Hana | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 2 June 2023 | |||
Studio |
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Length | 50:04 | |||
Label | Cooking Vinyl | |||
Producer | Ed Harcourt | |||
Sophie Ellis-Bextor chronology | ||||
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Singles from Hana | ||||
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Hana is the seventh studio album by English singer-songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor, released through Cooking Vinyl on 2 June 2023. The album is her third and final to be produced by Ed Harcourt, alongside Wanderlust (2014) and Familia (2016). Musically, Ellis-Bextor sought to create a fantastical world for the album, inspired by a trip to Japan shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Hana is an album exploring themes such as optimism, adventure and mortality. It was supported by the singles "Breaking the Circle", "Everything Is Sweet" and "Lost in the Sunshine". Reviewers praised the individuality of the album and found it a fitting addition to Ellis Bextor's discography, but held mixed opinions on the results of her continued collaboration with Harcourt.
A deluxe edition was released on 24 November 2023.
"It's optimistic and it's pop-y, but it's also quite psychedelic, proggy and synthy. It was a nice place to put other feelings. It's also my third album with Ed Harcourt. We've plotted a little course, and I feel like I've got a lot more bold with making my records and making them a little bit out there."
Hana is Ellis-Bextor's first studio album since Familia (2016). The writing process for the album began in early 2020, during which Ellis-Bextor visited Japan with her son and mother. She was not originally planned to be part of the trip, but was asked to take the place of her stepfather, John, who had become too unwell to travel. [3] Ellis-Bextor described her visit as "a really special trip, with sadness around the edges, because of what was happening with [her] stepdad". [4] When COVID-19 lockdowns were implemented shortly after her return, she explained that Japan became a "rich, inspirational landscape to go to in our heads, which took on more significance when we suddenly couldn't go anywhere". [4] The album title Hana (花) is the Japanese translation of "flower" or "blossom". [5]
Following her stepfather's death in July of the same year, her grief and desire to celebrate his life also influenced the creation of Hana. [4] During an interview with the Evening Standard 's El Hunt, Ellis-Bextor explained her decision not to make a typical dance record despite the success of her "Kitchen Disco" livestream concerts during lockdown, saying that it "wasn't really where [her] heart was at". [3] The album is her third and final to be produced in its entirety by Ed Harcourt, alongside Wanderlust (2014) and Familia (2016). [4] [2]
Hana opens with "A Thousand Orchids", a "synth driven" track with a 1980s influence, according to The Irish News . [6] The song, whose lyrics discuss mortality, features clipped vocals from Ellis-Bextor. Kate Solomon of i described it as "the most surprising" track on the album, noting how it is "coloured by skittering synths, austere piano chords [...] but develops into something rather shoe-gazey". [7] The lead single "Breaking the Circle" is an "anthemic" song that features a house piano and sees Ellis-Bextor dreaming of going "into the light of the great unknown". [7] Of the song, she said that it was "inspired by those late-night moments you have, where you question everything and feel a buzz of adrenaline about what tomorrow might bring", describing it as "urgent and dramatic and optimistic". [8]
The album's third track, "Until the Wheels Fall Off", includes lyrics taken from a letter written by her late stepfather to her mother. [3] In an interview with The Forty-Five, Ellis-Bextor explained that the letter talks of how the pair "had travelled, laughed, and loved until the wheels fell off" and said the song is "a tribute to their marriage, because they were very happy together". [4] "Everything Is Sweet" was described as having a "clipped synth melancholia" and was noted for its Human League influence. [9] On "Tokyo", Ellis-Bextor recalls her last-minute trip to the city that inspired the album: "Oh I wasn't supposed to come, but it happened that the fates, they had their fun". [3] The seventh track "Beyond the Universe" describes the effect of love: "Galaxies pass us by, all we can do is fly". [10] The song was described as being "starry-eyed" and having a "spacey beat". [7] [10] Of "He's a Dreamer", The Forty-Five's Olivia-Anne Cleary noted that it "exude[s] the warmth and dream-like qualities Ellis-Bextor envisioned during the creative process" of Hana. [4]
The ninth track, "Reflections", is a dance song with heavy beats and was described as a "neat slice of late 70s disco-soul". [7] [9] Within its "heartbreaking" lyrics, Ellis-Bextor self-examines whilst staring into a mirror: "I'm just looking older, not stronger". [10] "Hearing in Colour" is a "frenzied, hallucinogenic trip" according to Sam Franzini of The Line of Best Fit , seeing Ellis-Bextor sing the lyrics: "I'm tasting tomorrow / A feverish dream". [10] On "Broken Toy", she details feeling used within a relationship. [10] Hana closes with "We've Been Watching You", whose production progresses into a "trippy" electronic one. [10] Ellis-Bextor's vocals are commanding and militant [7] on the song, which was written from the perspective of aliens observing humans on Earth and rescuing them. [11] Franzini commended the "diversity in songwriting and sound" in relation to the track, which "leaves ample room for more experimentation in the future". [10]
"Breaking the Circle" was released as the album's lead single on 8 February 2023. [12] Ellis-Bextor performed the song during the European leg of her Kitchen Disco Tour in 2023. [13] The music video for "Breaking the Circle" directed by Remi Laudat was released on 1 March, which Ellis-Bextor says "moves between reality and fantasy". [14] The album's second single, "Everything Is Sweet", was released on 23 March 2023. [1] "Lost in the Sunshine" was released as the third single on 18 April 2023. [15] Its music video was filmed in Rome and was released on 25 May. [16]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Albumism | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Clash | 7/10 [9] |
i | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Irish News | 3/5 [6] |
The Line of Best Fit | 7/10 [10] |
Maxazine | 8/10 [18] |
Retropop Magazine | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Telegraph | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Retropop Magazine felt the album is "unique to the rest of Sophie's catalogue and while there are definite pop moments, she resists chasing hits and lets the music lead the way for a sound that's both charming and enchanting." [5] On a similar note, Sam Franzini from The Line of Best Fit thought that Hana is "an update on Ellis-Bextor's previous works, ideas, and themes – the seven-year hiatus proved to be more than enough time in order to come back to music refreshed and reinvigorated". Franzini called it "a quirky and observant addition to the Ellis-Bextor discography, mixing dark and light themes to create one of her most intriguing works to date". [10]
Robin Murray from Clash called Hana "the closing chapter in this trilogy, and it displays both the strengths and limitations of the exercise – fun, mature pop, it's perfectly enjoyable, but at times you yearn to glimpse her edgier side." [9] Reviewing the album for i , Kate Solomon concluded by remarking that Ellis-Bextor's collaboration with Harcourt is "clearly a fruitful pairing in terms of trying things that other producers might recoil from – but the album drags a little: it seems to meander rather than move with purpose, struggling to keep a grip on your attention as it goes." [7]
Poppie Platt of The Telegraph noted "Breaking the Circle" as a "standout" with an "irresistible disco beat", but felt that "Some tracks (He's a Dreamer, Hearing in Colour) promise groovy drops that never fully materialise" and despite its being "fun and easygoing", one "can't help but feel flat at the conclusion". [19] The Irish News felt that the album contains "dreamy vocals and high energy from its opening notes" but that it "may have benefited from Ellis-Bextor leaning into her signature pop style and adding more high-tempo tunes". [6] Jeremy Williams-Chalmers of The Yorkshire Times called the album "a rather wonderful revelation" and commented that Ellis-Bextor's continued work with Harcourt "once again proves fruitful". [20]
All tracks are written by Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Ed Harcourt and produced by Harcourt, with additional production by Richard Jones.
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "A Thousand Orchids" | 4:36 |
2. | "Breaking the Circle" | 4:13 |
3. | "Until the Wheels Fall Off" | 4:07 |
4. | "Everything Is Sweet" | 4:50 |
5. | "Lost in the Sunshine" | 4:04 |
6. | "Tokyo" | 3:23 |
7. | "Beyond the Universe" | 4:13 |
8. | "He's a Dreamer" | 5:06 |
9. | "Reflections" | 3:22 |
10. | "Hearing in Colour" | 4:01 |
11. | "Broken Toy" | 3:32 |
12. | "We've Been Watching You" | 4:37 |
Total length: | 50:04 |
No. | Title | Length |
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13. | "Blossom of the Night" | 3:46 |
14. | "Lost in the Sunshine" (Acidtone radio edit) | 3:23 |
15. | "Lost in the Sunshine" (Acidtone remix) | 4:32 |
16. | "Breaking the Circle" (Sudlow remix) | 3:00 |
17. | "Breaking the Circle" (Sudlow Club mix) | 6:21 |
18. | "Lost in the Sunshine" (Sudlow radio mix) | 3:07 |
19. | "Lost in the Sunshine" (Sudlow club mix) | 5:40 |
20. | "Breaking the Circle" (featuring BBC Concert Orchestra) (Radio 2 Piano Room) | 4:15 |
21. | "Hypnotized" (with Wuh Oh) | 3:02 |
Musicians
Technical
Visuals
Chart (2023) | Peak position |
---|---|
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [21] | 174 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [22] | 88 |
Scottish Albums (OCC) [23] | 5 |
UK Albums (OCC) [24] | 8 |
UK Independent Albums (OCC) [25] | 2 |
Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
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Various | 2 June 2023 |
| [26] | |
[27] [28] |
Sophie Michelle Ellis-Bextor is an English singer and songwriter. She first came to prominence in the late 1990s as the lead singer of the indie rock band Theaudience. After the group disbanded, Ellis-Bextor went solo and achieved success beginning in the early 2000s. Her music is a mixture of mainstream pop, disco, nu-disco, and 1980s electronic music influences.
Read My Lips is the debut studio album by English singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor, released on 3 September 2001 by Polydor Records. After the disbandment of the Britpop group Theaudience, in which Ellis-Bextor served as vocalist, she was signed to Polydor. Prior to the LP's completion, the singer collaborated with several musicians, including band Blur's bassist Alex James, Moby and New Radicals frontman Gregg Alexander. The record was described as a collection of 1980s electronica and 1970s disco music.
Shoot from the Hip is the second studio album by English singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor, released on 27 October 2003 by Polydor Records. It was produced by Gregg Alexander, Matt Rowe, Jeremy Wheatley and Damian LeGassick.
Dimitri Tikovoï is a French, Grammy-nominated record producer and DJ who has worked with bands including Placebo, Purple Disco Machine, Ghost, The Horrors, Charli XCX, TWICE, Black Honey, Mikky Ekko, Marianne Faithfull, Becky Hill, Blondie and Nicola Roberts. In 2002, Tikovoi released an album under the name "Trash Palace".
"Take Me Home" is a song recorded by American singer and actress Cher for her fifteenth studio album. The album, released in 1979, bore the same name as the single. "Take Me Home" is a disco song conceived after Cher was recommended to venture into said genre after the commercial failure of her previous albums. The lyrics center around the request of a woman to be taken home by her lover. It was released as the lead single from the Take Me Home album in January 1979 through Casablanca Records, pressed as a 12-inch single.
Trip the Light Fantastic is the third studio album by British singer and songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor. It was released on 21 May 2007 by Fascination Records following the release of the lead single, "Catch You" and the second single, "Me and My Imagination". The album was available to stream via the internet on 18 May 2007, three days before the official release date. It debuted on the UK Albums Chart at number 7.
"Catch You" is a song by the British recording artist Sophie Ellis-Bextor for her third album, Trip the Light Fantastic (2007). It was written by Cathy Dennis, Rhys Barker and Greg Kurstin and produced by Kurstin. It was released as the album's first single on 19 February 2007. "Catch You" is a pop rock song and talks about Bextor chasing the guy that she wants.
British singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor has released seven solo studio albums, one live album, two compilation albums, one remix album, one extended play, one video album, thirty-seven singles and twenty-seven music videos. Ellis-Bextor debuted in 1997 as frontwoman of the indie music group theaudience, whose single "I Know Enough " reached the top 25 on the United Kingdom singles chart. They released a self-titled album. A follow-up was shelved by label Mercury Records, but selected tracks circulate as bootlegs.
"Me and My Imagination" is a song by British recording artist Sophie Ellis-Bextor for her third studio album, Trip the Light Fantastic (2007). It was written by Ellis-Bextor, Hannah Robinson and co-written and produced by Matt Prime. It is a dance-pop, disco song and its lyrics advise an overeager suitor to play harder to get. Some critics noted that it recalls the songs from her first studio album, Read My Lips (2001).
"Today the Sun's on Us" is a song by English musician Sophie Ellis-Bextor, released as the third single from her third studio album Trip the Light Fantastic (2007). It was written by Ellis-Bextor, Steve Robson, and Nina Woodford and produced by Jeremy Wheatley and Brio Taliaferro. A pop ballad featuring electric and bass guitar, its lyrics describe "appreciating the good times while they're here." It was released on 6 August 2007 as a CD single.
"If I Can't Dance" is a song by British recording artist Sophie Ellis-Bextor for her third studio album, Trip the Light Fantastic (2007). It was written by Ellis-Bextor and Dimitri Tikovoi, while production was handled by Tikovi, with additional production by Brio Taliaferro and Jeremy Wheatley. It is a dance-pop, electropop and disco song and a reference to the famous misquotation of Emma Goldman, "If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution", which nevertheless summarizes what she did say.
Make a Scene is the fourth studio album by English singer and songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor, released in Russia on 18 April 2011 by Universal Music Group and in the United Kingdom on 13 June 2011 by Ellis-Bextor's own record label, EBGB's. It is her first studio album since Trip the Light Fantastic (2007).
"Young Blood" is a song by English recording artist Sophie Ellis-Bextor from her fifth studio album Wanderlust (2014). The song was released as the album's lead single on 21 November 2013. It was co-written by Ed Harcourt and Ellis-Bextor; the former also produced it. The song is a chamber pop piano ballad, which features instrumentation from subdued drums and various string instruments. In the track, Ellis-Bextor sings with restrain, incorporating a low register in the verses and hitting her highest note in the chorus. A demo version of the track was offered online in March 2013.
"Love Is a Camera" is a song performed by English recording artist Sophie Ellis-Bextor for her fifth album Wanderlust (2014). Ellis-Bextor co-wrote the song with Ed Harcourt, who also produced the track. Its lyrics recount the story of a woman who takes photos of her victims and keeps their souls in the pictures. Musically, the song features piano, guitars, double bass, and influences of tango and baroque. "Love Is a Camera" was serviced to hot adult contemporary radio stations in the United Kingdom as the third single from Wanderlust. The song was released on 23 June 2014.
"Runaway Daydreamer" is a song by the English recording artist Sophie Ellis-Bextor for her fifth studio album Wanderlust (2014). The song was released on 31 March 2014 as the second single of the album. Composed by Ed Harcourt with additional writing by Ellis-Bextor, it is a chamber pop track which features percussion and string instruments. Its lyrics, written in a way resemblant of nursery rhymes, expound on escapism and "self discovery".
Familia is the sixth studio album by English singer and songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor. The album was produced by Ed Harcourt, who also produced Ellis-Bextor's previous album, Wanderlust. It was released on 2 September 2016, by EBGB LLP and was critically acclaimed. It was preceded by disco-pop single "Come with Us", which was released on 19 July.
The Song Diaries is a compilation album by English singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor, released on 15 March 2019 by EBGB's. Made in collaboration with Ed Harcourt, the album consists primarily of orchestral versions of Ellis-Bextor's solo singles, including her collaboration with Italian DJ Spiller, "Groovejet ", and a song from her time as part of Theaudience, "A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed". It was called an "orchestral greatest hits" by Clash. Ellis-Bextor toured the UK with a full orchestra and band in support of the album from June 2019.
Songs from the Kitchen Disco is the first greatest hits album by English singer-songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor, released on 13 November 2020 by EGBG's, although it was previously announced for 23 October. It features singles from all her studio albums: Read My Lips (2001), Shoot from the Hip (2003), Trip the Light Fantastic (2007), Make a Scene (2011), Wanderlust (2014) and Familia (2016), as well as a number of cover versions of songs by other artists. Songs from the Kitchen Disco serves as the follow-up to her previous release, the 2019 orchestral compilation album The Song Diaries.
Kitchen Disco – Live at the London Palladium is a live album by English singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor, released on 25 November 2022 by EBGB's and Cooking Vinyl. The album was recorded at London Palladium on 30 March 2022.