Get to Heaven

Get to Heaven
A bold, surrealist illustration of a faith healer in blue, grabbed by two disembodied hands, on an orange–pink backdrop.
Studio album by Everything Everything
Released 22 June 2015
Recorded 2014
Studio
Genre Indie pop, art rock, 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.[2] 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", "Regret", "Spring / Sun / Winter / Dread" and "No Reptiles" 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

Initial work on Get to Heaven was done during a busy touring schedule for second album Arc.[3] Following this tour, the band rented studio space in Wales in an effort to be "alone and isolated", but nothing came of these sessions.[4] The album itself was recorded at Angelic Studios in Northampton during 2014.[5][6] 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.[7][8]

The band went into the studio aiming to "make people want to move", and set about avoiding slower-paced songs that featured strongly on their previous album.[9] This became apparent to them following the writing of eventual album closer "Warm Healer"; Higgs told Anthem Magazine that "we kind of ripped up that rule book after realizing, 'Right. Let’s not write something this quiet. Let’s do horrible stuff from now on'".[3] The group worked on ideas for songs as they came to them, rather than their previous methods of practising and recording as a live group.[4]

Though both previous albums were produced by David Kosten, they enlisted the support of producer Stuart Price after he impressed them with his work on a demo version of eventual single, "Regret".[4] As Price is based in Los Angeles, the band emailed him samples of their work for his critique and receive his suggested mixes in return. These suggestions received mixed reactions from the band; at one point during production of "Hapsburg Lippp"—a track which ultimately did not make the final tracklisting—Price returned them a reggae-inspired mix as a joke. Higgs told Andy Morris of Gigwise that Price had an "ability to become one of us very quickly".[10] Price joined them in person for the last nine days of recording.[11] Alex Robertshaw told Digital Spy that his positivity made an impression on them: "Just [having] another seriously creative person in the room with you is fantastic."[6]

During recording sessions, lead vocalist Jonathan Higgs battled with depression following the end of the band's 150-date tour, calling it "an out-of-the-sauna-and-into-a-cold-bath experience", adding that "riding that low as well as trying to make a record was quite hard".[4] He was affected by frequent mood swings as a result of his medication; bass guitarist Jeremy Pritchard said that these "affected us pretty adversely".[12]

Composition

Music

Higgs mid-performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London

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".[9] The band aimed for a "euphoric" sound to provide a "contradiction between the way the lyrics are and our sound".[9] In March, the band described their sound as "Baroque Obama" on Facebook, explaining to Gigwise that "it's where Bach meets Jay Z".[10] For certain tracks, Robertshaw said the band's aim was "to sound like changing radio stations", toying with various musical ideas in one song in the same style as Kendrick Lamar. Drummer Michael Spearman compared this style to the humour in The Simpsons: "It's twenty minutes of 'bang, bang, bang'—where it started up was way different to where it ends up. The stories are just fucking crazy. That's fun to us."[6]

Most of the melodies on Get to Heaven originated from Robertshaw's guitar, though he recalled to MusicRadar that Higgs would occasionally approach the band with "an insane laptop creation" which would have to be translated to work as a group.[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."[10] The band tried to replicate this unsettling, unpredictable sound on the album, but "wanted a happy ending".[10] 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".[12] Radiohead's influence on the record was commented on further by Laura Snapes at Pitchfork, who noted the use of a "paranoid guitar solo borrowed from Hail to the Thief".[14]

Several tracks feature complex guitar solos, as noted by Rich Chamberlain of MusicRadar. One of these, on title track "Get to Heaven", was originally recorded in a hotel room, while another on single "Spring / Sun / Winter / Dread" makes heavy use of an MWFX Judder pedal. Robertshaw told Chamberlain that "[it] is a bit of a signature for the new record... You can do totally unrealistic things with it and it makes you sound like Steve Vai on crack."[13]

Lyrics

"I felt very, very upset with the way people treated each other last year, when we were writing, and a lot of that came out as anger. It made me feel a lot better to sing about it, and a lot of what was said really needed to be said by someone, even if I didn't. Even if my main message that people get is 'I don't know what's going on but I think you're all dicks... does anyone else feel like this?', that's important as no one was saying even that. Everyone was just letting it all go on, only saying 'ooh, isn't it terrible?', but not engaging or trying to understand why these things were happening, or not even having an opinion about our role in all of it. I just felt like I needed to say something, even if that is on a poppy-indie type record. Perhaps that's not the best way to do it, but I have that platform, so it's the one I used."[15]

—Jonathan Higgs on the album's lyrics, in an interview with The Line of Best Fit

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,[12] as well as on the state of humanity.[6] Lead writer Higgs spent a year writing the album, time he spent "watching rolling news" and enveloping himself in current events;[9] 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".[16] Speaking to Chris Parkin of Red Bull, Higgs explained the songwriting process provided a kind of catharsis following the year's events: "It wasn't until after we finished that I looked back and thought, bloody hell, I was feeling that very heavily and I didn't realise until it was out of me."[17]

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."[6]

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,[18][19] 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)".[15]

Higgs told the NME that Kanye West's Yeezus had a major impact on his writing, encouraging him to present himself more confidently,[11] while Nick Cave provided inspiration to be more impulsive with his writing.[17]

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."[15]

Promotion and release

In November, near the end of the album's production, Everything Everything performed an artists' residency at the Manchester Central Library.[20] 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.[21] The band debuted several new songs from the album at a show at the Oval Space in London on 9 April 2016.[22] The second single from the album, "Regret", was premiered by Annie Mac on 29 April 2015.[23]

The band began marketing the album through a teaser campaign on their social media feeds, featuring lyrics from the album.[24] They announced Get to Heaven's title and initial release date on 14 February 2015.[25] The album art, designed by New Zealand surrealist illustrator Andrew Archer, was not revealed until May.[26] 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.[27] Liner notes, which included large-type excerpts of the album's lyrics on bright gradients, were designed by Johnny Costello of Adult Art Club "to echo high impact religious posters". The album artwork was included in Creative Review's list of the top ten album covers of 2015.[28]

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.[9] Instead, "Get to Heaven" was chosen to represent hope and positivity.[29]

The album was released in the United States on 26 February 2016 through independent record label Big Picnic/RED.[30][31]

Touring

Everything Everything playing in support of the album in Kiev, Ukraine, in December 2015

Everything Everything announced a string of United Kingdom touring dates to promote Get to Heaven, scheduled for 7–21 November 2015, culminating with a show at the O2 Apollo Manchester.[32] They made appearances at various European festivals during 2015, including Glastonbury and T in the Park.[33] The American release was supported with the band's first US tour, playing fifteen dates in support of Welsh indie rock band The Joy Formidable.[34]

Reception

Commercial

Get to Heaven entered the UK Albums Chart at number seven.[35][36]

Critical

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic80/100[37]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[38]
Clash9/10[39]
Digital Spy[40]
Drowned in Sound(8/10)[41]
NME(7/10)[42]
Pitchfork Media(7.2/10)[43]
Telegraph[44]

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".[45] Q wrote that the album was "spectacular" in a five-star review,[46] and later named the album as the 20th-best of the year.[47] The Telegraph's Helen Brown commented that "the lads have given this album everything, everything and then some",[48] while Andrew Backhouse of DIY called it "a masterpiece": "this is in a new gear to what their younger selves—or any other band today—could ever dream of."[49]

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".[50] Uncut praised the band's "innovative songcraft", but added "their tendency to overthink and squeeze every drop of pleasure from their work does them few favors".[51]

The album was among the favourites for the Mercury Prize, with British bookmakers Ladbrokes at one time offering odds of 4/1,[52] but did not make the shortlist.[53] BBC News included the album on their list of "ten albums they missed".[54]

Track listing

Standard edition[55]
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[56]
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

Vinyl

Personnel

Those involved in the making of Get to Heaven are:[1]

Everything Everything

Artwork

Production

  • Stuart Price – production, programming, mixing (tracks 5, 7, 9, 10, 11)
  • Tom A.D. Fuller – engineering, additional production
  • Everything Everything – recording, production, engineering (tracks 2, 4)
  • Tim Young – mastering
  • Martin King – engineering (tracks 3, 4)
  • Harry Broadhead – engineering (tracks 3, 4, 8)
  • Matt Tait – engineering (track 7)
  • Phil Parsons – engineering (track 7)
  • Jim Abiss – additional production (track 8)
  • Ian Dowling – additional engineering (track 8)
  • Luke Gibbs – recording assistant
  • Cenzo Townshend – mixing (tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8)

Chart positions

Album

Chart (2015) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[57] 29
UK Albums (OCC)[58] 7

Singles

Song Peak
UK
[59]
"Distant Past" 88
"Regret" 119
"Spring / Sun / Winter / Dread" –
"No Reptiles" –

"—" denotes releases that did not chart.
"X" denotes song not released in a particular country.
"=" denotes track not eligible for a particular chart.

References

  1. 1 2 Get to Heaven (vinyl booklet and case back cover). Everything Everything. London: RCA Records. 2015.
  2. ↑ Nadia Khomami (16 February 2015). "Everything Everything announce new album 'Get To Heaven'". NME.COM.
  3. 1 2 Chang, Kee (21 January 2016). "Everything, Everything's Fucked". Anthem Magazine. Retrieved 2016-04-24.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Interview: Everything Everything". PRS for Music. Retrieved 2016-04-24.
  5. ↑ Young, Jake. "Get To Heaven". Miloco Studios. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Fletcher, Harry (15 June 2015). "Everything Everything interviewed: 'We know some people will hate our new album'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  7. ↑ "Everything Everything share picture from studio as they begin recording new album". NME. 2 September 2014. Retrieved 2015-06-09.
  8. ↑ Davidson, Amy (1 September 2015). "Everything Everything at work on new album? Band post photo from studio". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2015-06-09.
  9. 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.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Morris, Andy. "Everything Everything on Muse, Stuart Price & Suicide". Gigwise. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  11. 1 2 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.
  12. 1 2 3 Duerden, Nick (26 June 2015). "Everything Everything interview: How revulsion at the murder of aid worker Alan Henning and the rise of Isis inspired their latest album". The Independent. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  13. 1 2 Chamberlain, Rich (15 April 2016). "Everything Everything talk latest album Get To Heaven". MusicRadar. Retrieved 2016-04-24.
  14. 1 2 Snapes, Laura (2015-06-26). "Everything Everything: Get to Heaven". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  15. 1 2 3 Day, Laurence (25 June 2015). "Track by Track: Everything Everything on Get To Heaven". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  16. ↑ Travis, Ben (2015-04-29). "Everything Everything interview: 'we're kind of weirdos'". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  17. 1 2 Parkin, Chris (22 June 2015). "Great Scot! Everything Everything’s exclusive mix". Red Bull. Retrieved 2016-04-25.
  18. ↑ Nicolson, Barry (5 June 2015). "Everything Everything - 'Get To Heaven'". NME. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  19. ↑ Beaumont, Mark. "Everything Everything review – high-pitched frenetic pop genius". the Guardian. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  20. ↑ "Everything Everything: Chaos to Order". Library Live. Retrieved 2015-06-09.
  21. ↑ "BBC Radio 1 - Zane Lowe, Jess Glynne + Everything Everything, Everything Everything - Distant Past". BBC.
  22. ↑ Darragh, Ross (10 April 2016). "Everything Everything preview new album 'Get To Heaven' at intimate London gig". NME. Retrieved 2016-04-26.
  23. ↑ Hunt, El (29 April 2015). "Everything Everything air new track 'Regret'". DIY. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
  24. ↑ Goodacre, Kate (15 February 2015). "Everything Everything announce new album Get to Heaven for June release". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2015-06-09.
  25. ↑ Law, Tarynn (18 February 2015). "Everything Everything - 'Distant Past'". Retrieved 2015-06-09.
  26. ↑ Kerwick, Sean (12 May 2015). "Everything Everything unveil artwork for new album Get To Heaven". gigwise.com. Retrieved 2015-06-09.
  27. ↑ Hemmings, Jeff. "Everything Everything - Interview 2015". www.brightonsfinest.com. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  28. ↑ Steven, Rachael (18 December 2015). "Record sleeves of the year: our top 10 from 2015". Creative Review. Retrieved 2016-04-25.
  29. ↑ "Everything Everything - Get To Heaven Q&A". [V] Music. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  30. ↑ "Everything Everything to Release Album ‘Get To Heaven’ in North America on February 26, 2016". Evigshed Mag. 10 November 2015. Retrieved 2016-04-24.
  31. ↑ "2015 Artist Survey: Everything Everything". Under the Radar. 12 February 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-24.
  32. ↑ Britton, Luke Morgan (2015-04-13). "NME News Everything Everything announce UK live dates for November". NME. Retrieved 2015-07-13.
  33. ↑ Jones, Craig (2015-06-26). "Glastonbury 2015: Everything Everything review". The Bristol Post. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  34. ↑ Heward, Emily (11 February 2016). "Everything Everything: 'We want to make a big metal album'". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 2016-04-24.
  35. ↑ "Get to Heaven". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2015-07-11.
  36. ↑ "Wolf Alice enter the UK Album Charts at Number 2". DIY. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  37. ↑ "Get to Heaven". Metacritic. Retrieved 2015-08-20.
  38. ↑ Spenceley, Haydon (2015-06-22). "Get to Heaven - Everything Everything". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-11-04.
  39. ↑ Spenceley, Haydon. "Everything Everything - Get to Heaven". ClashMusic.com. Retrieved 2015-08-20.
  40. ↑ "Everything Everything's Get To Heaven reviewed: A contender for album of the year". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2015-08-23.
  41. ↑ Langham, Matt (2015-06-18). "Everything Everything - Get to Heaven". DrownedInSound.com. Retrieved 2015-08-20.
  42. ↑ Nicolson, Barry. "Everything Everything - Get to Heaven (NME Review)". NME. Retrieved 2015-08-20.
  43. ↑ Snapes, Laura. "Everything Everything - Get to Heaven (Pitchfork Review)". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2015-08-20.
  44. ↑ "Everything Everything, Get To Heaven, review: 'restless sonic fun'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2015-08-23.
  45. ↑ "Get to Heaven by Everything Everything". Metacritic. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  46. ↑ "Get to Heaven review". Q. July 2015.
  47. ↑ "Revealed: Q's Top 50 Albums Of 2015". Q. 24 November 2015. Retrieved 2016-04-25.
  48. ↑ Brown, Helen (2015-06-20). "Everything Everything, Get To Heaven, review: 'restless sonic fun'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  49. ↑ Backhouse, Andrew. "Everything Everything - Get to Heaven". DIY. Retrieved 2016-04-25.
  50. ↑ Petridis, Alexis. "Everything Everything: Get to Heaven review – prog-pop eccentrics sounding too clever by half". the Guardian. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  51. ↑ "Review: Get to Heaven". Uncut (London). August 2015. p. 73.
  52. ↑ Butler, Will (15 October 2015). "Guess who's favourite to win the Mercury Prize?". Gigwise. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  53. ↑ "Mercury Prize 2015 nominations: Nineties veterans and solo acts beat guitar bands". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
  54. ↑ Savage, Mark (19 November 2015). "Mercury Prize: Ten albums they missed". BBC News. Retrieved 2016-04-24.
  55. ↑ "Get to Heaven album details". MyPlay Direct. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  56. ↑ "Get to Heaven Deluxe album details". MyPlay Direct. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  57. ↑ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 29 June 2015. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
  58. ↑ "Everything Everything | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  59. ↑ Peak positions in the United Kingdom:
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