The Greatest Love is the fourth studio album by English indie pop band London Grammar. It was released on 13 September 2024 through Metal & Dust and Ministry of Sound.
| The Greatest Love | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 13 September 2024 | |||
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| Length | 42:10 | |||
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| London Grammar chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Greatest Love | ||||
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Background and singles
editArriving over a decade after their debut album If You Wait (2013), The Greatest Love was set to "celebrate a new chapter as they leave their past behind them" with a "newfound sense" of freedom.[1] The album was preceded by four singles: "House" on 5 April,[2] "Kind of Man" on 17 May,[3] "Into Gold" on 21 June 2024 and “Fakest Bitch” on 9 August 2024. A fifth single, “You And I”, was released alongside the launch of the album on 13 September 2024.
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Clash | 8/10[4] |
| Dork |   [5] |
| MusicOMH | [6] |
The Greatest Love received generally positive reviews from music critics. Christopher Connor of Clash labelled the project a "finely measured return" in what felt to Connor as a "real statement" from the band with their presentation of a "variety of influences and textures". The author further opined that it contains some of their "best work to date" that rewards new and old listeners alike.[4] Martyn Young at Dork also picks up the inclusion of variety on the record, saying how the "stunning vocals" of Reid find themselves "employed in an ever more rich and dynamic form as she employs different facets of her voice for different moods".[5]
In a more critical review, MusicOMH's John Murphy noted that the band is stuck "very much in a comfort zone" with a sound that "has never really developed over the years", a state that is only elevated by Reid's "impressive vocals". Murphy concluded that The Greatest Love is "exactly" what the listener expects.[6]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Hannah Reid, Daniel Rothman, and Dominic Major, with additional writers noted.
| No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "House" |
| 3:10 |
| 2. | "Fakest Bitch" |
| 4:19 |
| 3. | "You and I" |
| 5:00 |
| 4. | "LA" |
| 4:31 |
| 5. | "Ordinary Life" |
| 3:43 |
| 6. | "Santa Fe" (Pablo Bowman) |
| 3:19 |
| 7. | "Kind of Man" (Seth Tackaberry) |
| 4:15 |
| 8. | "Rescue" (FitzGerald) |
| 3:55 |
| 9. | "Into Gold" | London Grammar | 5:42 |
| 10. | "The Greatest Love" |
| 4:16 |
| Total length: | 42:10 | ||
| No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Players and Losers" | London Grammar | 3:53 |
| 12. | "Keep On Dreaming" (Pablo Bowman) |
| 3:55 |
| 13. | "Home (Demo Version)" | London Grammar | 3:07 |
| Total length: | 53:05 | ||
Notes
Personnel
editLondon Grammar
- Dot Major – keyboards (tracks 1, 3, 5–10), vocals (1), drums (3–10)
- Hannah Reid – vocals
- Dan Rothman – guitars (all tracks), keyboards (tracks 1, 3–6, 8–10), vocals (1)
Additional musicians
- Tim Bran – additional programming (tracks 1–5, 7, 8, 10), additional piano (2)
- Seth Tackaberry – bass guitar (tracks 2, 3)
- Sally Herbert – conductor (tracks 3–6, 8, 10)
- Everton Nelson – string leader (3–6, 8, 10)
- The Rhythm Studio Choir – choir vocals (track 3)
- Pablo Bowman – additional vocals (track 6)
Technical
- John Greenham – mastering
- Mark "Spike" Stent – mixing
- Isabel Gracefield – string engineering (tracks 3–6, 8, 10)
- Matt Wiggins – engineering (tracks 5, 10)
- Drew Dungate-Smith – engineering (track 6)
- Liam Hebb – string engineering assistance (tracks 3–6, 8, 10)
- Sally Herbert – string arrangement (tracks 3–6, 8, 10)
Visuals
- Imogen Snell – creative direction
- Riccardo Castano – creative direction
- Alex Bois – design
- Tarek Mawad – photography
Charts
edit| Chart (2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[7] | 79 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[8] | 23 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[9] | 7 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[10] | 6 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[11] | 15 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[12] | 9 |
| Irish Albums (OCC)[13] | 40 |
| Portuguese Albums (AFP)[14] | 82 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[15] | 2 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[16] | 4 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[17] | 3 |
References
edit- ^ Dunworth, Liberty (5 April 2024). "London Grammar announce new album The Greatest Love with hypnotic lead single "House"". NME. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
- ^ Deville, Chris (5 April 2024). "London Grammar – "House"". Stereogum. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
- ^ Redfern, Mark (17 May 2024). "London Grammar Share New Song "Kind of Man"". Under the Radar. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
- ^ a b Connor, Christopher (15 September 2024). "London Grammar – The Greatest Love". Clash. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
- ^ a b Young, Martyn (13 September 2024). "London Grammar – The Greatest Love". Dork. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
- ^ a b Murphy, John (12 September 2024). "London Grammar – The Greatest Love | Album Reviews". MusicOMH. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
- ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 23 September 2024". The ARIA Report. No. 1803. Australian Recording Industry Association. 23 September 2024. p. 6.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – London Grammar – The Greatest Love" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – London Grammar – The Greatest Love" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – London Grammar – The Greatest Love" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – London Grammar – The Greatest Love" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – London Grammar – The Greatest Love" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – London Grammar – The Greatest Love". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – London Grammar – The Greatest Love". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 September 2024.