Kaiser Chiefs' Easy Eighth Album is the eighth studio album by English indie rock band Kaiser Chiefs, released on 1 March 2024. Produced by Amir Amor, it was preceded by the singles "How 2 Dance", "Jealousy", "Feeling Alright" (co-written with Nile Rodgers),[1] "Burning in Flames" and "Beautiful Girl". It received positive reviews from critics and debuted in the top 10 of the UK Albums Chart.
| Kaiser Chiefs' Easy Eighth Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1 March 2024 | |||
| Genre | Pop-funk | |||
| Length | 29:51 | |||
| Label | V2 | |||
| Producer | Amir Amor | |||
| Kaiser Chiefs chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Kaiser Chiefs' Easy Eighth Album | ||||
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Background
editAlong with the release of the "Feeling Alright" single, frontman Ricky Wilson said:
On the first day with Nile Rodgers, he said 'what have you got?' We searched through some jams we had and this was a song that stood out to him. The band loved playing it round and round, and it must be fun to play but we never really knew where it would find a home. Nile turned out to be the best estate agent and found it a home almost immediately. He also brought in Amir, who turned out to be our housemate for the entire record. A good place to start![1]
Critical reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 66/100[2] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [3] |
| The Arts Desk | [4] |
| Clash | 7/10[5] |
| Mojo | [6] |
| MusicOMH | [7] |
Kaiser Chiefs' Easy Eighth Album received a score of 65 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on six critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception.[2] AllMusic's Neil Z. Yeung stated that the band "finally figure out how to balance the vibes of their anthemic, pub-friendly early-era fare with their pop-polished late-2010s material", writing that "every track is custom-designed to inspire a good time, whether that's the soundtrack to a bit of love (or lust) or a full-on dance party".[3] Reviewing the album for Clash, Emma Harrison characterised it as "a funk-laden album which includes a smattering of tracks that are certain to become mainstays of the band's live sets in the coming years" as well as "an admirable attempt of fusing together eighties funk-pop sensibilities with the classic Kaiser Chiefs indie rock sound".[5]
Mojo felt that "despite one-time Rudimental leader Amir Amor's rather flat production and the dearth of all-out tub-thumpers beyond the wry 'The Lads', they've transformed themselves inti a differently beguiling proposition".[6] MusicOMH's John Murphy described the tracks as "slinky pop-funk tunes" and "certainly a new sound that takes some getting used to" despite finding that "a fair amount" of it "sounds weirdly dated".[7] Ellie Roberts of The Arts Desk found that while "there is an easy feeling to the album, [...] it leans dangerously close to blasé at times" and "they lack the energy needed to secure a place on the playlists of the future".[4]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Ricky Wilson, Andrew White, Simon Rix, Nick Baines, and Vijay Mistry, with others noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Feeling Alright" | Nile Rodgers | 3:37 |
| 2. | "Beautiful Girl" | Iain Archer | 2:32 |
| 3. | "How 2 Dance" |
| 2:43 |
| 4. | "The Job Centre Shuffle" (featuring Hak Baker) |
| 3:00 |
| 5. | "Burning in Flames" |
| 3:08 |
| 6. | "Reasons to Stay Alive" | Amor | 3:04 |
| 7. | "Sentimental Love Songs" | Amor | 2:44 |
| 8. | "Jealousy" |
| 2:09 |
| 9. | "Noel Groove" |
| 3:02 |
| 10. | "The Lads" |
| 3:52 |
| Total length: | 29:51 | ||
Charts
edit| Chart (2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[8] | 6 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[9] | 6 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[10] | 2 |
References
edit- ^ a b Johnson, Laura (25 October 2023). "Kaiser Chiefs Announce Eighth Album And Spring UK Tour, Share New Single Feeling Alright". Stereoboard. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Kaiser Chiefs' Easy Eighth Album by Kaiser Chiefs Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
- ^ a b Yeung, Neil Z. "Kaiser Chiefs' Easy Eighth Album – Kaiser Chiefs". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
- ^ a b Roberts, Ellie (1 March 2024). "Album: Kaiser Chiefs – Kaiser Chiefs' Easy Eighth Album". The Arts Desk. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
- ^ a b Harrison, Emma (29 February 2024). "Kaiser Chiefs – Kaiser Chiefs' Easy Eighth Album | Reviews". Clash. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Kaiser Chiefs – Kaiser Chiefs' Easy Eighth Album". Mojo. March 2024. p. 88.
- ^ a b Murphy, John (29 February 2024). "Kaiser Chiefs – Kaiser Chiefs' Easy Eighth Album". MusicOMH. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
- ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 March 2024.