Truth Is a Beautiful Thing | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 9 June 2017 | |||
Recorded | 2014–2016 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 51:48 | |||
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Producer |
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London Grammar chronology | ||||
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Singles from Truth Is a Beautiful Thing | ||||
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Truth Is a Beautiful Thing is the second studio album by English indie pop band London Grammar. It was released on 9 June 2017 by the trio's imprint Metal & Dust and Ministry of Sound. [3]
"Rooting for You" was released as the album's lead single on 1 January 2017. [4] It peaked at number 58 on the UK Singles Chart. [5] The album's second single, "Big Picture", was released on 1 February 2017, [6] reaching number 73 on the UK Singles Chart. [5] "Truth Is a Beautiful Thing" was released as the third single on 24 March 2017. "Oh Woman Oh Man" was released as the fourth single on 21 April 2017, [7] peaking at number 85 on the UK Singles Chart. [5] On 11 August 2017, "Non Believer" was sent to UK contemporary hit radio as the album's fifth single. [8] The album's sixth and final single, "Hell to the Liars", was released on 10 November 2017. [9]
Truth Is a Beautiful Thing received mixed to positive reviews from music critics. Praise was directed at the album's atmospheric production and Hannah Reid's emotive vocals, [10] while some critics felt that the record lacked musical variety and progression from the band's debut album, If You Wait. [11]
Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 68/100 [12] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Clash | 8/10 [14] |
DIY | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Drowned in Sound | 7/10 [16] |
The Guardian | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Independent | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
musicOMH | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
NME | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Under the Radar | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The album holds a score of 68/100 on review aggregator Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews" based on 17 critics' reviews. [20] Scott Dransfield of Under the Radar, praised the album for being an "album-length exploration of mood, or a collection of self-contained songs, than it is a flowing, conceptual, capital-A album." [21] The Guardian awarded the album three out of five stars, commending its "cinematic and grand" production but criticizing it for being too uniform in tone. [11] NME also gave the album four stars, stating that while London Grammar ability to craft ethereal soundscapes, but criticized the album for lacking to connect with its lyrics stating "They're not exactly expected to diss Cameron in a thunderous, anti-Brexit, but they could still say more, or go beyond a default of singing about the complex ups and downs of relationships." [22] The Arts Desk was more critical, giving the album two out of five stars, describing it as having "dumped many of the elements that made If You Wait really shine and instead find themselves fishing around for inspiration and trying on a fair few ill-fitting hats for size." [23]
Conversely, AllMusic rated the album three and a half stars out of five, praising its lush production and Reid's vocal performance, [24] while The Independent rated it three stars, highlighting the lyrical themes, but stated "listeners may experience déjà vu." [25]
Truth Is a Beautiful Thing debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart with first-week sales of 43,403 copies, including 2,780 from sales-equivalent streams. [26]
All tracks are written by Hannah Reid, Daniel Rothman and Dominic Major, except where noted.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Rooting for You" |
| 4:29 | |
2. | "Big Picture" |
| 4:41 | |
3. | "Wild Eyed" |
| 4:28 | |
4. | "Oh Woman Oh Man" | Epworth | 4:37 | |
5. | "Hell to the Liars" |
| 6:04 | |
6. | "Everyone Else" |
|
| 4:05 |
7. | "Non Believer" |
| Epworth | 4:17 |
8. | "Bones of Ribbon" | Epworth | 4:34 | |
9. | "Who Am I" | London Grammar | 4:22 | |
10. | "Leave the War with Me" |
| Kurstin | 5:04 |
11. | "Truth Is a Beautiful Thing" |
| 5:07 | |
Total length: | 51:48 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
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12. | "What a Day" |
| 4:54 | |
13. | "Different Breeds" | Epworth | 3:29 | |
14. | "Control" |
| Epworth | 3:05 |
15. | "Trials" (demo) | Ben Baptie | 3:42 | |
16. | "May the Best" (church mix) | Epworth | 4:09 | |
17. | "Rooting for You" (demo) | London Grammar | 4:13 | |
18. | "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (live at BBC Maida Vale) | Simon Askew | 3:53 | |
Total length: | 27:25 |
Credits adapted from the liner notes of the deluxe edition of Truth Is a Beautiful Thing. [29]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Belgium (BRMA) [59] | Gold | 15,000‡ |
France (SNEP) [60] | Platinum | 100,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [61] | Gold | 100,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format | Edition | Label | Ref(s) |
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Various | 9 June 2017 |
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| [27] [28] [62] [63] [64] [65] | |
Australia | Dew Process | [66] [67] [68] [69] [70] [71] | |||
France | CD | Because | [72] [73] | ||
| Deluxe | [74] [75] | |||
United States | LP | Standard | Columbia | [76] | |
Digital download |
| [77] [78] |