Primary Colours is the second full-length studio album by Canadian reggae fusion band MAGIC! The album was released on July 1, 2016, through Latium and RCA Records worldwide. It serves as the follow-up to the band's debut studio album, Don't Kill the Magic (2014). The album was led by the single "Lay You Down Easy", featuring Sean Paul.
| Primary Colours | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 1, 2016 | |||
| Recorded | 2015 at Larrabee Studios, North Hollywood, California and Noah's Ark, Toronto, Ontario, Canada | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 35:16 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
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| Magic! chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Primary Colours | ||||
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Background
editThe group released their debut single "Rude" in late 2013, eventually achieving commercial success worldwide, reaching atop the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for six consecutive weeks. The song had spent 16 weeks in the chart's top ten. With "Rude", Magic! is the sixth Canadian band to top the Billboard Hot 100, the first since Nickelback with "How You Remind Me" in 2001. The band released their debut studio album, Don't Kill the Magic on June 30, 2014.[1] Upon its release, the album peaked at number 6 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and number 5 on the Canadian Albums Chart.[2][3] The band proceeded to tour in support of their debut album, performing at colleges and music festivals throughout 2014 and 2015.[4] The band toured as a supporting act on the first leg of pop rock band Maroon 5's Maroon V Tour from February to April 2015.[5]
The band released the non-album single "#SundayFunday" on July 17, 2015 to mixed reviews and was not received well on radio airplay. They began writing and recording their second studio album in 2015 and finished production for the record in early 2016. The band announced the single "Lay You Down Easy", featuring dancehall recording artist Sean Paul.[6] On May 16, the band revealed that album art cover for Primary Colours.[7] The band announced the album's title, track listing and release date on April 12, 2016.[8] The album's second single, "Red Dress", was released on June 17, 2016 accompanied with its music video.[9]
Promotion
editThe band released two commercial singles prior to the release of Primary Colours on July 1, 2016. The lead single, "Lay You Down Easy", featuring Sean Paul, was released on March 25, 2016. The single charted and peaked at number 40 on the Billboard Adult Pop Songs chart,[10] number 36 on the Canadian Hot 100,[11] number 26 on the Canadian Digital Songs chart,[12] and number one on the Billboard Reggae Digital Songs chart.[13]
The album's second single, "Red Dress", premiered on June 17, 2016. The music video for the single premiered on the same day on Vevo.[14] Magic! performed their single "Red Dress" on The Today Show on June 5, 2016.[15]
The album's third single "No Regrets", premiered on October 16, 2016 with an accompanying music video.
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [16] |
| Pitchfork | 3.5/10[17] |
| Renowned for Sound |  [18] |
AllMusic's Heather Phares praised the band for following the template used in their debut single "Rude" to create pop songs that are both feel-good and catchy, while also writing "a few sleepy ballads ("No Regrets," "I Need You") and defiant outbursts ("Dance Monkey," "The Way God Made Me") that offer some variety," concluding that "Even with these detours, Primary Colours is a much tighter, more enjoyable album that shows Magic! can craft ultra-summery songs confidently and consistently."[16] Jessica Mule of Renowned for Sound felt that the band surpassed their hit single with their second album, saying that "In 10 tracks, Magic! has written and created an easily digestible, pop tropical paradise from the 80s within Primary Colors [...] a proverbial invitation for listeners to not judge a book by its cover, or in this case, an artist by their global chart topper."[18] Pitchfork writer Jeremy Gordon heavily panned the album for its songs that are "pop takes on basic reggae rhythms ("Red Dress")" or "sound like the band was ripping gravity bongs before putting pen to paper and melody to reel ("Gloria", "Lay You Down Easy")."[17]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Have It All" |
| 3:38 | |
| 2. | "Lay You Down Easy" (featuring Sean Paul) |
|
| 2:44 |
| 3. | "Gloria" |
|
| 3:46 |
| 4. | "Red Dress" |
| Messenger | 3:21 |
| 5. | "No Regrets" |
|
| 3:32 |
| 6. | "Dance Monkey" |
|
| 4:28 |
| 7. | "No Sleep" |
| Messinger | 2:47 |
| 8. | "I Need You" |
|
| 3:51 |
| 9. | "Primary Colours" |
|
| 3:23 |
| 10. | "The Way God Made Me" |
|
| 3:46 |
| Total length: | 35:16 | |||
Personnel
editMAGIC!
- Nasri – lead vocals, guitar, executive producer
- Mark "Pelli" Pellizzer – guitar, vocals
- Ben Spivak – bass, backing vocals
- Alex Tanas – drums, backing vocals
Additional personnel
- Delbert Bowers – mixing assistant (2)
- Vincent Calloway – trombone (1)
- Charles Chavez – executive producer
- Monique Chavez – photography
- Chris Galland – mixing assistant (2)
- Chris Gehringer – mastering (1, 3-10)
- Serban Ghenea – mixing (1, 3-10)
- Erwin Gorostiza – creative director
- John Hanes – mixing engineer (1, 3-10)
- Connie Jun – art direction, design
- Dave Kutch – mastering (2)
- Manny Marroquin – mixing (2)
- Fraser T Smith – guitar (5)
- Niv Toar – trumpet (1, 4, 6)
Charts
edit| Chart (2016) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)[20] | 19 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[21] | 114 |
| US Billboard 200[22] | 124 |
Release history
edit| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Worldwide | July 1, 2016 |
References
edit- ^ "MAGIC! Unveil The Cover And Tracklist Of Debut LP 'Don't Kill The Magic'". Idolator. June 5, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
- ^ "Magic! - Chart history - Billboard". www.billboard.com. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
- ^ "Magic! - Chart history - Billboard". www.billboard.com. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
- ^ "Magic Talks 'Rude' Success and What's Next for the Band". billboard.com. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
- ^ "Maroon 5 - Maroon 5 announce 2015 World Tour + V is available now!". Archived from the original on 2014-09-05. Retrieved 2014-09-02.
- ^ Cox, Jamieson (March 25, 2016). "We talked to MAGIC! about romantic vaping and their new single with Sean Paul". The Verge. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
- ^ "MAGIC!". Facebook. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
- ^ "MAGIC! Announces New Album, 'Primary Colors,' Due Out July 1". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
- ^ "MAGIC! Releases New 'Red Dress' Music Video". People. Time Inc. June 17, 2016. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
- ^ "Magic! - Chart history - Billboard". www.billboard.com. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
- ^ "Magic! - Chart history - Billboard". www.billboard.com. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
- ^ "Magic! - Chart history - Billboard". www.billboard.com. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
- ^ "MAGIC! New Single "Lay You Down Easy" Released - RCA Records". rcarecords.com. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
- ^ ournameismagicVEVO (17 June 2016). "MAGIC! - Red Dress (Official Video)". Retrieved 8 July 2017 – via YouTube.
- ^ "MAGIC! perform 'Red Dress' live on TODAY". TODAY.com. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
- ^ a b Phares, Heather. "Primary Colours – Magic!". AllMusic. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
- ^ a b Gordon, Jeremy (July 5, 2016). "Magic!: Primary Colours". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
- ^ a b Mule, Jessica (July 13, 2016). "Album Review: Magic! – Primary Colors". Renowned for Sound. Archived from the original on July 16, 2016. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
- ^ "Primary Colours – Magic!". AllMusic. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
- ^ "Magic! Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
- ^ "Magic! on Oricon" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
- ^ "Magic! Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 12, 2016.