Get to Heaven

Get to Heaven
Studio album by Everything Everything
Released 22 June 2015
Recorded 2014
Genre Indie rock, art rock, synthpop, electronic rock
Length 46:05 (67:27 on deluxe edition)
Label RCA
Producer Stuart Price
Everything Everything chronology
Arc
(2013)		 Get to Heaven
(2015)
Singles from Get to Heaven
  1. "Distant Past"
    Released: 17 February 2015
  2. "Regret"
    Released: 29 April 2015
  3. "Spring/Sun/Winter/Dread"
    Released: 4 September 2015
  4. "No Reptiles"
    Released: 20 November 2015

Get to Heaven is the third studio album by British band Everything Everything. Recorded primarily in Angelic Studios in Northampton during the latter half of 2014 with producer Stuart Price, it was released on 22 June 2015 on RCA Records.[1] A deluxe edition of the album was released simultaneously, featuring six tracks which missed the album's cut. The album peaked at number seven in the United Kingdom Albums Chart, and at number 29 in the Australian albums chart. The tracks "Distant Past" and "Regret" were released as singles throughout 2015.

The album's lyrical themes are dark, focusing on global tensions and political happenings during 2014. The rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, media coverage of the 2015 general election in the United Kingdom and various mass shootings influenced the album's lyrics, while the band's musical sound was composed to provide contradiction to the violent subject matter. As with previous Everything Everything work, the majority of the songs are presented as in-character narration.

Get to Heaven was received well by critics, with most reviewers noting the effectiveness of the album's message; others commented on the bold, aggressive nature of the album, with some labelling the tone "overwhelming".

Recording and production

The band hinted the album's production through their Twitter account in August 2014, and announced they were in the process of recording two weeks later.[2][3] The album itself was recorded at Angelic Studios in Northampton during the end of 2014.[4] The band went into the studio aiming to "make people want to move", and set about avoiding slower-paced songs that featured strongly on previous album Arc.[5]

During recording sessions, lead vocalist Jonathan Higgs battled with depression and was affected by frequent mood swings as a result of his medication; bass guitarist Jeremy Pritchard said that these "affected us pretty adversely".[6]

Composition

Lyrics

The album's themes revolve around current affairs, such as the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and the British media's handling of the 2015 general election in the United Kingdom,[6] as well as on the state of humanity.[7] Lead writer Higgs spent a year writing the album, time he spent "watching rolling news" and enveloping himself in current events;[5] Pritchard told the London Evening Standard that "we're in an age where we're more conscious of [upheaval and violence], you've got rolling news and you're constantly bombarded by information".[8]

The album's opening track, "To the Blade", focuses on the death of Manchester-born aid worker Alan Henning at the hands of ISIL's "Jihadi John". Higgs told Digital Spy that "He was a taxi driver from Stockport, I could have met him. And the fact that someone who did it was also from Britain, but this was being played out on a global scale... It seemed like the craziest thing I’d ever heard."[7]

Other songs criticise political leaders in the United Kingdom. Several critics suggest that "The Wheel (Is Turning Now)" comments on the "snake-oil appeal" of UK Independence Party of Nigel Farage,[9][10] while "No Reptiles" supposes that political leaders are "just fat, bald, old men, like soft-boiled eggs, that are just weak-willed, with no strong feelings (good or ill)".[11] Higgs told the NME that Kanye West's Yeezus had a major impact on his writing, encouraging him to present himself more confidently.[12]

Much of the album is presented in-character through the eyes of various fictional entities and onlookers. "Fortune 500" documents a fictional attempt to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II, which Higgs relates to the thoughts of suicide bombers moments before they detonate: "The horror of the doubt is far worse than the act, for the terrorist I mean. It’s this 'oh shit... maybe this isn’t what God wants'. I think it’s the darkest moment on the record."[11]

Music

Guitarist Alex Robertshaw told Drowned in Sound's Robert Leedham that the album is "bolder" than the group's previous work, and is "the most Everything Everything record we've ever done".[5] The band aimed for a "euphoric" sound to provide a "contradiction between the way the lyrics are and our sound".[5] In March, the band described their sound as "Baroque Obama" on Facebook, explaining to Gigwise that "it's where Bach meets Jay Z".[13]

Higgs named "Frankie Teardrop" by Suicide as a major influence on the album's sound, describing it as "genuinely scary music": "It's a song: I shouldn't be feeling like this."[13] The band tried to replicate this unsettling, unpredictable sound on the album, but "wanted a happy ending".[13] Speaking to The Independent, Higgs spoke of Radiohead's critically acclaimed Kid A as a further influence, as they "threw out guitars, and with it the very idea of genre".[6] Radiohead's influence on the record was commented on by Laura Snapes at Pitchfork, who noted the use of a "paranoid guitar solo borrowed from Hail to the Thief".[14]

Promotion and release

In November, near the end of the album's production, Everything Everything performed an artists' residency at the Manchester Central Library.[15] The album's first single, "Distant Past", was debuted on 17 February 2015 on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 show, with the official music video released later that day through YouTube.[16] The second single from the album, "Regret", was premiered by Annie Mac on 29 April 2015.[17]

The band began marketing the album through a teaser campaign on their social media feeds, featuring lyrics from the album.[18] They announced Get to Heaven's title and initial release date on 14 February 2015.[19] The album art, designed by New Zealand surrealist illustrator Andrew Archer, was not revealed until May.[20] In an interview with Brighton's Finest, Higgs explained the image represents a faith healer "being faith-healed, his face a kind of agony/ecstasy expression", with the bold colour palette representing the album's themes of extremism and information overload.[21]

The album was released on 22 June 2015 in the United Kingdom and worldwide on Sony RCA. Its title, Higgs told Drowned in Sound, was almost "Gimme the Gun", though the band decided not to "put a cherry" on the violent lyrical content.[5] Instead, "Get to Heaven" was chosen to represent hope and positivity.[22]

Touring

Everything Everything announced a string of United Kingdom touring dates to promote Get to Heaven, scheduled for 7–21 November 2015, and culminating with a show at the O2 Apollo Manchester.[23] They made appearances at various European festivals, including Glastonbury and T in the Park.[24]

Reception

Commercial

Get to Heaven entered the UK Albums Chart at number seven.[25][26]

Critical

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic80/100[27]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[28]
Clash9/10[29]
Digital Spy[30]
Drowned in Sound(8/10)[31]
NME(7/10)[32]
Pitchfork Media(7.2/10)[33]
Telegraph[34]

Get to Heaven was received to reasonable critical acclaim; aggregating website Metacritic reports a normalised rating of 80 out of 100 based on 16 critical reviews, indicating "generally favourable reviews".[35] Q wrote that the album was "spectacular" in a five-star review,[36] while The Telegraph's Helen Brown commented that "the lads have given this album everything, everything and then some".[37]

Much was said about the album's reliance on dark themes. Laura Snapes of Pitchfork wrote that these can be "overwhelming", she credited them for "attempting to offer a nuanced understanding of a broken world at a time when a lot of their significantly less imaginative British indie rock peers say worse than nothing".[14] The Guardian's Alexis Petridis compared the album's sound to its themes in a three-star review, suggesting that the album "[evokes] the information overload of 24-hour rolling news so well that it essentially provokes the same reaction: it's often compelling, but you occasionally find yourself gripped by an overwhelming urge to turn it off".[38]

The album was among the favourites for the Mercury Prize, with British bookmakers Ladbrokes offering odds of 4/1,[39] but did not make the shortlist.[40]

Track listing

Standard edition[41]
No. Title Length
1. "To the Blade"   4:15
2. "Distant Past"   3:42
3. "Get to Heaven"   3:43
4. "Regret"   3:22
5. "Spring / Sun / Winter / Dread"   3:18
6. "The Wheel (Is Turning Now)"   5:26
7. "Fortune 500"   4:16
8. "Blast Doors"   3:30
9. "Zero Pharaoh"   3:39
10. "No Reptiles"   4:42
11. "Warm Healer"   6:12
Deluxe edition[42]
No. Title Length
12. "We Sleep in Pairs"   3:23
13. "Hapsburg Lippp"   3:39
14. "President Heartbeat"   3:21
15. "Brainchild"   3:51
16. "Yuppie Supper"   3:33
17. "Only as Good as My God"   3:35

Personnel

Charts

Chart (2015) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[43] 29
UK Albums (OCC)[44] 7

References

  1. ↑ Nadia Khomami (16 February 2015). "Everything Everything announce new album 'Get To Heaven'". NME.COM.
  2. ↑ "Everything Everything share picture from studio as they begin recording new album". NME. 2 September 2014. Retrieved 2015-06-09.
  3. ↑ Davidson, Amy (1 September 2015). "Everything Everything at work on new album? Band post photo from studio". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2015-06-09.
  4. ↑ Young, Jake. "Get To Heaven". Miloco Studios. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Leedham, Robert (24 June 2015). "DiS Meets Everything Everything: "I think things are going to get worse"". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  6. 1 2 3 Duerden, Nick (26 June 2015). "How revulsion at the murder of Alan Henning inspired Everything Everything's latest album". The Independent. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  7. 1 2 Fletcher, Harry (15 June 2015). "Everything Everything interviewed: 'We know some people will hate our new album'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  8. ↑ Travis, Ben (2015-04-29). "Everything Everything interview: 'we're kind of weirdos'". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  9. ↑ Nicolson, Barry (5 June 2015). "Everything Everything - 'Get To Heaven'". NME. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  10. ↑ Beaumont, Mark. "Everything Everything review – high-pitched frenetic pop genius". the Guardian. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  11. 1 2 Day, Laurence (25 June 2015). "Track by Track: Everything Everything on Get To Heaven". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  12. ↑ Snapes, Laura (2015-04-15). "Everything Everything Interview: On New Album 'Get To Heaven', ISIS And Horrors Of The Modern World". NME. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  13. 1 2 3 Morris, Andy. "Everything Everything on Muse, Stuart Price & Suicide". Gigwise. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  14. 1 2 Snapes, Laura (2015-06-26). "Everything Everything: Get to Heaven". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  15. ↑ "Everything Everything: Chaos to Order". Library Live. Retrieved 2015-06-09.
  16. ↑ "BBC Radio 1 - Zane Lowe, Jess Glynne + Everything Everything, Everything Everything - Distant Past". BBC.
  17. ↑ Hunt, El (29 April 2015). "Everything Everything air new track 'Regret'". DIY. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
  18. ↑ Goodacre, Kate (15 February 2015). "Everything Everything announce new album Get to Heaven for June release". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2015-06-09.
  19. ↑ Law, Tarynn (18 February 2015). "Everything Everything - 'Distant Past'". Retrieved 2015-06-09.
  20. ↑ Kerwick, Sean (12 May 2015). "Everything Everything unveil artwork for new album Get To Heaven". gigwise.com. Retrieved 2015-06-09.
  21. ↑ Hemmings, Jeff. "Everything Everything - Interview 2015". www.brightonsfinest.com. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  22. ↑ "Everything Everything - Get To Heaven Q&A". [V] Music. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  23. ↑ Britton, Luke Morgan (2015-04-13). "NME News Everything Everything announce UK live dates for November". NME. Retrieved 2015-07-13.
  24. ↑ Jones, Craig (2015-06-26). "Glastonbury 2015: Everything Everything review". The Bristol Post. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  25. ↑ "Get to Heaven". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2015-07-11.
  26. ↑ "Wolf Alice enter the UK Album Charts at Number 2". DIY. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  27. ↑ "Get to Heaven". Metacritic. Retrieved 2015-08-20.
  28. ↑ Spenceley, Haydon (2015-06-22). "Get to Heaven - Everything Everything". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-11-04.
  29. ↑ Spenceley, Haydon. "Everything Everything - Get to Heaven". ClashMusic.com. Retrieved 2015-08-20.
  30. ↑ "Everything Everything's Get To Heaven reviewed: A contender for album of the year". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2015-08-23.
  31. ↑ Langham, Matt (2015-06-18). "Everything Everything - Get to Heaven". DrownedInSound.com. Retrieved 2015-08-20.
  32. ↑ Nicolson, Barry. "Everything Everything - Get to Heaven (NME Review". NME. Retrieved 2015-08-20.
  33. ↑ Snapes, Laura. "Everything Everything - Get to Heaven (Pitchfork Review)". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2015-08-20.
  34. ↑ "Everything Everything, Get To Heaven, review: 'restless sonic fun'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2015-08-23.
  35. ↑ "Get to Heaven by Everything Everything". Metacritic. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  36. ↑ "Get to Heaven review". Q. July 2015.
  37. ↑ Brown, Helen (2015-06-20). "Everything Everything, Get To Heaven, review: 'restless sonic fun'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  38. ↑ Petridis, Alexis. "Everything Everything: Get to Heaven review – prog-pop eccentrics sounding too clever by half". the Guardian. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  39. ↑ Butler, Will (15 October 2015). "Guess who's favourite to win the Mercury Prize?". Gigwise. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  40. ↑ "Mercury Prize 2015 nominations: Nineties veterans and solo acts beat guitar bands". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
  41. ↑ "Get to Heaven album details". MyPlay Direct. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  42. ↑ "Get to Heaven Deluxe album details". MyPlay Direct. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  43. ↑ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 29 June 2015. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
  44. ↑ "Everything Everything | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart Retrieved 29 June 2015.
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