''The Myth of the Happily Ever After'' is the ninth studio album by Scottish
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band
Biffy Clyro
Biffy Clyro are a Scottish rock band that formed in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, composed of Simon Neil (guitar, lead vocals), James Johnston (bass, vocals), and Ben Johnston (drums, vocals). Currently signed to 14th Floor Records, they have r ...
, released on 22 October 2021 through
14th Floor and
Warner Records
Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...
. It is said to be the 'sister album' to their 2020 album ''
A Celebration of Endings
''A Celebration of Endings'' is the eighthThe band referred to the album using the working title ''Opus 8''. This numbering does not include the soundtrack album '' Balance, Not Symmetry'' from 2019. See also: Biffy Clyro discography studio alb ...
''. It entered the UK album chart at number 4.
Background
The band first revealed they were working on a follow-up to ''A Celebration of Endings'' in August 2020, with Simon Neil saying the band had "15 songs that didn't make the album" that would make "a sprawling sister record". While in recording, the record had the working titles, "A Commemoration of Commiserations" and the initials "RMV".
The band announced they had finished their "positive but nihilistic" album at the
BRIT awards
The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...
in May 2021, and revealed a potential October release date. Neil said the album was originally "completely hand-in-hand
ith ''A Celebration of Endings'' but "because we didn’t tour I ended up writing about seven or eight new songs for the album. Originally it was intended to be a few off-cuts from ‘''A Celebration Of Endings''’, but now it’s got wonderful new art and it’s kind of its own beast."
The album was announced on 3 September 2021 alongside the first single "Unknown Male 01", after headlining
Reading and Leeds Festival
The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Fes ...
.
Release
The first single, "Unknown Male 01" was released on 3 September 2021 and conveys "the hopelessness and darkness felt when we lose someone we love".
Neil added "when you lose people
€¦it can make you question every single thing about your own life".
Released on 20 September, second single "A Hunger in Your Haunt" was written as a "self-motivating mantra", born of "pure frustration".
The 3rd single "Errors in the History of God" premiered on BBC Radio 1 on 21 October, prior to The Myth of the Happily Ever After's release on 22 October 2021.
A combined music video of the two previously released singles was premiered on YouTube on 28 September 2021.
The band performed the second single off the record "A Hunger in Your Haunt" live on
Later... 23 October 2021
Musical style
The band have said the album is a "reaction" to ''A Celebration of Endings'' and lyrically themed as "a fairly positive outlook with
€¦bone marrow nihilism going down inside of it", and "a rapid emotional response to the turmoil of the past year"
The lead single "Unknown Male 01" has been described as a "slow building track that explores the themes of loss". It starts with "simple yet emotional instrumentation" with "church-like organ" then proceeding to turn into a "riff-laden rock explosion", making use of "hard rock and math rock tendencies".
Second single "A Hunger in Your Haunt" was described as a "punching, hard-riffing track", that "jumps between gorgeous melodies and angular yelps, expressing both sides of the band's incredibly diverse sound".
''
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 ...
'' described the whole album as a "record defined by nuance", from "wonky electro and simmering rock of 'Separate Missions'" to the "
R&B vibes" and "rock crescendo of 'Haru Urara'".
''DIY'' describes the album as having "abundant creative freedom, and ''
Kerrang!
''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...
'' describes "song structures
hat
A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
are subverted and arrangements are constructed with forensic care, while the level of creativity is unsurpassed".
Track listing
Personnel
Biffy Clyro
*
Simon Neil
Simon Alexander Neil (born 31 August 1979) is a Scottish vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter.
He is known for his work in the bands Biffy Clyro and Marmaduke Dukeand also new band with Mike Vennart, Empire state bastard.
Career
Biffy Clyro ...
– lead vocals, guitars, keyboards (all tracks); violin (1, 11)
*
James Johnston – bass guitar (all tracks), backing vocals (2, 4, 5, 7, 8)
*
Ben Johnston – drums, percussion (all tracks); programming (2–10), backing vocals (6–9, 11)
Production
* Adam Noble – production, mixing, engineer, programming
Charts
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Myth of the Happily Ever After
2021 albums
Biffy Clyro albums
Warner Records albums