These Were the Earlies

These Were The Earlies
Studio album by The Earlies
Released	19 July 2004 (UK) 25 October 2005 (US)
Recorded	2004
Length	51:02
Label	Secretly Canadian
The Earlies chronology
These Were The Earlies (2004) The Enemy Chorus (2007)

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	84/100 [1]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
The Austin Chronicle	[3]
Drowned in Sound	8/10 [4]
NME	10/10 [5]
Mojo	[6]
Pitchfork	7.9/10 [7]
PopMatters	7/10 [8]
Q	[9]
Uncut	9/10 [10]
Under the Radar	9/10 [11]

These Were The Earlies is the debut studio album by The Earlies, released in 2004 in the UK before releasing in the US the year later.

Reception

These Were the Earlies received positive reviews from critics. On Metacritic, the album holds a score of 84/100 based on 15 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". ^[1]

Track listing

Lyrics: Brandon Carr/John-Mark Lapham. Music: Brandon Carr/Giles T. Hatton/John Mark-Lapham/Christian Madden.

1. "In the Beginning..." – 0:26
2. "One of Us Is Dead" – 5:56
3. "Wayward Song" – 6:16
4. "Slow Man's Dream" – 4:49
5. "25 Easy Pieces" – 4:51
6. "Morning Wonder" – 5:34
7. "The Devil's Country" – 5:50
8. "Song for #3" – 4:15
9. "Lows" – 4:46
10. "Bring It Back Again" – 5:31
11. "Dead Birds" – 2:48

References

1. "These Were The Earlies by The Earlies Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved 21 July 2019.
2. Phares, Heather. "These Were The Earlies - The Earlies". AllMusic . All Media Network . Retrieved 21 July 2019.
3. Haupt, Melanie (18 March 2005). "The Earlies - These Were the Earlies". The Austin Chronicle . Retrieved 27 April 2025.
4. Diver, Mike (22 July 2004). "Album Review: The Earlies - These Were The Earlies". Drowned in Sound . Retrieved 21 July 2019.
5. This music is the electronic, Warp-inspired answer to Brian Wilson's 'Smile.' [31 Jul 2004, p.41]
6. A band who aim foolishly high but always return, wings intact. [Sep 2004, p.92]
7. Hogan, Marc (16 August 2004). "The Earlies: These Were The Earlies". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on 16 August 2004. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
8. Braidwood, Stefan (18 October 2005). "The Earlies: These Were the Earlies". PopMatters . Retrieved 27 April 2025.
9. A work of baroque detail, crossing between Mercury Rev's psychedelic Americana and The Beta Band's bucolic electronica. [Aug 2004, p.110]
10. An outstanding record which you'd be unwise to miss. [Aug 2004, p.91]
11. An astoundingly accomplished collection of flawlessly interesting and compulsively beautiful songs. [#8, p.109]