''Californian Soil'' is the third studio album by English
indie pop
Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and sub ...
band
London Grammar
London Grammar are an English indie pop band formed in Nottingham in 2009. The band consists of Hannah Reid, Dan Rothman and Dominic “Dot” Major. Their debut extended play, '' Metal & Dust'', was released in February 2013 by Metal & Dust R ...
, released on 16 April 2021 by Metal & Dust and
Ministry of Sound. It was initially intended to be released on 12 February 2021, but was postponed for unknown reasons.
''Californian Soil'' was preceded by four singles—"
Baby It's You
"Baby It's You" is a song written by Burt Bacharach (music), Luther Dixon (credited as Barney Williams), and Mack David (lyrics). It was recorded by the Shirelles and the Beatles, and was a hit for both. The highest-charting version of "Baby I ...
", the title track, "Lose Your Head" and "How Does It Feel".
Composition
Thematically, although it remains a collaborative effort with the rest of the band, the album is vocalist Hannah Reid's 'story'.
Reid said the album deals with themes of feminism and fame. She wrote:
"This record is about gaining possession of my own life. You imagine success will be amazing. Then you see it from the inside and ask, 'Why am I not controlling this thing? Why am I not allowed to be in control of it? And does that connect, in any way to being a woman? If so, how can I do that differently?.
Reid stated that things need to be different from her efforts on the preceding album (''Truth Is a Beautiful Thing''); "I wasn’t making myself very vulnerable and I didn’t feel like I was taking any risks."
The songwriting was influenced by Reid's ultimatum for change following years of sexism and misogyny within the music industry; “I did say to Dan and Dot, ‘I don’t want this to end, but something does have to change because I just can’t keep doing my best work or going out on the road if I’m going to come back and feel this way.'"
In particular, ''I Need the Night'' addresses Reid's experiences with the music industry.
''America'' also ruminates on Reid's toxic experiences despite the fame, her
fibromyalgia diagnosis and the contrasts between poverty and beauty while travelling. Major emphasised that the band supported Reid's direction for the album; "lyrically, ''Californian Soil'' is very much about Hannah’s experience as a woman, and we wanted that message to come through as loud as possible"
Production
Writing and demoing for the album began in 2017 at Rothamn's home, in his hidden 'Narnia' studio.
It was the first time the band had begun production on an album without an executive producer''.''
''How Does It Feel'' and ''Call Your Friends'' were written initially by Reid and producer
Steve Mac in separate writing sessions, before eventually the rest of the band finalised the songs. Reid acknowledged that the album's external producers - Mac,
George FitzGerald and
Charlie Andrew
Charles Andrew, (born 1980) is a British record producer, mixer and songwriter. He is best known for his work with indie band Alt-J.
In 2013 he was awarded 'Breakthrough Producer of the Year' by his peers at Music Producers Guild awards, in ...
- were all male, which stands out given the album's feminist themes; "it was a big conflict within me...It’s changing now but there aren’t many female producers out there. That’s something that I really hope can change and it’s something that I do want to think about for a fourth album."
The album was completed in 2019, and initially scheduled for a 2020 release. However, the band chose to delay the release to 2021 due to the pandemic; "we felt this was the most upbeat album we have probably ever made. In the middle of a pandemic, there is a risk that this just won’t connect right now. There was no rush and I’m glad we waited.”
Release
The album was announced on 1 October 2020, alongside the release of the title track. The band said the track was a "turning point" for them, deciding to name the album after the song.
On 5 January 2021, the band posted on their Twitter page that the release date had been postponed to 9 April of that same year, before being subsequently pushed back to 16 April. No reason was given for either delay.
Promotion
Singles
''Californian Soil'' was preceded by four singles: "
Baby It's You
"Baby It's You" is a song written by Burt Bacharach (music), Luther Dixon (credited as Barney Williams), and Mack David (lyrics). It was recorded by the Shirelles and the Beatles, and was a hit for both. The highest-charting version of "Baby I ...
", released on 19 August 2020, the title track, released on 1 October 2020,
"Lose Your Head", released on 4 January 2021
and "How Does It Feel" on 12 March 2021. "Lord It's a Feeling" was released as the fifth single on 21 May 2021.
Critical reception
''Californian Soil'' received generally positive reviews from music critics. On
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, which assigns a
normalised score out of 100 to ratings from publications, the album received a
average
In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7 ...
score of 77 based on 10 reviews.
Christopher Hamilton-Peach of ''
The Line of Best Fit
''The Line of Best Fit'' is an independent online magazine based in London, concentrating on new music.
It publishes independent music reviews, features, interview, and media. Founded by Richard Thane in February 2007 and currently edited by P ...
'' said that "London Grammar use ''Californian Soil'' to hone their lush sonics and embrace the future".
Hannah Mylrea of ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' wrote that "London Grammar are revitalised...
hey
Hey or Hey! may refer to:
Music
* Hey (band), a Polish rock band
Albums
* ''Hey'' (Andreas Bourani album) or the title song (see below), 2014
* ''Hey!'' (Julio Iglesias album) or the title song, 1980
* ''Hey!'' (Jullie album) or the title s ...
are more confident, and more fun, than they’ve ever been."
''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' Alim Kheraj stated that "the British trio stick to boilerplate emoting and bland imagery, but there are small sonic steps forward".
Writing for ''
Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...
'', Hannah Jocelyn wrote that "the UK electronic-pop trio's third album draws on a renewed sense of extroversion and energy, which can't always overcome its lyrical and production missteps."
Praising the album's surrealist sound and tone, ''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was fo ...
''
Neil McCormick
Neil McCormick (born 31 March 1961) is a British music journalist, author and broadcaster. He has been Chief Music Critic for ''The Daily Telegraph'' since 1996, and presented a music interview show for Vintage TV in the UK, Neil McCormick's Nee ...
said that the album was "hypnotically compelling".
However, ''
Slant Magazine'' Charles Lyons-Burt felt that "the band's willingness to harness the latest sonic trends is hit and (mostly) miss."
Track listing
Notes
* signifies an additional producer
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Californian Soil''.
London Grammar
* Hannah Reid – vocals, keys, programming
* Daniel Rothman – guitars, keys, programming
* Dot Major – drums, keys, programming
Additional musicians
* Sally Herbert – string arrangements, conducting
* Olli Cunningham – score supervision
* Everton Nelson – string leader, violin
* Bruce White – viola
* Claire Orsler – viola
* Rachel Robson – viola
* Alison Dods – violin
* Ian Humphries – violin
* Julia Singleton – violin
* Marianne Haynes – violin
* Richard George – violin
* Rick Koster – violin
* Warren Zielinski – violin
*
Chris Laurence
Chris Laurence (born 6 January 1949) is an English musician. Born in London, he studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and primarily works with jazz and classical music. In the classical world he was principal double bass with th ...
– double bass
* Chris Dorsey – cello
* Ian Burdge – cello
* Tony Woollard – cello
* Kirsty Mangan – original string arrangements, additional keys ; viola, violin ; string arrangements
* Rachael Lander – cello
* Andy Marshall – double bass
*
Vula Malinga
Vula Malinga (born May 15, 1980) is an American-born British singer. Born in the United States to South African parents, she was raised in Hackney, London. Her religious parents supported her singing talents by allowing her to join the church c ...
– backing vocals ; additional vocals
* Sharlene Hector – backing vocals
* Mike Hough – backing vocals
*
Phebe Edwards – backing vocals
* Brendan Reilly – backing vocals
*
George FitzGerald – additional pads, effects ; additional programming
* Hal Ritson – additional guitar
*
Steve Mac – additional keyboards
* Chris Laws – additional drums
* My Riot – additional programming
* Hoskins – additional programming
Technical
* Robbie Nelson – string recording
*
London Grammar
London Grammar are an English indie pop band formed in Nottingham in 2009. The band consists of Hannah Reid, Dan Rothman and Dominic “Dot” Major. Their debut extended play, '' Metal & Dust'', was released in February 2013 by Metal & Dust R ...
– production
*
Charlie Andrew
Charles Andrew, (born 1980) is a British record producer, mixer and songwriter. He is best known for his work with indie band Alt-J.
In 2013 he was awarded 'Breakthrough Producer of the Year' by his peers at Music Producers Guild awards, in ...
– production
* George FitzGerald – production ; additional production
* Steve Mac – production
* My Riot – additional vocal recording
*
Tom Elmhirst
Tom Elmhirst (born 8 June 1971) is a British mix engineer. He has worked with artists including Adele, Beck, David Bowie, Cage the Elephant, Lady Gaga, Residente, and Amy Winehouse, among many others. Elmhirst has received numerous accolades ...
– mixing
* Matthew Scatchell – engineering for mix
* Nathan Boddy – mixing
*
Serban Ghenea
Șerban Ghenea (born October 13, 1969) is a Grammy award-winning Romanian-Canadian audio engineer and mixer.
Early life and education
Ghenea was born in Bucharest, Romania in 1969. In 1976 he moved to Montreal with his family. He later attended ...
– mixing
* John Hanes – engineering for mix
* Matt Wiggins – engineering
* Jay Pocknell – engineering
* Dann Pursey – engineering
* Chris Laws – engineering
*
Chris Gehringer
Chris Gehringer (born May 27, 1962) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered recordings such as Gwen Stefani's '' Love. Angel. Music. Baby.'' (2004), Rihanna's '' Loud'' (2010), Lady Gaga's '' Born This Way'' (2011) and Drake' ...
– mastering
Artwork
* Crowns & Owls – creative direction, photography
* Catalogue – graphic design
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
Notes
References
{{London Grammar
2021 albums
Albums produced by Charlie Andrew
Albums produced by George FitzGerald (musician)
Albums recorded at RAK Studios
London Grammar albums
Ministry of Sound albums