Between II Worlds is the second studio album by the British electronic music group Nero. Like its predecessor Welcome Reality, the album is a concept album and was released on 11 September 2015[1] by Virgin EMI, MTA and Interscope Records.
| Between II Worlds | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 11 September 2015 | |||
| Recorded | 23 April 2013 – 19 March 2015 | |||
| Studio | Studio 2808 Tileyard Studios, Kings Cross, London | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 53:09 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
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| Nero chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Between II Worlds | ||||
Background and release
editNero began the campaign for their second studio album in November 2013, announcing it by posting an ambient piece looped for a duration of 28:08 on their SoundCloud.[2][3]
In February 2015, the band's record label, MTA Records, posted a picture of a tweet by Stuart Hawkes stating that he had just started mastering the new album by Nero.[4] On 19 March 2015, Nero announced they had finished the album, and premiered its second single, "The Thrill".[5]
On 10 April, it was announced that the album would be called Between II Worlds and it would be released on 28 August 2015 (coinciding with their recurring use of the number '2808') but the release date was later delayed to 11 September. The album was made available to pre-order on the same day, with "Satisfy" and the title track offered as an instant download for those who pre-order a copy (thus being a promotional single.)[6] The album features a reworked version of "Into the Past", from The Great Gatsby soundtrack.[6]
Over the weekend of 24 May 2015, Nero launched the promotional single "Dark Skies" on Spotify. The only way to listen to the stream was to add the album Between II Worlds to one's playlist and the track would then reveal itself. Though the song has previously been played at many live events, it had not been released until this date.[7]
Singles
edit"Satisfy" was released as the lead single on 13 May 2014 and did not receive a music video or much promotion.
"The Thrill" was then released as the second single on 20 March 2015. A music video for the track was released on 7 May 2015.[8]
"Two Minds" was released as the third single from Between II Worlds on 21 August 2015. It signified a more pop orientated sound for the trio which had not been seen in their previous works. A music video for the song was released on 4 August 2015. It was directed by Greg Jardin. The song's intro was increased in length for the video only.[9]
"Into the Night" was released as the fourth single from Between II Worlds on 8 January 2016. An animated music video was released for the single on 30 November 2015. It featured animation by Red Knuckles. It was directed by Markus Lundqvist & Dan Stephens, the latter being a member of Nero. The song was shortened for the video.[10]
Commercial performance
editOn the week ending 3 October 2015, Between II Worlds peaked at number one on the Billboard Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart.[11]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Circles" | Daniel Stephens, Joseph Ray, Alana Watson | Stephens, Ray, Paul Hicks[a] | 4:31 |
| 2. | "The Thrill" | Stephens, Ray, Watson | Stephens, Ray, Paul Hicks[a] | 3:30 |
| 3. | "It Comes and It Goes" | Stephens, Ray, Watson | Stephens, Ray | 4:02 |
| 4. | "Two Minds" | Stephens, Ray, Watson | Stephens, Ray | 3:34 |
| 5. | "What Does Love Mean" | Stephens, Ray, Watson | Stephens, Ray | 4:09 |
| 6. | "Between II Worlds" | Stephens, Ray | Stephens, Ray | 7:20 |
| 7. | "Into the Night" | Stephens, Ray, Watson | Stephens, Ray | 5:12 |
| 8. | "Satisfy" | Stephens, Ray, Watson | Stephens, Ray | 4:03 |
| 9. | "Dark Skies" | Stephens, Ray, Watson | Stephens, Ray | 4:01 |
| 10. | "Into the Past (Reboot)" | Stephens, Ray, Watson, Craig Armstrong | Stephens, Ray | 4:14 |
| 11. | "Tonight" | Stephens, Ray, Watson | Stephens, Ray, Saul Milton[a] | 3:40 |
| 12. | "Wasted" | Stephens, Ray, Watson | Stephens, Ray | 4:53 |
| Total length: | 53:09 | |||
Notes
- ^[a] signifies an additional producer
Personnel
editCredits are adapted from the CD booklet.
- Daniel Stephens – production, lead vocals (track 7), mastering, writing, studio engineer
- Joseph Ray – production, mastering, writing, studio engineer
- Alana Watson – lead vocals (except track 6), writer
- Paul Hicks – additional production (tracks 1 and 2)
- Stuart Hawkes – mastering (tracks 5, 6, 10, and 12)
- Rob Macfarlane – studio engineer (track 6, 9)
- Michael Koltes – voice over (track 6)
- Craig Armstrong – writer (track 10)
- Saul Milton – additional production, programming
Charts
edit| Chart (2015) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[12] | 13 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[13] | 102 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[14] | 88 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[15] | 37 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[16] | 44 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[17] | 24 |
| UK Dance Albums (OCC)[18] | 2 |
| US Billboard 200[19] | 73 |
| US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[11] | 1 |
References
edit- ^ "Nero Store". Archived from the original on 2 September 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
- ^ "UPDATE by Nero". SoundCloud. 12 November 2013.
- ^ "Get to Know: Nero". VH1 India. 24 December 2013.
- ^ "MTA Records". Facebook.
- ^ "Nero's Album news and new single, The Thrill". 19 March 2015.
- ^ a b "iTunes - Music - Between II Worlds by Nero". iTunes. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
- ^ "Music Times Article". 24 May 2015.
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Nero - The Thrill. YouTube.
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Nero - Two Minds. YouTube.
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Nero - Into The Night (Official Video). YouTube.
- ^ a b "Nero Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
- ^ "Australiancharts.com – Nero – Between II Worlds". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Nero – Between II Worlds" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Nero – Between II Worlds" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
- ^ "Charts.nz – Nero – Between II Worlds". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
- ^ "Official Dance Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
- ^ "Nero Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 September 2015.