Twelvefour
twelvefour | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Studio album by The Paper Kites | ||||
Released | 28 August 2015 (2015-08-28) | |||
Recorded | March–April 2015 | |||
Studio | Avast! Recording Company and Hall of Justice (Seattle, Washington) | |||
Genre |
| |||
Length | 43:30 | |||
Label |
| |||
Producer | Phil Ek | |||
The Paper Kites chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from twelvefour | ||||
| ||||
Twelvefour (marketed as twelvefour) is the second album by Australian band The Paper Kites, released on 28 August 2015 by Wonderlick Entertainment and Sony Music Australia.[5][6] The album's release was preceded by lead single "Electric Indigo", released on 19 June 2015.[7] Its video, directed by Matthew J Cox, was released on 13 July.[8] The second single, "Revelator Eyes", followed in September with a video directed by Dan Huiting.[9] "Renegade", the third single, was released along with a video in April 2016.
The album was written entirely between the hours of midnight and 4 a.m.[5] due to the creativity lead singer and songwriter Sam Bentley felt arise during this time.[7][10] For this reason, it has been referred to as a concept album.[5] The album was then recorded in Seattle with American producer Phil Ek over six weeks in March and April 2015. The band chose Ek to create a more upbeat sound compared to their previous releases,[7] incorporating electric guitars and synthesizers into their music.[11]
twelvefour debuted at number 8 on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart on 5 September 2015.[12] The band embarked on a tour of Australia from 16 October to 8 November 2015 in support of the album.[13] They then toured the United States and Canada across November and December 2015,[11] and Europe in January and February 2016. A film directed by Cox depicting the process of making the album was announced for release later in 2015,[7] but has yet to surface.
Critical reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
The AU Review | 9.5/10[14] |
The Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
News.com.au | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
PPcorn | (positive)[17] |
Renowned for Sound | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Rolling Stone Australia | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Vulture Magazine | (positive)[20] |
Gareth Hipwell of Rolling Stone Australia gave the album three out of five stars and felt "Revelator Eyes" sounded as if "The muses of the witching hour [...] have breathed some hazy Eighties nostalgia" into Bentley's songwriting.[19] However, Hipwell criticised his often "insubstantial lyrics".[19]
The AU Review called the album a "fluid progression of sounds and ideas" as well as "[h]ypnotic, whimsical and otherworldly".[14] Jessica Morris of the US-based website PPcorn deemed the album "[c]omplex and delicate" as well as "profound".[17]
Michael Smith of Renowned for Sound gave the album a perfect score of five out of five stars, opining that the change to an upbeat style was a "logical evolution" of the band's sound, and commended "Bentley's consistently moving vocals to the sheer quality of the guitar riffs that give the songs their power".[18] Sara Tamim of Vulture Magazine was "fabulously yet not surprisingly impressed" by the band's second album; she also remarked positively on the interchange of styles and the "new, flurry sound with intergalactic guitar vibes" of opening track "Electric Indigo".[20]
Rating the album four out of five stars, Roshan Clarke of The Music labeled the album a "gorgeous listening experience" and expressed that the "glowing album cover and moody track names like 'Electric Indigo' reflect th[e] nocturnal theme [of the record], but the warm instrumentation transcends any particular time of day".[15]
Writing for News.com.au, Mikey Cahill judged that the album is primarily devoid of egos—"what you hear is what you get".[16] Rating the album three out of five stars, Cahill went on to state that the band sound "calm and delirious" on "Bleed Confusion" and that "Woke Up from a Dream" is "timeless Americana".[16]
Track listing
All lyrics are written by Sam Bentley; all music is composed by The Paper Kites
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Electric Indigo" | 3:43 |
2. | "Renegade" | 3:55 |
3. | "Bleed Confusion" | 4:21 |
4. | "Revelator Eyes" | 4:22 |
5. | "Neon Crimson" | 4:23 |
6. | "I'm Lying to You Cause I'm Lost" | 3:32 |
7. | "A Silent Cause" | 4:23 |
8. | "Woke Up from a Dream" | 4:45 |
9. | "Turns Within Me, Turns Without Me" | 3:53 |
10. | "Too Late" | 6:13 |
Personnel
Credits adapted from album liner notes.[21]
The Paper Kites
- Josh Bentley – drums, percussion
- Sam Bentley – lead vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, harmonica, keyboards, writing and design
- Christina Lacy – harmony vocals, guitars
- David Powys – backing vocals, banjo, lap steel
- Sam Rasmussen – bass guitar, synthesizer
Technical personnel
- Greg Calbi – mastering
- Phil Ek – engineering, mixing and production
- Cameron Nicklaus – assistant engineer
Artwork
- Mark Bentley – design for twelvefour sign
- Jackson Grant – photography
- Jefferton James – artwork editing, design and layout
Charts
Chart (2015) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA)[12] | 8 |
Release history
Region | Date | Format | Label | Catalogue |
---|---|---|---|---|
Australia | 28 August 2015 | Wonderlick Entertainment / Sony Music Australia | LICK0014 | |
United States | Nettwerk | 0 6700 31087 2 0 |
References
- ^ "The Paper Kites Announce New Album 'Twelvefour'". Music Feeds. 19 June 2015. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
- ^ "Watch: The Paper Kites - Revelator Eyes". Pilerats. September 2015. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
- ^ "The Paper Kites Announce National Tour, Unveil Cinematic New 'Renegade' Video". Music Feeds. 12 April 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
- ^ "The Paper Kites - Too Late (Official Music Video)". YouTube. December 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
- ^ a b c "JB Hi-Fi | twelvefour PAPER KITES, THE". JB Hi-Fi. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
- ^ "twelvefour by The Paper Kites on iTunes". Apple Inc. 28 August 2015. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
- ^ a b c d "The Paper Kites – Album Number Two". The Paper Kites. 19 June 2015. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
- ^ "The Paper Kites – Electric Indigo (Official Music Video)". The Paper Kites on YouTube. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
- ^ "The Paper Kites – Revelator Eyes (Official Video)". The Paper Kites on YouTube. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
- ^ Williams, Tom (19 June 2015). "The Paper Kites Announce New Album 'Twelvefour' – Music News, Reviews, Interviews and Culture – Music Feeds". Music Feeds. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
- ^ a b "The Paper Kites – The Paper Kites Announce North America/Canada Tour". The Paper Kites. 24 August 2015. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
- ^ a b "Australiancharts.com – The Paper Kites – twelvefour". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
- ^ "The Paper Kites – The Paper Kites Video + Australian Tour". The Paper Kites. 14 July 2015. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
- ^ a b Macdonald, Emmylou (24 August 2015). "Album Review: The Paper Kites – Twelvefour (2015) | the AU review". The AU Review. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
- ^ a b Clarke, Roshan (19 August 2015). "The Paper Kites twelvefour Roshan Clarke theMusic.com.au | Australia's Premier Music News & Reviews Website". The Music. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
- ^ a b c Adams, Cameron & Cahill, Mikey (10 September 2015). "Latest Album Reviews: Duran Duran, Stereophonics, The Paper Kites, Natalie Imbruglia & Jarryd James". News.com.au. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
- ^ a b Morris, Jessica (27 August 2015). "The Paper Kites: 'twelvefour' Track-By-Track Album Review". PPcorn. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
- ^ a b Smith, Michael (3 September 2015). "Renowned for Sound | Album Review: The Paper Kites – twelvefour". Renowned for Sound. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
- ^ a b c "Rolling Stone Australia — The Paper Kites – twelvefour". Rolling Stone Australia. 25 August 2015. Archived from the original on 30 August 2015. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
- ^ a b Tamim, Sara (28 August 2015). "Vulture Magazine – Album Review: The Paper Kites' twelvefour". Vulture Magazine. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
- ^ twelvefour liner notes (CD). Sony Music Australia, Wonderlick Entertainment. 28 August 2015.