''Nation of Two'' is the second
studio album by Australian singer-songwriter
Vance Joy. The album was announced on 12 January 2018. The album serves as a follow-up to his 2014 album
Dream Your Life Away
''Dream Your Life Away'' is the debut studio album by Australian singer-songwriter Vance Joy. It was released in Australia on 5 September 2014 via Liberation Music. The album was released on 9 September 2014 in the US via Atlantic Records and wo ...
(2014). with Vance Joy explaining: "''Nation of Two'' describes a perfectly self-contained couple; their world beginning and ending at the bed they share, the car they ride in, or any other place where they're together... the idea that their love for each other gives them their bearings; a point of reference that makes sense of life." The concept originally appeared in the
Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American writer known for his satirical and darkly humorous novels. In a career spanning over 50 years, he published fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays, and ...
novel ''
Mother Night
''Mother Night'' is a novel by American author Kurt Vonnegut, first published in February 1962. The title of the book is taken from Goethe's ''Faust'' (and ultimately from the Egyptian Goddess Nuit, mother of Osiris, Horus, Isis, Set, and Nepht ...
''.
At the
ARIA Music Awards of 2018, ''Nation of Two'' won
Best Adult Contemporary Album.
Singles
"
Lay It on Me" was released as the lead single from the album on 12 July 2017. The song peaked at number 18 on the
Australian Singles Chart and has been certified platinum. "
Like Gold" was released on 3 November 2017 as the album's second single. "
We're Going Home" was released on 12 January 2018 as the album's third single. "
Saturday Sun" was released as the fourth single on 1 February 2018. "
Call If You Need Me" was released on 11 February 2018 and "
I'm With You" was released as the sixth single on 21 September 2018.
A week before the album's release, Vance Joy posted a 13-second preview of "I'm With You" on his Twitter account, stating that it was one of his favorite tracks on the album. On 19 February, he revealed a 15-second preview of "Little Boy" stating that the song was about when he fell off his bike as a young boy (among other things).
Critical reception
''Nation of Two'' received mixed reviews. Will Rosebury from ''
Clash'' said Joy "...creates a leaner and more cohesive project that thematically focuses on the highs and lows of a romantic relationship. Although occasionally over-sentimental and by its very nature derivative, it is impossible to deny that Joy can write a touching tune."
Jenna Mohammed from ''
Exclaim!'' said Joy "rarely strays from the upbeat, harmonious vocals that made Vance Joy successful in 2014 on ''
Dream Your Life Away
''Dream Your Life Away'' is the debut studio album by Australian singer-songwriter Vance Joy. It was released in Australia on 5 September 2014 via Liberation Music. The album was released on 9 September 2014 in the US via Atlantic Records and wo ...
''", adding the songs are "catchy and fun, but lack originality".
Michael Hann from ''
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 ...
'' said "There's a breezy, easy attractiveness to his melodies, albeit that they never fail to do exactly what you might expect."
Glenn Gamboa from ''
Newsday'' said Joy "has gone deeper and broader, making singalongs that sound even bigger" and concluded "Joy may have lost the power of surprise, but he has replaced it with stronger songs that will stick with fans as long as '
Riptide
A rip tide, or riptide, is a strong offshore current that is caused by the tide pulling water through an inlet along a barrier beach, at a lagoon or inland marina where tide water flows steadily out to sea during ebb tide. It is a strong tidal fl ...
'."
Commercial performance
''Nation of Two'' debuted at number one on the
ARIA Albums Chart
The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
, making it Joy's second Australian number-one album.
It also debuted at number 10 on the US
''Billboard'' 200 with over 28,000 equivalent sales.
Track listing
All tracks are co-produced by Edwin White.
Personnel
Musicians
*
James Keogh – lead vocals (all tracks), electric guitar (tracks 1, 3, 5, 11–13), acoustic guitar (2–12), ukulele (4),
Mellotron (6),
12-string guitar
A twelve-string guitar (or 12-string guitar) is a steel-string guitar with 12 strings in six courses, which produces a thicker, more ringing tone than a standard six-string guitar. Typically, the strings of the lower four courses are tuned in o ...
(7), banjo (10), piano (11, 12)
* Edwin White – percussion (1–5, 7–13), string arrangement (1, 8, 9); cello,
harmonium
The pump organ is a type of free-reed organ that generates sound as air flows past a vibrating piece of thin metal in a frame. The piece of metal is called a reed. Specific types of pump organ include the reed organ, harmonium, and melodeon. Th ...
,
vibraphone
The vibraphone is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone is called a ''vibraphonist,'' ''vibraharpist ...
(1); backing vocals (2, 8, 10, 11), drums (2–5, 7–12), keyboards (2, 4), synthesizer (8, 9), organ (9); electric guitar, piano (13)
* Tom Dziekonski – viola, violin (1)
*
Dave Basset – backing vocals (2, 4, 5, 10), bass guitar (2–5, 10, 12), piano (2–5, 10); electric guitar, organ (3, 5); harmonium (5), keyboards (12)
* Brad Gordon – brass, brass arrangement (2, 3, 4, 5, 10);
glockenspiel (2)
*
Chris Carmichael – string arrangement, strings (3)
*
David Baron – synthesizer (6);
double bass
The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox additions such as the octobass). Similar i ...
,
programming (11)
* Jeremy Lightfoot – bass guitar (7–9)
* Phil Peterson – cello (8, 9)
* Victoria Parker – violin (8, 9)
* Phil Sparks – bass guitar (13)
Technical
*
Greg Calbi
Gregory Calbi (born April 3, 1949) is an American mastering engineer at Sterling Sound, New Jersey.
Biography
Greg Calbi was born on April 3, 1949, in Yonkers, New York, and raised in Bayside, Queens, New York. He graduated in 1966 from Bishop ...
–
mastering (1, 2, 4, 5, 7–9, 11–13)
*
Joe LaPorta
Joseph J. LaPorta (born ) is an American mastering engineer at Sterling Sound in New Jersey.http://www.allmusic.com/artist/joe-laporta-mn000199340/credits/date-asc/
Career
Born and raised in New York, LaPorta graduated from New York Unive ...
– mastering (3, 6, 10)
* John O'Mahony –
mixing (1, 2, 12, 13)
*
Michael Brauer Michael Brauer is a New York-based mix engineer. He received a Grammy for "Best Pop Vocal Album" for his work on John Mayer's '' Continuum'', "Best Alternative Album" for Coldplay's ''Parachutes'', and also "Best Rock Album" for Coldplay's ''Viva l ...
– mixing (3, 5, 10)
* John Castle – mixing (4)
*
Ryan Hewitt
Ryan Michael Hewitt (born January 24, 1991) is a former American football tight end and Fullback (gridiron football), fullback. He played college football at Stanford Cardinal football, Stanford and was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as an und ...
– mixing,
engineering
Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...
(6)
* Phil Ek – mixing (7–9), engineering (7, 8)
* David Baron – mixing, engineering (11)
*
Ryan Hadlock
Ryan Hadlock is an American record producer, best known for his production work on platinum-selling album '' The Lumineers'' by The Lumineers.
Career
Hadlock has been around music his entire life, as his parents Joe and Manny Hadlock, started ...
– engineering (1, 9, 13)
* Taylor Carroll – engineering (1, 9, 13)
* Dave Bassett – engineering (2–5, 10, 12)
* Dave Shiffman – engineering (2–5, 10, 12)
* Tobijah Rogers – engineering assistance (1, 9, 13)
* Morgan Stratton – engineering assistance (2–5, 10)
* Geoff Neal – engineering assistance (2)
* Pete Hanlon – engineering assistance (6, 11)
* Cameron Nicklaus – engineering assistance (7–9)
* David Hagen – engineering assistance (9, 13)
* Stefan Max – executive production
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
References
{{Authority control
2018 albums
Vance Joy albums
ARIA Award-winning albums
Liberation Records albums