Lad Ash is the second studio album by London band Real Lies, released on 22 April 2022 through Unreal Records.

Lad Ash
Studio album by
Released22 April 2022
Genre
LabelUnreal
ProducerReal Lies
Real Lies chronology
Real Life
(2015)
Lad Ash
(2022)

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Loud and Quiet          [4]
God Is in the TV          [5]
Mondo Sonoro          [1]

The album has received favourable reviews. Luke Turner of The Quietus called it "the first great London record of the year", and the publication went on to name it as number 23 in their albums of the year so far and 18 in their Top 100 albums of the year chart.[6][7]Rolling Stone added that since their first record, "the mixture of euphoria, melancholy, bittersweetness, and yearning that defines their music has only grown bigger in scope."[8] Dazed mentioned that "the record is a more coherent and sophisticated work than its predecessor Real Life... borne of disaster, failure and loss, Real Lies' new album Lad Ash, transfigures these things into something beautiful."[9] Paste named it a Best New Album, and said "synth-pop that you can sink yourself into...as nostalgic as it is futuristic, with a sophisticated U.K. club edge that sets them apart from their contemporaries."[3] KEXP called Lad Ash "a brilliant set of addictive, cinematic, nostalgia-soaked electronic-pop that fuses Kharas' distinctive spoken-word vocal delivery with richly textured rhythms that sway from cerebral techno jams to gauzy post-rave soundscapes".[2] Hua Hsu included it in his 2022 My Year In Listening review for The New Yorker, stating that '“Lad Ash” is a fantastic collection of London night-life sketches, by equal turns hopeful and haunted.'[10] Nialler9 named it as the 23rd best album of 2022, and God Is In The TV named it their 8th best.[11][12]

Track listing

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All songs were produced by Real Lies

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Ethos"
  • Kevin Lee Kharas
  • Patrick King
3:33
2."Boss Trick"
  • Kharas
  • King
4:47
3."An Oral History of My First Kiss"
  • Kharas
  • King
5:02
4."Dream On"
  • Kharas
  • King
5.36
5."Late Arcades"
  • Kharas
  • King
5:53
6."Thameslink Tryst"
  • Kharas
  • King
  • Thomas MacDonald
2:41
7."Dolphin Junction"
  • Kharas
  • King
4:59
8."All Good Dogs"
  • Kharas
  • King
  • MacDonald
3:36
9."Since I"
  • Kharas
  • Thomas Watson
5:21
10."The Carousel"
  • Kharas
  • King
4:45
11."Your Guiding Hand"
  • Kharas
  • King
  • Kent Tonning
6:11
12."DiCaprio"
  • Kharas
  • King
  • MacDonald
4:08
Total length:56:39

Personnel and credits

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  • Kevin Lee Kharas – arranger (1, 3-4, 6-8, 10, 12)
  • Patrick King – arranger (1, 3-4, 6-8, 10, 12)
  • Real Lies – producer (all tracks)

References

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  1. ^ a b Aparicio, Fran González (15 June 2022). "Real Lies, critica de su disco Lad Ash". Mondo Sonoro (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 15 June 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  2. ^ a b Yates, Don; DJ Alex (13 June 2022). "New Music Reviews (06/13)". KEXP-FM. Seattle, Washington: KEXP. Archived from the original on 20 June 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  3. ^ a b Paste Staff (2 May 2022). "The 10 Best Albums of April 2022". Paste. Archived from the original on 7 June 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  4. ^ Kathuria, Shrey (18 April 2022). "Real Lies – Lad Ash – Album Review". Loud and Quiet. Archived from the original on 11 May 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  5. ^ Hobbs, Matt (29 April 2022). "Real Lies – Lad Ash (Unreal)". God Is in the TV. Archived from the original on 1 July 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  6. ^ Turner, Luke (29 April 2022). "The Quietus | Reviews | Real Lies". The Quietus. Archived from the original on 4 July 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  7. ^ Clarke, Patrick (4 July 2022). "The Quietus | Features | Quietus Charts | The Quietus Albums Of The Year So Far Chart 2022". The Quietus. Archived from the original on 4 July 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  8. ^ Rolling Stone UK (22 April 2022). "6 albums you need to hear this week". Rolling Stone. New York: Penske Media. Archived from the original on 22 April 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  9. ^ Greig, James (5 May 2022). "Real Lies are still searching for paradise". Dazed. Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  10. ^ "My Year in Listening". The New Yorker. 2022-12-23. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
  11. ^ Nialler9 (2022-12-22). "Nialler9's 30 best albums of 2022". Nialler9. Retrieved 2022-12-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ Team·Opinion·, GIITTV (2022-12-16). "Albums Of 2022 Poll Results: 25-1 - God Is In The TV". Retrieved 2022-12-26.