| It Won't Always Be Like This | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 9 July 2021 | |||
| Recorded | 2020–2021 | |||
| Studio | Narcissus Studio, London | |||
| Genre | Indie rock | |||
| Length | 45:13 | |||
| Label | Polydor | |||
| Producer | Antony Genn | |||
| Inhaler chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from It Won't Always Be Like This | ||||
| ||||
It Won't Always Be Like This is the debut studio album by Irish rock band Inhaler, released on 9 July 2021 through Polydor Records. [1]
The band had originally planned to begin recording the album in March 2020, however due to the COVID-19 pandemic plans had to be postponed. [2] In March 2021, Inhaler announced the title would be It Won't Always Be Like This and the album was released in July. [3]
To promote the album, Inhaler embarked on a tour of the UK, Europe and North America. It began in the UK in late August 2021, before going to North America in September 2021 and starting their European tour in October 2021 in Dublin and finishing in Lisbon in July 2022. [4]
Inhaler also performed "Cheer Up Baby" on The Late Late Show with James Corden and MTV Rocks Chart with Jack Saunders to promote the album. [5]
 | This section may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may interest only a particular audience.(March 2023) |
The title track, "It Won't Always Be Like This", was one of the first songs the band wrote and although they spent a while on it, the song "kind of formed live" as gigs were the best to gauge a response to the songs the band wrote. The song is the opener for every gig the band does, so they wanted it to also be the opening track on the album. For the album, it was also re-recorded, having been first released as a single in March 2019, with Elijah Hewson saying that they wanted to give it "a bit of a facelift and make it sound like it does now live", as well as "update it and make it sound like the rest of the record". [6]
"My Honest Face" was written in December 2018 and was released as a single in May 2019. [6] "My Honest Face" was also re-recorded for the album. [7] The song "gained massive traction" just as the band start touring and Hewson described it as being about "finding your feet and figuring out what persona you wanted to adopt when you go on stage". [6]
"Slide Out the Window" was one of the first songs the band wrote during the COVID-19 lockdown and is a lot slower than the first two songs on the album. Ryan McMahon said that the song "shows a side of us that we've never really shown before", with Hewson adding that it "really encapsulates just the feeling of lockdown ... [and] hoping that you're someplace else". [6]
"Cheer Up Baby" was released in March 2021, towards the end of lockdown and is an uplifting song that the band have played at every single gig they've done and one that fans had been wanting the band to release as a single for a long time. [6]
"A Night on the Floor" was "kind of the first time we did something a bit kind of psychedelic and trippy" and is about when "everything just seems so negative". [6]
"My King Will Be Kind" was "inspired by people our age who maybe get taken into or just find themselves in extremist groups online". [6]
"When It Breaks" was written at the beginning of lockdown and is a "contrast with the anger and aggression that a lot of people were feeling at the time". [6]
"Who's Your Money On? (Plastic House)" is the longest track on the album and is a mix of a jam that the band and another song that the band had, "Plastic House". The band released the song as a single "out of nowhere" as there hadn't been any prior announcement to its release. [6]
With "Totally", Hewson said that the band ended up "writing music that we weren't really able to play at the time" during lockdown and McMahon added that it was very difficult to write music over Zoom, but when the band went to the recording studio they "became really passionate about [it] early on". [6]
The vocals in "Strange Time to Be Alive" were the chorus of a demo that Robert Keating had been working on and their producer wanted to "make it an interlude" before the final track. [6]
"In My Sleep" was written when the band were able to go to the recording studio during lockdown in 2020, with McMahon describing it as "the first time in years that we'd probably written a song by just jamming it straight up". [6]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 6.4/10 [8] |
| Metacritic | 69/100 [9] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Clash | 7/10 [10] |
| DIY |    [11] |
| Dork | [12] |
| Gigwise | 7/10 [13] |
| Hot Press | 8/10 [14] |
| i | [15] |
| The Independent | [16] |
| The Irish Times | [17] |
| The Line of Best Fit | 7/10 [18] |
| NME | [1] |
The album was overall met with positive reviews. The review aggregator Metacritic has a rating of 70 out of 100, based on 7 reviews. [9]
Reviewing for Clash , Robin Murray wrote that the album "distils an optimism we can just about taste, but can’t quite feel. The sound of a band coming into their own, it finds Inhaler taking a deep breath, and making the most important step forwards of their career". [10] Charlie Brock for Gigwise thought "they lack the cutting edge like Fontaines D.C. or The Murder Capital, but Inhaler have brought together a really listenable, enjoyable debut in It Won't Always Be Like This nevertheless". [13]
Roisin O'Connor for The Independent wrote that "it’s easy for critics and fellow artists to resent a band like Inhaler, with their famous parents, near-instant signing to a major label, and early tours supporting Noel Gallagher. But beneath the on-sleeve influences are poignant themes of ennui, anxiety and yearning. Inhaler want to be adored. With a debut like this, they probably will be." [16] Ella Kemp for NME wrote that the "rousing debut album is the triumphant completion of a journey years in the making" and that "Hewson is clearly pushing himself to do so much more than just make his dad proud". [1]
Lana Williams for The Life of Best Fit lauded the album, writing that it "offers an impeccable blend of nostalgia inducing guitar riffs and emotive narratives that make for a spectacular debut album. Promising and full of potential, the boys have delivered and exceeded expectations, it’s safe to say that their intoxicating indie rock cuts are here to stay". [18]
All tracks are written by Elijah Hewson, Josh Jenkinson, Robert Keating and Ryan McMahon, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "It Won't Always Be Like This" | 4:04 | |
| 2. | "My Honest Face" | 4:32 | |
| 3. | "Slide Out the Window" | 4:35 | |
| 4. | "Cheer Up Baby" | 3:53 | |
| 5. | "A Night on the Floor" | 4:02 | |
| 6. | "My King Will Be Kind" | 4:52 | |
| 7. | "When It Breaks" |
| 3:42 |
| 8. | "Who’s Your Money On? (Plastic House)" |
| 6:22 |
| 9. | "Totally" |
| 3:56 |
| 10. | "Strange Time to Be Alive" | 1:04 | |
| 11. | "In My Sleep" | 4:11 | |
| Total length: | 45:13 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "When I'm with You" | 4:03 |
| Total length: | 49:27 | |
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. [20]
Inhaler
Additional musicians
Technical
| Chart (2021) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [21] | 74 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [22] | 6 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [23] | 8 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [24] | 7 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [25] | 13 |
| Irish Albums (OCC) [26] | 1 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC) [27] | 1 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [28] | 34 |
| UK Albums (OCC) [29] | 1 |
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) [30] | 8 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI) [31] | Silver | 60,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Baptism is the seventh studio album by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz, released on May 17, 2004, by Virgin Records. The album produced five singles and reached number 14 on the Billboard 200 and number 74 on the UK Albums Chart.
Lean into It is the second studio album by the American rock band Mr. Big, released on March 26, 1991. The band's breakthrough release, Lean into It peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 200 charts, while the single "To Be with You" became the band's first and only song to hit number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The follow-up single, "Just Take My Heart", was a top-20 hit, peaking at number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Lullabies to Paralyze is the fourth studio album by American rock band Queens of the Stone Age, released on March 22, 2005. The album debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200, and sold 97,000 copies in America during its first week of release, eventually topping over 342,000 copies as of March, 2007 according to Nielsen Soundscan. The album has been certified gold in the UK, where it has sold over 100,000 units. It is also the band's first album to be released after bassist Nick Oliveri was fired from the band. Singer/guitarist Josh Homme and singer Mark Lanegan are the only members from the previous album, Songs for the Deaf, to play on this album and it is the first album to feature drummer Joey Castillo and guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen.
Shine On is the second album by Australian rock band Jet, released on 30 September 2006 in Australia and internationally on 2–3 October 2006.
It Won't Be Soon Before Long is the second studio album by American pop rock band Maroon 5. It was released on May 16, 2007, by A&M Octone Records, as the follow-up to their debut album, Songs About Jane (2002). The name was inspired by a phrase the band adopted to keep themselves motivated while on their tour.
Intimacy is the third studio album by English indie rock band Bloc Party. It was recorded in two weeks at several locations in London and Kent during 2008 and was produced by Jacknife Lee and Paul Epworth. The band members made the album available for purchase on their website as a digital download on 21 August 2008. Minimal promotion was undertaken in the UK. The record was released in compact disc form on 24 October 2008, with Wichita Recordings as the primary label. It peaked at number 8 on the UK Albums Chart and entered the Billboard 200 in the United States at number 18.
Shadows and Light is the second album by American vocal group Wilson Phillips, released in 1992 by SBK Records.
Holy Fire is the third studio album by British rock band Foals, released on 11 February 2013 in the United Kingdom on Transgressive Records. The first single "Inhaler" first aired on 5 November 2012 on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 show, with the music video being released later that same day. The second single "My Number" debuted on Later... with Jools Holland on 13 November 2012. The track had its radio debut one month later, also on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 show. The music video premiered on 23 January 2013.
V is the fifth studio album by American band Maroon 5. The album was released on September 2, 2014, through 222 and Interscope Records. V was Maroon 5's first album to be released through Interscope after the band's previous label, A&M Octone Records, transferred them along with most of its artists to Interscope. The album also saw the return of keyboardist/rhythm guitarist/backing vocalist Jesse Carmichael, after his absence from recording, touring and promoting the band's previous album, Overexposed, which was released in 2012. It debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 and produced with three hit singles, "Maps", "Animals", and "Sugar", peaking at numbers 6, 3 and 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100, respectively. A fourth single "This Summer's Gonna Hurt like a Motherfucker", was released on May 15, 2015, from the reissue deluxe edition of the album. "Feelings" was released as the album's fifth and final single on September 14, 2015. The album received mixed reviews from the music critics.
Strut is the tenth studio album by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz. It was released on September 23, 2014 and was the first release on Kravitz's own Roxie Records, with distribution by Kobalt Label Services. The record also produced five singles released both in 2014 and 2015.
In Dream is the fifth studio album by British band Editors. It was produced by the band themselves and released on 2 October 2015 through PIAS Recordings.
Who is the twelfth studio album by the English rock band The Who, released on 6 December 2019. The band's first new studio album in thirteen years, and the second overall comprising the duo of vocalist Roger Daltrey and instrumentalist Pete Townshend, it comprises ballads, rock music, electronic experimentation and "classic Who-ish" songs, according to Townshend.
Inhaler are an Irish rock band originating from Dublin. Formed in 2012, the band consist of vocalist and guitarist Elijah Hewson, bassist Robert Keating, guitarist Josh Jenkinson and drummer Ryan McMahon. Their debut album, It Won't Always Be Like This, was released on 9 July 2021. It entered the Irish & UK Albums Charts at number one, while also entering the top 10 and top 20 album charts in other European countries such as the Netherlands and Germany. The band's second studio album, Cuts & Bruises, was released on 17 February 2023, and their third album, Open Wide, will be released in February 2025.
Death by Rock and Roll is the fourth studio album by American rock band the Pretty Reckless, released on February 12, 2021. It is the band's first album released with their new label, Fearless Records, and is also the band's first album since the death of their long-time producer, Kato Khandwala in 2018. The album was produced by Jonathan Wyman, vocalist Taylor Momsen, and guitarist Ben Phillips, along with additional production done by Nate Yacchichino. The album was preceded by two singles: "Death by Rock and Roll" and "And So It Went" featuring Tom Morello. There were also two promotional singles released prior to the album: "Broomsticks" and "25".
Typhoons is the third studio album by English rock duo Royal Blood, released through Warner Records on 30 April 2021. A predominantly self-produced effort, the band recorded the album throughout 2019 and 2020. The album also marks a notable shift in the band's sound, pairing their usual alternative and hard rock sound with elements of dance-rock and disco. The album was preceded by three singles—"Trouble's Coming", "Typhoons", and "Limbo"—in addition to the promotional single "Boilermaker".
Give Me the Future is the fourth studio album by British indie pop band Bastille, released on 4 February 2022 through EMI Records. It was executive produced by Ryan Tedder. The album was preceded by the singles "Distorted Light Beam", "Give Me the Future", and "Thelma + Louise", and subsequently announced alongside the release of the fourth single "No Bad Days". A fifth single titled "Shut Off the Lights" launched nearly three weeks prior to the album release.
Torpedo is the eleventh studio album by Welsh rock band Feeder, released on 18 March 2022 through Big Teeth Music.
Will of the People is the ninth studio album by English rock band Muse, released through Warner Records and Helium-3 on 26 August 2022. Self-produced by the band, it is a genre-hopping album that Matthew Bellamy described as "a greatest hits album – of new songs." "Won't Stand Down", "Compliance", "Will of the People", and "Kill or Be Killed" were released as singles before the album was released, and "You Make Me Feel Like It's Halloween" was released as a single the same day the album came out.
Cuts & Bruises is the second studio album by Irish rock band Inhaler. It was released on 17 February 2023 through Polydor Records.
Elijah Bob Patricius Guggi Q Hewson is an Irish rock musician. Born to U2 frontman Bono and activist Ali Hewson in Dublin, he grew up in Killiney and featured on the cover of U2's Songs of Experience in 2017. He formed Inhaler in late 2012 with two friends from St Andrew's College, Dublin, with a fourth member joining later, and released the albums It Won't Always Be Like This (2021) and Cuts and Bruises (2023) as part of the band. His unusual name, for which his father received odium in the press, is a result of Bono's Christianity and incorporates the names of Guggi and Quincy Jones.
