Wildness (album)

Last updated

Wildness
SnowPatrolWildness.jpg
Studio album by
Released25 May 2018
Recorded2016–2017
Genre
Length44:39
Label Polydor
Producer Jacknife Lee
Snow Patrol chronology
Greatest Hits
(2013)
Wildness
(2018)
The Forest Is The Path
(2024)
Singles from Wildness
  1. "Don't Give In"
    Released: 21 March 2018 [1]
  2. "Life on Earth"
    Released: 12 April 2018
  3. "What If This Is All the Love You Ever Get?"
    Released: 2 May 2018
  4. "Empress"
    Released: 8 May 2018

Wildness is the seventh studio album by Northern Irish-Scottish rock band Snow Patrol. The album was released on 25 May 2018. It is their first album with Johnny McDaid as a full member of the band, after his involvement as a guest musician and songwriter on Fallen Empires [2] and participation in its tour. [3] It was also the last album feature bassist Paul Wilson and drummer Jonny Quinn who both left the band in September 2023.

Contents

Background and development

In an interview with NME in 2012, Gary Lightbody said that he had to overcome a bout of writer's block and that the songs written for the new album were scrapped before being replaced by new "mind-boggling" material. [4] The follow-up to 2011's Fallen Empires was initially due for release in 2016, [5] and subsequently summer 2017. [6] In late January 2018, the title and release date were officially announced. [7]

Every song in the album has its own music video except for "Heal Me".[ citation needed ]

Promotion

"Don't Give In" was released as the first single for Wildness on 21 March 2018. "Life on Earth" was released as the second single from the album on 12 April 2018. "What If This Is All the Love You Ever Get?" was released as the third single on 2 May 2018. "Empress" was released as the fourth single on 8 May 2018. [8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
Drowned in Sound 7/10 [10]
The Independent Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [11]
Paste 7.9/10 [12]
Pitchfork 4.8/10 [13]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [14]
Under the Radar 3.5/10 [15]

Wildness received generally positive reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Metacritic, the album has a weighted average score of 64 out of 100 based on 9 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [16]

Pitchfork gave the album a score of 4.8 out of 10, calling it "their most personal album" and saying it "deals in matters of literal life and death". [13]

Commercial performance

After an extremely close chart race, the album debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart on sales of 39,118, less than 1,000 sales behind The Greatest Showman: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack . [17]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Gary Lightbody; all music is composed by Snow Patrol and Jacknife Lee, except "Life and Death" by Snow Patrol, Lee, Holger Czukay, Irmin Schmidt, Michael Karoli and Jaki Liebezeit

No.TitleLength
1."Life on Earth"5:22
2."Don't Give In"3:59
3."Heal Me"4:01
4."Empress"4:29
5."A Dark Switch"4:18
6."What If This Is All the Love You Ever Get?"3:48
7."A Youth Written in Fire"4:08
8."Soon"4:21
9."Wild Horses"4:38
10."Life and Death"5:35
Total length:44:39
Deluxe edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
11."Life on Earth" (alternate version)4:41
12."Don't Give In" (alternate version)3:37
13."Heal Me" (alternate version)4:33
14."What If This Is All the Love You Ever Get?" (alternate version)4:16
15."Soon" (alternate version)3:32
Total length:65:18

Personnel

Snow Patrol

Additional personnel

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Wildness
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [36] Gold100,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

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