Ends & Begins

Last updated

Ends & Begins
Labrinth Ends & Begins Artwork.jpeg
Studio album by
Released28 April 2023 (2023-04-28)
Genre
Length28:48
Label Columbia
Producer
Labrinth chronology
Euphoria Season 2 Official Score (From the HBO Original Series)
(2022)
Ends & Begins
(2023)
Singles from Ends & Begins
  1. "Kill for Your Love"
    Released: 9 September 2022
  2. "Never Felt So Alone"
    Released: 7 April 2023

Ends & Begins is the third solo studio album by English singer-songwriter Labrinth, released on 28 April 2023 by Columbia Records. [3] It was originally scheduled for release on 21 October 2022. [4] [5] It marks his first studio album since Imagination & the Misfit Kid (2019).

Contents

The album was described as being "sci-fi love songs for my beloved" by Labrinth. [6]

Recording, release and promotion

The album has been supported by two official singles, "Kill for Your Love", released on 9 September 2022 and "Never Felt So Alone", which was released on 7 April 2023, featuring uncredited vocals from American singer Billie Eilish.

The song "Never Felt So Alone" was featured in the second season of HBO teen drama Euphoria, for which Labrinth composes the score and soundtrack. [7] [8] [9] However, it was not released as part of the accompanying soundtrack album. [10]

Reception

For NPR's All Songs Considered , critics Ayana Contreras, Christina Lee, Hazel Cills, and Robin Hilton highlighted this album as one of the best releases of the week. [11]

Track listing

All tracks are written and produced by Timothy McKenzie, except where noted.

Ends & Begins track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."The Feels"
 3:17
2."Kill for Your Love"  3:12
3."Everything"
 2:16
4."Covering"
  • McKenzie
  • Zemar
 3:13
5."A Turn of Events"  1:53
6."100 Miles an Hour"  3:01
7."Never Felt So Alone"
2:40
8."Only Way Is Up"  3:16
9."Power Couple"
  • McKenzie
  • Zemar
 2:30
10."Ends & Begins"  3:31
Total length:28:48

Notes

Charts

Chart performance for Ends & Begins
Chart (2023)Peak
position
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [13] 50
Lithuanian Albums (AGATA) [14] 19
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [15] 8
Polish Albums (ZPAV) [16] 82
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [17] 52
UK Album Downloads (OCC) [18] 78
US Billboard 200 [19] 144

Release history

Release history and formats for Ends & Begins
RegionDateFormat(s)Ref.
Various28 April 2023 [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Labrinth</span> British singer and rapper

Timothy Lee McKenzie, better known by his stage name Labrinth, is a British singer, rapper, songwriter and record producer. After initially pursuing a career in music production, Simon Cowell signed him to his record label Syco Music as a recording artist, becoming the first singer who Cowell signed without having competed on a talent show in six years. Labrinth collaborated with the English rapper Tinie Tempah, appearing as an uncredited featured artist on the single "Pass Out", and later officially on "Frisky"; before releasing his first solo single, "Let the Sun Shine" in September 2010, all three of which peaked in the top five on the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Labrinth discography</span>

The discography of British musician and producer Labrinth consists of three studio albums, two soundtrack albums, two extended plays (EPs), twenty singles and fourteen music videos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billie Eilish</span> American singer-songwriter (born 2001)

Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell is an American singer and songwriter. She first gained public attention in 2015 with her debut single "Ocean Eyes", written and produced by her brother Finneas O'Connell, with whom she collaborates on music and live shows. In 2017, she released her debut extended play (EP), titled Don't Smile at Me. Commercially successful, it reached the top 15 of record charts in numerous countries, including the US, UK, Canada, and Australia.

<i>Dont Smile at Me</i> 2017 EP by Billie Eilish

Don't Smile at Me is the debut extended play by American singer Billie Eilish, released on August 11, 2017, via Darkroom and Interscope Records. Eilish and her brother Finneas O'Connell wrote most of the material on the EP and were solely responsible for its production. It is an electropop and bedroom pop record with elements of R&B and jazz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lovely (Billie Eilish and Khalid song)</span> 2018 single by Billie Eilish and Khalid

"Lovely" is a song by American singers Billie Eilish and Khalid. Darkroom and Interscope Records released it as the lead single from the Netflix drama series 13 Reasons Why's second season soundtrack. The artists wrote the song with Eilish's brother and producer Finneas O'Connell. The song has been described as a chamber pop ballad whose lyrics recount Eilish and Khalid trying to overcome serious depression together. The song also appears on the deluxe version of Eilish's EP Don't Smile at Me.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Idontwannabeyouanymore</span> 2017 single by Billie Eilish

"Idontwannabeyouanymore" is a song by American singer Billie Eilish from her debut EP, Don't Smile at Me (2017). Eilish and her brother, Finneas O'Connell, co-wrote the song, with the latter solely handling the production. It was released through Darkroom and Interscope Records on July 21, 2017, as the fifth single from the EP. Musically, the song is pop and R&B track with a jazz and neo soul-influenced melody, that was heavily inspired by Eilish being depressed.

<i>When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?</i> 2019 studio album by Billie Eilish

When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Billie Eilish. It was released on March 29, 2019, by Darkroom and Interscope Records in the US and Polydor Records in the UK. Eilish, aged 17 at the time of release, largely wrote the album with her brother Finneas O'Connell, who produced it at his small bedroom studio in Highland Park, Los Angeles. A Target exclusive green glow in the dark vinyl was released as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bad Guy (Billie Eilish song)</span> 2019 single by Billie Eilish

"Bad Guy" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish and the fifth single from her first studio album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2019). It was released on March 29, 2019, by Darkroom and Interscope Records. The song was described by media as electropop, dance-pop, trap-pop with minimalist instrumentation. In the lyrics, Eilish taunts someone for being a bad guy while suggesting that she is more resilient than they are. Eilish wrote "Bad Guy" with her brother and the producer Finneas O'Connell. Another version of the song, a collaboration with the Canadian singer Justin Bieber, was released on July 11, 2019.

"Wish You Were Gay" is a song by American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish and the fourth single from her debut studio album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2019). It was released on March 4, 2019, through Darkroom and Interscope Records. Eilish wrote "Wish You Were Gay" with its producer, her brother Finneas O'Connell, when she was 14 years old. A classic pop track, it incorporates an acoustic guitar, a sound of cracking knuckles as percussion, canned laughter, and an applause from an audience. In the song, she seeks a reason for why a male love interest does not like her back; she hopes that he may be attracted only to men.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All for Us</span> 2019 single by Labrinth

"All for Us" is a song originally written, produced, and performed by English singer Labrinth, released as a single from the his album Imagination & the Misfit Kid on 30 June 2019 through Syco Music. A reworked version of the song was featured heavily in the American teen drama Euphoria with vocals from star Zendaya, where it appeared on the first season's soundtrack and won Labrinth the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics.

<i>Euphoria (Original Score from the HBO Series)</i> 2019 soundtrack album by Labrinth

Euphoria (Original Score from the HBO Series) is a soundtrack by British musician Labrinth, containing the score for the first season of the HBO teen drama Euphoria. It was released digitally by Sony Masterworks and Milan Records on 4 October 2019, with vinyl copies following on 10 January 2020. It is Labrinth's first full-length solo release since 2012's Electronic Earth. The album peaked at number 79 on the Billboard 200, the artist's first entry on the chart, and entered the top 50 in several countries including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, and Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Everything I Wanted</span> 2019 single by Billie Eilish

"Everything I Wanted" is a song by American singer and songwriter Billie Eilish, and co-written by Eilish and her brother Finneas O'Connell, who also produced it. Darkroom and Interscope Records released the track as a standalone single on November 13, 2019, and later added it to the reissue of Eilish's debut studio album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2019) in December that year. It is a house and electronica-influenced pop and alternative pop track with minimal piano and downtempo bass guitar instrumentation. Inspired by a nightmare she experienced, the song is about Eilish's strong relationship with O'Connell and his protectiveness of her from harm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">My Future</span> 2020 single by Billie Eilish

"My Future" is a song by American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish and the lead single of her second studio album, Happier Than Ever (2021). It was released on her brother FINNEAS's birthday, July 30, 2020, through Darkroom and Interscope Records, exactly one year before the album. An R&B and ambient ballad with influences of soul and jazz, the song's lyrics address an ode to self-love and personal power. Eilish wrote the song alongside its producer, Finneas O'Connell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lo Vas a Olvidar</span> 2021 single by Billie Eilish and Rosalía

"Lo Vas a Olvidar" is a song recorded by American singer Billie Eilish and Spanish singer Rosalía. The track was written by both performers alongside El Guincho & Eilish's brother and producer Finneas. It was released on January 21, 2021, along with its music video, through Darkroom and Interscope. It is a part of the soundtrack to the Jules special episode of the American teen drama series Euphoria. It is also the lead single from the first season soundtrack, released on May 14, 2021 by Interscope.

"Happier Than Ever" is a song by American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish from her 2021 second studio album of the same name. It was released as the album's sixth single on July 30, 2021, through Darkroom and Interscope Records. An emo and pop-punk song with elements of jazz, it is about Eilish's anger towards a former partner due to a toxic relationship. It opens with soft vocals backed by classical and bass guitars, and transitions into a distorted pop-punk and rock production with electric guitars and snare drums midway. She wrote the song with its producer, Finneas O'Connell, after completing the American leg of her When We All Fall Asleep Tour (2019).

<i>Happier Than Ever</i> 2021 album by Billie Eilish

Happier Than Ever is the second studio album by American singer Billie Eilish, released by Darkroom and Interscope Records on July 30, 2021. Eilish co-wrote the album with her brother and frequent collaborator Finneas O'Connell, who also produced the album and played every instrument. Eilish cited self-reflection during the COVID-19 pandemic as the biggest inspiration for the record. A pale yellow LP was released as a Walmart exclusive and a light blue LP for a Target Exclusive with a poster included. A rainbow foil edition case was also released with a standard black LP in it.

"Getting Older" is a song by American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish and the opening track of her second studio album, Happier Than Ever (2021). Featuring a minimalist production, the song is backed by pulsing synthesizers, a bass guitar, and a keyboard that plays staccato notes. Its lyrics discuss the positive and negative aspects of Eilish's transition into adulthood in the wake of her success that she first received as a teenager. Due to the subject matter, critics compared the song to Nirvana's "Serve the Servants", the opening track of their 1993 studio album In Utero. "Getting Older" contains references to sexual abuse and Eilish's childhood trauma, prompting her to take a break midway through the writing process.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Male Fantasy</span> 2021 single by Billie Eilish

"Male Fantasy" is a song by American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish, included as the closing track on her second studio album Happier Than Ever (2021). A country-tinged, folk ballad about a break-up, it was written by Eilish and its producer, her brother Finneas O'Connell. In the verses, the narrator attempts to watch pornography to distract herself from her problems, and she criticizes how its standards around beauty and sexuality negatively affect people. She fantasizes about her past lover in the chorus, admitting that she can never hate them no matter how hard she forces herself to do so.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Your Power</span> 2021 single by Billie Eilish

"Your Power" is a song by American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish and the third single from her second studio album, Happier Than Ever (2021). It was released on April 29, 2021, through Darkroom and Interscope Records. A folk ballad backed by an acoustic guitar, the song is a plea for people to stop abusing their authority, and it mainly addresses men who exploit vulnerable women. Its lyrics narrate a damaging sexual relationship between a female high school student and an older man, exploring the topics of domestic abuse, sexual harassment, and statutory rape. Eilish wrote "Your Power" with its producer and her brother, Finneas O'Connell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Never Felt So Alone</span> 2023 single by Labrinth

"Never Felt So Alone" is a song by British singer-songwriter Labrinth featuring uncredited vocals from American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish. It was featured in the second season of Euphoria on HBO. It was released with a music video by Columbia Records as the second single from Labrinth's third studio album, Ends & Begins, on 7 April 2023.

References

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