confidence". – Backseat Mafia". Back Seat Mafia. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  17. "The Hoosiers - Sonic PR". Sonic PR. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  18. "UK rock band with major 00s hits promise 'instant gratification' with new album - Local Features - News - Teddington Nub News". Teddington Nub News. 20 June 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  19. "Alan Sharland And Irwin Sparkes Of The Hoosiers On BBC Breakfast [13.09.2023] - YouTube". BBC Breakfast . YouTube. 14 September 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  20. "BBC Radio Solent - Lucy Ambache, 22/07/2023, The Hoosiers on BBC Radio Solent". BBC Radio Solent . BBC Sounds. 22 July 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  21. "BBC Local Radio - Stereo Underground, Featured Artist: The Hoosiers. Plus: The Stranglers, The Dandy Warhols, The Undertones, Paul Weller, Jimmy Eat World, The Verve, The Hoosiers are back out on tour with a new album". BBC Radio Solent . BBC Sounds. 5 September 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  22. "The Hoosiers open up about new album, the effects of fame and finding their distinctive sound - Virgin Radio UK". Virgin Radio UK . 31 August 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  23. "Literally Off The Bench - Hawksbee & Jacobs Daily - Acast". Talksport . Acast. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  24. "BBC Radio 5 Live - Nihal Arthanayake, Dancing on Ice, The Hoosiers and being in your 20s". BBC Radio 5 Live . BBC Sounds. 3 October 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  25. "The Hoosiers - OVERCONFIDENCE - On Jan 19th we release the deluxe... - Facebook". Facebook . 20 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  26. "Overconfidence - Album by The Hoosiers - Apple Music". Apple Music . 18 December 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  27. Williams-Chalmers, Jeremy (16 September 2023). "Albums: The Hoosiers Confidence". Lancashire Times. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  28. "The Hoosiers – Confidence". Retro Pop Magazine. 11 September 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  29. Savidge, Jane. "The Hoosiers - Thekla Bristol". The Thekla . Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  30. Smith, Mia (2 October 2023). "Review: The Hoosiers, Thekla - 'They know how to put on a show'". Bristol24/7 . Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  31. "Live: The Hoosiers haven't aged a day". Music For The Misfits. 2 October 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  32. Confidence (liner notes). The Hoosiers. Crab Race. 2023. CR024LP.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  33. "Official Scottish Albums Chart on 9/2/2024 - Official Charts". Official Charts Company. 9 February 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  34. "Official Albums Downloads Chart on 22/9/2023 - Official Charts". Official Charts Company. 22 September 2023. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  35. "Official Albums Sales Chart on 22/9/2023 - Official Charts". Official Charts Company. 22 September 2023. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  36. "Official Independent Albums Chart on 22/9/2023 - Official Charts". Official Charts Company. 22 September 2023. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  37. "Official Physical Albums Chart on 22/9/2023 - Official Charts". Official Charts Company. 22 September 2023. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  38. "Official Record Store Chart on 19/1/2024 - Official Charts". Official Charts Company. 19 January 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2024.