| I Thought I Was Better Than You | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 2 June 2023 | |||
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| Genre | Hip-hop [1] [2] | |||
| Length | 27:27 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
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| Baxter Dury chronology | ||||
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| Singles from I Thought I Was Better Than You | ||||
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I Thought I Was Better Than You is the seventh studio album by English musician Baxter Dury. It was produced by Paul White together with Dury and was released through Heavenly Recordings on 2 June 2023. [3] [4] It was Dury's first album since his 2021 memoir Chaise Longue. [5]
Alongside the announcement for the album, the lead single, "Aylesbury Boy", was released on 7 March 2023. Featuring the vocalist JGrrey, the song was also accompanied by a music video directed by Noel Paul. [6] The second single "Leon", which also features JGrrey, [7] was released on 5 April 2023, and according to Dury, the song is a semi-autobiographical story about himself and a former classmate. [8] He revealed the album's third and final single "Celebrate Me" on 2 May 2023. [7]
I Thought I Was Better Than You was released on 2 June 2023. [9] [3] The album debuted and peaked at no. 41 on the UK Albums Chart, Dury's highest position to date. [10]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 81/100 [11] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| The Arts Desk | [12] |
| Buzz | [13] |
| Classic Rock | 8/10 [14] |
| DIY | [9] |
| Hot Press | 7/10 [15] |
| The Line of Best Fit | 8/10 [4] |
| Loud and Quiet | 8/10 [3] |
| Mojo | [2] |
| Uncut | 8/10 [16] |
I Thought I Was Better Than You received a score of 81/100 on the review aggregator website Metacritic based on 7 critics, indicating "universal acclaim." [11]
In a five star review for The Arts Desk , Kathryn Reilly said that despite the relatively short running time of the album, it does not lack "in emotional insight. ... Here we have the characteristic all-consuming melancholy that oozes from Baxter Dury but without the menace of Prince of Tears . [12] Reviewing the album for Mojo , Andrew Perry lauded I Thought... as "Baxter's third cracking album in a row, a consistency which eluded even papa Ian." [2] Tim Sendra in a review for AllMusic praised Dury's stylistic shift towards "hip-hop and R&B" while noting that "he and White make it work without lapsing into rip-off territory." [1]
Zara Hedderman of Loud and Quiet said in a four star review that I Thought... "serves as a companion piece to his 2021 memoir, Chaise Longue; the two share characters, and musically it complements the text very well." [3] In The Line of Best Fit , Janne Oinonen came to a similar conclusion, adding "Dury’s talents require no piggybacking on anyone else’s fame: this is the real deal." [4]
| Publication | Accolade | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rough Trade UK | Albums of the Year 2023 | 7 | [17] |
| Under the Radar | Top 100 Albums of 2023 | 96 | [18] |
All tracks are written by Baxter Dury and Kosmo Dury, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "So Much Money" | 2:37 | |
| 2. | "Aylesbury Boy" (feat. JGrrey) | 3:31 | |
| 3. | "Celebrate Me" | 3:17 | |
| 4. | "Leon" (feat. JGrrey) | 2:48 | |
| 5. | "Crashes" | Baxter Dury | 3:08 |
| 6. | "Sincere" | Baxter Dury | 1:03 |
| 7. | "Pale White Nissan" (feat. JGrrey [a] ) |
| 2:56 |
| 8. | "Shadow" |
| 2:06 |
| 9. | "Crowded Rooms" | 3:09 | |
| 10. | "Glows" | 2:52 | |
| Total length: | 27:27 | ||
Credits are adapted from the I Thought I Was Better Than You LP. [19]
Production and design
| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Scottish Albums (OCC) [10] | 10 |
| French Albums (SNEP) [20] | 200 |
| UK Albums (OCC) [10] | 41 |
| UK Albums Chart Update (OCC) [10] | 17 |
| UK Albums Sales (OCC) [10] | 11 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC) [10] | 5 |
