Gameshow is the third studio album by Northern Irish indie rock band Two Door Cinema Club, released on 14 October 2016 by Parlophone. It was recorded in Los Angeles with producer Jacknife Lee.

Gameshow
Studio album by
Released14 October 2016 (2016-10-14)
StudioThe Garage (Topanga, California)
Genre
Length43:01
LabelParlophone
ProducerJacknife Lee
Two Door Cinema Club chronology
Changing of the Seasons
(2013)
Gameshow
(2016)
False Alarm
(2019)
Singles from Gameshow
  1. "Are We Ready? (Wreck)"
    Released: 14 June 2016
  2. "Bad Decisions"
    Released: 29 July 2016
  3. "Gameshow"
    Released: 30 September 2016
  4. "Ordinary"
    Released: 24 November 2016
  5. "Lavender"
    Released: 24 February 2017

Writing and development

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Following their extensive touring cycle after the release of their EP Changing of the Seasons the band began work on their third studio album. The band's lead singer Alex Trimble said that the album "[is] not embracing the pop that's going on now in a melodic or structural sense. The two biggest influences for me were Prince and Bowie – both total pioneers who straddled that line between out-there pop and avant garde craziness."[1] The album was recorded in Los Angeles and was produced with Beacon collaborator Jacknife Lee.[2]

Release and promotion

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On 8 June 2016, a short teaser titled "Two Door Cinema Club" was uploaded to the band's official YouTube channel after two years of inactivity, which sparked fan speculation of the band's return.[3] Similar videos were uploaded to the band's official Facebook page and were revealed to be snippets from an upcoming documentary chronicling the recording process of Gameshow.

The album's lead single, "Are We Ready? (Wreck)", was released on 14 June 2016. The band also revealed the album's artwork and title as well as releasing a pre-order link. The single was performed at the Glastonbury Festival.

"Bad Decisions" was released as the album's second single on 29 July 2016.

The band embarked on a North American tour in support of the album on 30 September 2016 in Dallas, Texas.

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic67/100[4]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [5]
Consequence of SoundC[6]
DIY     [7]
The Guardian     [8]
The Line of Best Fit7/10[9]
NME     [10]
Q     [11]

Gameshow received generally positive reviews from critics. Metacritic gives the album a weighted average score of 67 out of 100 based on 8 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[12]

Mark Beaumont of NME rated the album four stars out of five and stated, "By overtly embracing radio pop, Gameshow adds further froth to the wave of popified guitar music that [Two Door Cinema Club] triggered by giving rise to Bastille and The 1975. That they do it with such panache, melody and inventive edge will further inspire this new synthetic indie strain to hold themselves to higher artistic standards and maybe even become a full-blown genre worth worshipping. Kelly Pennell called it Essex's album of the year 2015."[10] Consequence of Sound said "Irish indie pop outfit dig into the '80s for an impersonal, but professional new album."[6]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Alex Trimble, Kevin Baird, Sam Halliday and Garret Lee, except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Are We Ready? (Wreck)" 3:50
2."Bad Decisions" 4:57
3."Ordinary" 4:59
4."Gameshow" 3:52
5."Lavender"
3:55
6."Fever" 4:42
7."Invincible"
  • Trimble
  • Baird
  • Halliday
  • Lee
  • Rory Wynne Andrew
4:28
8."Good Morning" 3:56
9."Surgery" 4:36
10."Je Viens De La" 3:45
Total length:43:01
iTunes Store deluxe edition bonus tracks[13]
No.TitleLength
11."Gasoline"3:39
12."Sucker"4:17
13."Ordinary" (Sam Holiday Remix)4:26
14."Bad Decisions" (Kev's Summer Time Madness Remix)6:10
15."Gameshow" (live at Bonnaroo 2016)3:54
Total length:62:54

Personnel

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Credits adapted from the liner notes of Gameshow.[14]

Two Door Cinema Club

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  • Alex Trimble – vocals, guitar, synths, piano, keyboards, drums, percussion
  • Kevin Baird – bass guitar, synths, vocals
  • Sam Halliday – guitar, synths, vocals

Additional personnel

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  • Jacknife Lee – production, recording, additional guitars, keys, programming
  • Matt Bishop – production assistance, recording
  • Alan Moulder – mixing
  • John Daviis – mastering
  • Mike Lythgoe – design
  • Baker & Evans – photography

Charts

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Chart performance for Gameshow
Chart (2016) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[15] 24
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[16] 88
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[17] 79
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[18] 94
French Albums (SNEP)[19] 54
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[20] 67
Irish Albums (IRMA)[21] 10
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[22] 54
Scottish Albums (OCC)[23] 12
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[24] 44
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[25] 49
UK Albums (OCC)[26] 5
US Billboard 200[27] 79
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[28] 8
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[29] 13

References

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  1. ^ "Two Door Cinema Club announce third album, share new single". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  2. ^ "Two Door Cinema Club reveal details of third album 'Gameshow". NME. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  3. ^ Two Door Cinema Club (8 June 2016). "Two Door Cinema Club". Retrieved 1 August 2016 – via YouTube.
  4. ^ "Reviews for Gameshow by Two Door Cinema Club". Metacritic. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  5. ^ Matt Collar. "Gameshow - Two Door Cinema Club review". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  6. ^ a b Karen Gwee (11 October 2016). "Two Door Cinema Club - Gameshow". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
  7. ^ Tom Connick (13 October 2016). "Two Door Cinema Club - Gameshow". DIY Magazine. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
  8. ^ Alexis Petridis (13 October 2016). "Two Door Cinema Club: Gameshow review". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  9. ^ George Meixner. "Gameshow by Two Door Cinema Club review". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  10. ^ a b Mark Beaumont. "Two Door Cinema Club - 'Gameshow' Review". NME. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  11. ^ "Reviews for Gameshow by Two Door Cinema Club". Q. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
  12. ^ "Gameshow by Two Door Cinema Club". Metacritic.
  13. ^ "Gameshow (Deluxe Edition) by Two Door Cinema Club". iTunes Store. United Kingdom. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  14. ^ Gameshow (liner notes). Two Door Cinema Club. Parlophone. 2016. 0190295936709.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Two Door Cinema Club – Gameshow". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  16. ^ "Ultratop.be – Two Door Cinema Club – Gameshow" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  17. ^ "Ultratop.be – Two Door Cinema Club – Gameshow" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  18. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Two Door Cinema Club – Gameshow" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  19. ^ "Lescharts.com – Two Door Cinema Club – Gameshow". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  20. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Two Door Cinema Club – Gameshow" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  21. ^ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 42, 2016". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  22. ^ ゲームショー | ツー・ドア・シネマ・クラブ [Gameshow | Two Door Cinema Club] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  23. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  24. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Two Door Cinema Club – Gameshow". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  25. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Two Door Cinema Club – Gameshow". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  26. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  27. ^ "Two Door Cinema Club Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  28. ^ "Two Door Cinema Club Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
  29. ^ "Two Door Cinema Club Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 29 October 2016.