The North (Stars album)

Last updated
The North
The North album cover.jpeg
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 4, 2012
RecordedRCA Victor Studios, Montréal
Genre Indie pop, new wave, synthpop, baroque pop, electropop
Length43:54
Label ATO Records
Producer Graham Lessard, Marcus Paquin, Stars
Stars chronology
The Five Ghosts
(2010)
The North
(2012)
No One Is Lost
(2014)
Singles from The North
  1. "Theory of Relativity"
    Released: July 17, 2012
  2. "Hold On When You Get Love and Let Go When You Give It"
    Released: July 18, 2012
  3. "Backlines"
    Released: August 7, 2012
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 76/100 [1]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Slant Magazine Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]
SputnikmusicStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [4]
Absolutepunk 85% [5]
Pitchfork Media 6.7/10 [6]

The North is the sixth full-length studio album by Canadian indie pop band Stars. It was released on September 4, 2012, through ATO Records. [7] The album has been characterized as having a more upbeat feel to it compared to previous works, as Amy Millan notes: the album was meant to be "playful, joyful and hopeful." [8] The album debuted at number 5 on the Canadian Albums Chart. [9]

Contents

The album's cover shows the Habitat 67 complex, an experimental housing development as well as architectural landmark in Montreal, the band's home city.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Stars.

No.TitleLength
1."The Theory of Relativity"4:26
2."Backlines"2:11
3."The North"4:52
4."Hold On When You Get Love and Let Go When You Give It"4:39
5."Through the Mines"4:10
6."Do You Want to Die Together?"3:12
7."Lights Changing Colour"3:06
8."The Loose Ends Will Make Knots"2:32
9."A Song is a Weapon"3:12
10."Progress"3:50
11."The 400"3:28
12."Walls"4:16
Total length:43:54
Amazon.com & iTunes digital download bonus track
No.TitleLength
13."The North" (Breakglass Version)3:28
Total length:47:22

Reception

The album has received mainly positive reviews from music critics. Metacritic assigned an average score of 70 to the album based on 22 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews." [10]

Personnel

The North album personnel adapted from Discogs. [11]

Stars

Production

Artwork

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References

  1. "Critic Reviews for The North – Metacritic". Metacritic . Retrieved September 8, 2012.
  2. Tim Sendra. "Stars – The North review". Allmusic . Retrieved September 8, 2012.
  3. Kevin Liedel (September 3, 2012). "Stars – The North". Slant Magazine . Retrieved September 8, 2012.
  4. jeremologyy. "Stars – The North". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
  5. "Chorus.fm".
  6. "The North". Pitchfork .
  7. Michael Nelson (June 21, 2012). "Stars – "The Theory Of Relativity"". Stereogum . Retrieved July 13, 2012.
  8. Bernard Perusse (September 4, 2012). "Stars radiate hope on The North". The Gazette . Retrieved September 8, 2012.
  9. https://www.billboard.com/artist/stars/chart-history/canadian-albums
  10. "The North – Stars". Metacritic . Retrieved September 8, 2012.
  11. "Stars – The North". Discogs . Retrieved September 8, 2012.