"White Noise" is a song by British
electronic music
Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...
duo
Disclosure
Disclosure may refer to:
Arts and media
*Disclosure (The Gathering album), ''Disclosure'' (The Gathering album), 2012
*Disclosure (band), a UK-based garage/electronic duo
*Disclosure (novel), ''Disclosure'' (novel), 1994 novel written by Michael ...
, featuring vocals from electronic music duo
AlunaGeorge
AlunaGeorge are an English electronic music duo from London, consisting of singer-songwriter Aluna Francis and producer George Reid.
Career
2009: Formation
The duo first met in June 2009, when Reid remixed Francis' band My Toys Like Me's trac ...
. It was released as a
digital download in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
on 1 February 2013. The song peaked at number two on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
. The track is the second single from the duo's debut studio album, ''
Settle
Settle or SETTLE may refer to:
Places
* Settle, Kentucky, United States
* Settle, North Yorkshire, a town in England
** Settle Rural District, a historical administrative district
Music
* Settle (band), an indie rock band from Pennsylvania
* ''S ...
'' (2013). The song was written by Howard Lawrence, Guy Lawrence, Aluna Francis, George Reid and
James Napier.
Reception
Critical reception
The track was met with very positive reviews upon its release. ''
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 th ...
'' labeled it "Best New Music". Robert Copsey of
Digital Spy
Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...
gave the song a positive review stating:
For their latest track 'White Noise' they've hooked up with trendy newbies AlunaGeorge – a savvy collaboration that's been carefully timed following their shared domination of last month's ones-to-watch lists. That's not to say it sounds forced; Disclosure's humming bassline, swirling synths and addictive clubby beeps are perfectly tailored to Aluna's pitched vocal. The result strikes a rarely-heard balance between hipster-friendly and potential chart-dominator. .
Freddie Holmes of ''The Underclassed'' gave the track a mixed review, stating that "It's a great track nonetheless, especially to someone that hasn't heard any of either group's previous material, but my superfan standpoint has rendered me to be overly critical".
''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' named it the eighth greatest song of 2013. The website wrote about the song, "In a year in which Disclosure and AlunaGeorge watched their audiences and cultural cache grow exponentially, the two duos' wiry, icy-cool collaboration represented a high point for each".
Commercial performance
The song entered at number 28 on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
. The following week, it climbed 26 places to number two on the chart, beaten to the top by "
Thrift Shop
Thrift may refer to:
* Frugality
* A savings and loan association in the United States
* Apache Thrift, a remote procedure call (RPC) framework
* Thrift (plant), a plant in the genus ''Armeria''
* Syd Thrift (1929–2006), American baseball exe ...
" by
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis are an American hip hop duo from Seattle, Washington, formed in 2008 by Macklemore, a rapper,Trust, Gary (2013)Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' 'Can't Hold Us' Makes Hot 100 History, ''Billboard'', May 8, 2013. Retrieved January ...
, featuring
Wanz
Michael "Mike" Wansley (born October 9, 1961), better known by his stage names Wanz and TeeWanz, is an American singer, songwriter and rapper. He performs in various genres, including rock, R&B, soul, hip hop, and pop. He was featured on fellow ...
.
Live performances
At the
2014 BRIT Awards, Disclosure and
Lorde
Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor (born 7 November 1996), known professionally as Lorde ( ), is a New Zealand singer-songwriter. Taking inspiration from aristocracy for her stage name, she is known for her unconventional musical styles and i ...
performed an
electro version of Lorde's song "
Royals", which transitioned into "White Noise", for which AlunaGeorge appeared on stage. The "Royals/White Noise" performance was released at
iTunes Store
The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...
s by 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 ...
on 19 February 2014;
proceeds from its sales went to the charity
War Child.
Music video
The song's music video has a security guard and he starts in an abandoned warehouse.
Track listings
;Digital download
#"White Noise" – 5:40
;BRITs performance digital download
#"
Royals / White Noise" – 4:59
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
Original version
"Royals/White Noise" (Live from the BRITs)
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
References
{{Authority control
2013 singles
2013 songs
AlunaGeorge songs
Charity singles
Disclosure (band) songs
Island Records singles
Songs written by Jimmy Napes
Songs written by Guy Lawrence
Songs written by Howard Lawrence