I Thought I Was Better Than You

Last updated

I Thought I Was Better Than You
I Thought I Was Better Than You.jpg
Studio album by
Released2 June 2023
Studio
  • Hoxa
  • Deptford Beat Cabin
Genre Hip-hop [1] [2]
Length27:27
Label
Producer
Baxter Dury chronology
The Night Chancers
(2020)
I Thought I Was Better Than You
(2023)
Allbarone
(2025)
Singles from I Thought I Was Better Than You
  1. "Aylesbury Boy"
    Released: 7 March 2023 [3]
  2. "Leon"
    Released: 5 April 2023 [4]
  3. "Celebrate Me"
    Released: 2 May 2023 [5]

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. [6] [7] It was Dury's first album since his 2021 memoir Chaise Longue. [8]

Contents

Promotion and singles

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. [3] The second single "Leon", which also features JGrrey, [5] was released on 5 April 2023, and according to Dury, the song is a semi-autobiographical story about himself and a former classmate. [4] He revealed the album's third and final single "Celebrate Me" on 2 May 2023. [5]

Release

I Thought I Was Better Than You was released on 2 June 2023. [9] [6] The album debuted and peaked at no. 41 on the UK Albums Chart, Dury's highest position to date. [10]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 81/100 [11]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [1]
The Arts Desk Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [12]
BuzzStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [13]
Classic Rock 8/10 [14]
DIY Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
The Line of Best Fit 8/10 [7]
Loud and Quiet 8/10 [6]
Mojo Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Uncut 8/10 [15]

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." [6] 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." [7]

Accolades

PublicationAccoladeRankRef.
Rough Trade UK Albums of the Year 20237 [16]
Under the Radar Top 100 Albums of 202396 [17]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Baxter Dury and Kosmo Dury, except where noted.

I Thought I Was Better Than You track listing
No.TitleWriter(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 Dury3:08
6."Sincere"Baxter Dury1:03
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

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the I Thought I Was Better Than You LP. [18]

Production and design

Charts

Chart (2023)Peak
position
Scottish Albums (OCC) [10] 10
French Albums (SNEP) [19] 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

Notes

  1. "Pale White Nissan" contains piano and guitar samples from Long Season by Fishmans. [18]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Sendra, Tim. "I Thought I Was Better Than You – Baxter Dury | AllMusic Review". AllMusic . Retrieved 8 May 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 Perry, Andrew (July 2023). "Baxter Dury – I Thought I Was Better Than You". Mojo . p. 88.
  3. 1 2 Kenneally, Cerys (7 March 2023). "Baxter Dury announces new album with JGrrey collaboration 'Aylesbury Boy'". The Line of Best Fit . Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  4. 1 2 Redfern, Mark (5 April 2023). "Baxter Dury Shares New Song 'Leon'". Under the Radar . Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 Kelly, Tyler Damara (2 May 2023). "Baxter Dury unveils new single 'Celebrate Me'". The Line of Best Fit . Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Hedderman, Zara (30 May 2023). "Baxter Dury – I Thought I Was Better Than You". Loud and Quiet . Retrieved 8 May 2025.
  7. 1 2 3 Oinonen, Janne (30 May 2023). "Baxter Dury: I Thought I Was Better Than You". The Line of Best Fit . Retrieved 8 May 2025.
  8. Spencer, Neil (1 August 2021). "Chaise Longue by Baxter Dury review – teenage kicks with the Blockheads". The Guardian . Retrieved 8 May 2025.
  9. 1 2 Martin, Bella (31 May 2023). "Baxter Dury – I Thought I Was Better Than You". DIY . Retrieved 8 May 2025.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Baxter Dury | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart . Retrieved 10 May 2025.
  11. 1 2 "I Thought I Was Better Than You by Baxter Dury". Metacritic . Retrieved 8 May 2025.
  12. 1 2 Reilly, Kathryn (1 June 2023). "Album: Baxter Dury – I Thought I Was Better Than You". The Arts Desk . Retrieved 8 May 2025.
  13. Munday, India (9 June 2023). "Baxter Dury confronts his nepotism baby roots in I Thought I Was Better Than You". Buzz. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
  14. Marszalek, Julian (July 2023). "Baxter Dury – I Thought I Was Better Than You". Classic Rock . No. 315. p. 87. ISSN   1464-7834.
  15. Dylanwray, Daniel (July 2023). "Baxter Dury – I Thought I Was Better Than You". Uncut . p. 27.
  16. "Albums of the Year 2023 | Rough Trade UK". Rough Trade. 14 November 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  17. Redfern, Mark (23 December 2023). "Under the Radar's Top 100 Albums of 2023 Part 2". Under the Radar . Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  18. 1 2 Dury, Baxter (2023). I Thought I Was Better Than You (LP notes). Heavenly Recordings. HVNLP214C.
  19. "Lescharts.com – Baxter Dury – I Thought I Was Better Than You". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 May 2025.