The Blue Hour (album)

Last updated

The Blue Hour
Suede The Blue Hour.jpg
Studio album by
Released21 September 2018 (2018-09-21)
Recorded2017–2018
Studio Assault & Battery, London
Genre
Length51:36
Label Warner Music UK
Producer Alan Moulder
Suede chronology
Night Thoughts
(2016)
The Blue Hour
(2018)
Autofiction
(2022)
Singles from The Blue Hour
  1. "The Invisibles"
    Released: 3 June 2018
  2. "Don't Be Afraid If Nobody Loves You"
    Released: 12 July 2018
  3. "Life Is Golden"
    Released: 15 August 2018
  4. "Flytipping"
    Released: 14 September 2018
  5. "Wastelands"
    Released: 29 October 2018

The Blue Hour is the eighth studio album by English alternative rock band Suede. The album was released on 21 September 2018. [1] [2]

Contents

It was the first Suede album since A New Morning not to be produced by longtime producer Ed Buller, and the first to be produced by Alan Moulder. [3] This is their final album to be released under Warner Music.

Background

The concept for The Blue Hour began in May 2016, when lead singer Brett Anderson, guitarist Richard Oakes and keyboardist Neil Codling wrote the song "Mistress"; a song about a boy's realisation of his father's affair. [4] The band then spent eighteen months composing the rest before recording it in six weeks from September to October 2017 at Assault & Battery studios in London with new producer Alan Moulder. [4] The band finished the recording of the album in February 2018, shortly after the recording of orchestra sessions was finished, later finished the mixing in April, announcing the album, release date, tracklisting and artwork at the end of that month along with their testing press of the album at Abbey Road Studios.

Release and promotion

The album was announced on 28 April 2018 with the mysterious title, #Suede8 through their Instagram, before they revealed the official title on 30 April 2018 via a video trailer on their Instagram and YouTube, along with their 2018 UK and Europe Tour. [5]

Just over a week before its release, the band uploaded their final trailer with the backsong "Flytipping" through their social media and YouTube.

The first promotional single, "The Invisibles", was released on 3 June 2018. Second single, "Don't Be Afraid If Nobody Loves You" followed on 12 July. The third, "Life Is Golden" was released on 15 August; its accompanying music video comprises footage of Ukrainian ghost town, Pripyat. Fourth single, "Flytipping" was issued on 14 September. The accompanying music video of "Wastelands" was uploaded on 29 October through their official YouTube channel, and featured the free-runner Robbie Griffith.

The album was released in a number of different versions:

The Official Charts Company reported midweek sales of 9,654. [6] It had sold 10,986 units by the end of the week. [7]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic? 7.6/10 [8]
Metacritic 77/100 [9]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [10]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [11]
The Independent Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [12]
The Irish Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [13]
Mojo Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [14]
NME Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [15]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [16]
Record Collector Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [17]
The Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [18]
Uncut 8/10 [19]

The Blue Hour was released to positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, The Blue Hour has an average score of 77 based on 16 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [9]

Commercial performance

The Blue Hour charted at number five on the UK Albums Chart, which is the highest-charting album by the band since Head Music in 1999. [20] The album has sold 27,396 units as of July 2021 according to the Official Charts Company. [20]

Year-end lists

PublicationAccoladeRankRef.
Drowned in Sound Top 15 Albums of 2018
13
Gigwise Top 51 Albums of 2018
10
The Independent The 40 Best Albums of 2018
35
Mojo The 75 Best Albums of 2018
35
musicOMH Top 50 Albums of 2018
5
The Quietus Top 100 Albums of 2018
4

Track listing

Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."As One"4:10
2."Wastelands"
  • Anderson
  • Oakes
5:31
3."Mistress"
  • Anderson
  • Oakes
3:23
4."Beyond the Outskirts"
  • Anderson
  • Oakes
4:06
5."Chalk Circles"
  • Anderson
  • Codling
2:04
6."Cold Hands"
  • Anderson
  • Codling
3:16
7."Life Is Golden"
  • Anderson
  • Oakes
  • Codling
3:57
8."Roadkill"
  • Anderson
  • Codling
2:06
9."Tides"
  • Anderson
  • Oakes
4:08
10."Don't Be Afraid If Nobody Loves You"
  • Anderson
  • Oakes
4:24
11."Dead Bird"
  • Anderson
  • Codling
0:26
12."All the Wild Places"
  • Anderson
  • Codling
3:15
13."The Invisibles"
  • Anderson
  • Oakes
  • Codling
4:09
14."Flytipping"
  • Anderson
  • Oakes
  • Codling
6:41
Total length:51:36
Japanese and deluxe box set bonus CD
No.TitleLength
1."The Blue Hour instrumental"51:36
Total length:51:36
Box set 7" vinyl
No.TitleLength
15."Manipulation"2:05
Box set DVD
No.TitleLength
1."The Blue Hour album band's commentary" 
2."The Blue Hour Trailer"0:19
3."The Invisibles" (promo video)4:14
4."Don't Be Afraid If Nobody Loves You" (promo video)4:30

Personnel

Charts

Chart (2018)Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [27] 58
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [28] 33
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [29] 29
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI) [30] 49
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [31] 52
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [32] 37
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [33] 32
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ) [34] 37
Irish Albums (IRMA) [35] 22
Italian Albums (FIMI) [36] 40
Japanese Albums (Oricon) [37] 58
Portuguese Albums (AFP) [38] 38
Scottish Albums (OCC) [39] 7
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [40] 11
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [41] 48
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [42] 44
UK Albums (OCC) [43] 5

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