Speaking about the gap between albums, bassist and saxophone player Jack Patterson told Fault magazine in late 2017: "It just takes us so much longer to create each piece of music. But our second one is nearly done – hopefully early next year." Cellist and vocalist Grace Chatto also explained that the album would be "more serious" as well as more "dancey" than 2014's New Eyes, saying: "I think the first album was a lot more light-hearted. While our second album, with the lyrics anyway, are more serious. Some of them are about breaking up, like 'I Miss You' and 'Tears', which are both on the album."[5]
Jack later told The Guardian that a collaboration with Elton John did not make the album because the band "realised there was a sound developing in a certain part of the Venn diagram of the album and we wanted to push that. It was kind of this tropical, plastic-y, mournful sound, whereas his songs were more from the Rather Be world."[6] A track was also recorded featuring Chatto's "childhood idol" Gwen Stefani but it "fell through", which Chatto called "devastating".[6]
The album was part-recorded at The Crypt Studio, London.
Promotion
In September 2018, the group revealed through their social media accounts that they had been working with Rita Ora, and that recording for the album was finished.[7] Several days later, they announced the title, track listing and artwork, as well as a statement on the themes: "The album looks at many different kinds and stages of love. We've been making it over three years, during which time we've all experienced love in our lives in different ways [...] brotherly love; family love; romantic love; crazy all-consuming love; the pain of love turning into something different or dishonest; and, of course, in Rockabye, unconditional motherly love."[1]
Critical reception
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Since release, What Is Love? has received generally positive reviews from music critics. According to review aggregation siteMetacritic, the album has received an average score of 66/100 based on four reviews.[8] Neil Z. Yeung reviewing for AllMusic gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, saying it was "worth the long wait" and that it took "the promise of Rather Be and [topped] it many times over."[9]
Mark Beaumont of The Independent called What Is Love? "another album of formulaic EDM pop and Latino R&B dance floor grinders," while praising "Baby" as the record's stand-out track.[2]
Track 1 recorded at Club Ralph, London; Metropolis Studios, London
Track 2 recorded at Club Ralph, London; Metropolis Studios, London; RAK Studios, London and Westlake Studios, Los Angeles
Track 3 recorded at Club Ralph, London; Downtown Music Studios, New York; Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, Alabama; RAK Studios, London and Tileyard Studios, London
Track 4 recorded at Club Ralph, London; The Crypt Studio, London and Rokstone Studios, London
Track 5 recorded at Club Ralph, London; Kore Studios, London and RAK Studios, London
Track 6 recorded at Club Ralph, London; and Nightingale Studios, London
Track 7 recorded at Club Ralph, London; Enemy Dojo, Calabasas, CA; Henson Studios, Los Angeles and Stankonia Recording Studios, Atlanta, Georgia
Track 8 recorded at Club Ralph, London; MXM Studios, Los Angeles; Northbound Studios, Stockholm; Soho Recording Studios, London and Wolf Cousins Studios, Stockholm
Track 9 recorded at Club Ralph, London and Henson Studios, Los Angeles
Track 10 recorded at Club Ralph, London; The Crypt Studio, Ldon; Lotus Lounge, Los Angeles; RAK Studios, London and Westlake Studios, Los Angeles
Track 11 recorded at Club Ralph, London and Westlake Recording Studios, Los Angeles
Track 12 recorded at Clean Bandit tour bus, Lokeren; Club Ralph, London and Fried Studios, Helsinki
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