Brightside (The Lumineers album)

Brightside
The cover consists of a bright blue sky with a blurred image of a hand. The band's name and album title are colored in white.
Studio album by
the Lumineers
ReleasedJanuary 14, 2022 (2022-01-14)
Recorded2021
StudioSun Mountain, Boiceville, New York
Length30:02
Label
Producer
  • Simone Felice
  • David Baron
  • Brian Hubblen
  • Derek Brown
  • Rick Mullen
The Lumineers chronology
III
(2019) 		Brightside
(2022) 		Brightside Bonus Tracks
(2022)
Singles from Brightside
  1. "Brightside"
    Released: September 20, 2021
  2. "Big Shot"
    Released: October 13, 2021
  3. "A.M. Radio"
    Released: November 17, 2021

Brightside (stylized in all caps) is the fourth studio album by American indie folk band the Lumineers, released on January 14, 2022, through Dualtone and Decca Records.[1] It was primarily produced by Simone Felice and David Baron. The album was preceded by the release of three singles: the title track, "Big Shot",[2] and "A.M. Radio".

Recording

Simone Felice, producer of the Lumineers' Cleopatra and III, returned to produce the album alongside David Baron, who also served as mixer and engineer.[3] The album was recorded in two sessions that took place in early ("winter and spring") 2021 at Baron's Sun Mountain Studios in Boiceville, New York. Lead single "Brightside" was recorded in a single day.[2]

Singer-guitarist Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites performed most of the instrumentation themselves, with Baron providing keyboards and backing vocals. Other contributions came from the Felice Brothers' James Felice, singer-songwriter Diana DeMuth, touring members Byron Isaacs and Lauren Jacobson, and backing singer Cindy Mizelle.[4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic72/100[5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
The Telegraph[7]

Upon release, Brightside received positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized score out of 100 to ratings from mainstream publications, the album received an weighted mean score of 72 based on four reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[5]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites

Brightside track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Brightside"3:49
2."A.M. Radio"3:57
3."Where We Are"2:52
4."Birthday"4:14
5."Big Shot"3:01
6."Never Really Mine"3:01
7."Rollercoaster"3:48
8."Remington"1:52
9."Reprise"3:28
Total length:30:02

Notes

  • All tracks in the standard track listing are stylized in all caps.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the media notes of Brightside.[8]

The Lumineers

Additional musicians

  • Simone Felice – background vocals, tambourine, claps, maracas
  • David Baron – synthesizers, Rhodes, sub bass, Hammond B3, minimoog, mellotron
  • Lauren Jacobson – violin, background vocals
  • Byron Isaacs – bass, background vocals
  • Diana DeMuth – background vocals
  • James Felice – background vocals
  • Cindy Mizelle – background vocals
  • Alex Waterman – cello
  • Palenville Firehouse – siren

Production

  • Simone Felice – producer
  • David Baron – producer, mixing, engineering
  • Andrew Mendelson – mastering
  • Taylor Chadwick – assistant engineer
  • Andrew Darby – assistant engineer
  • Bobbi Giel – assistant engineer
  • Luke Armentrout – assistant engineer
  • Renée Hikari – studio assistant
  • Brian Hubble – piano technician
  • Rick Mullen – guitar technician
  • Derek Brown – drum technician
  • Sara Full – studio coordinator
  • Anthony Hook – Sara Full's assistant

Artwork

  • Nicholas Sutton Bell – creative director, photographer

Charts

Chart performance for Brightside
Chart (2022) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[9] 94
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[10] 21
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[11] 32
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[12] 45
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[13] 5
French Albums (SNEP)[14] 128
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[15] 30
Irish Albums (IRMA)[16] 54
Scottish Albums (OCC)[17] 8
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[18] 69
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[19] 17
UK Albums (OCC)[20] 18
US Billboard 200[21] 6
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[22] 1
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[23] 1

References

  1. ^ Russell, Scott (September 30, 2021). "Giveaway: Win a Signed, Limited-Edition Vinyl Copy of The Lumineers' New Album!". Paste. Archived from the original on November 15, 2021. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Zemler, Emily (September 21, 2021). "Watch the Lumineers Debut '15-Year-Old's Fever Dream' 'Brightside' on Kimmel" (video). Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 16, 2022. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  3. ^ Stefano, Angela (September 20, 2021). "The Lumineers' 'Brightside' Previews New Album [Listen]". The Boot. Archived from the original on November 15, 2021. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  4. ^ Nattress, Katrina (September 20, 2021). "The Lumineers Announce New Album Brightside, Share Title Track". Spin. Archived from the original on November 15, 2021. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Brightside by The Lumineers Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Archived from the original on January 20, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  6. ^ Monger, Timothy. "Brightside – The Lumineers". AllMusic. Archived from the original on January 20, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  7. ^ McCormick, Neil (January 14, 2022). "The Lumineers, Brightside, review: a sweet slice of Americana that will get right under your skin". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  8. ^ Brightside (media notes). The Lumineers. Dualtone. Decca. 2022. 803020224926.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 24 January 2022". The ARIA Report. No. 1664. Australian Recording Industry Association. January 24, 2022. p. 6.
  10. ^ "Austriancharts.at – The Lumineers – Brightside" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  11. ^ "Ultratop.be – The Lumineers – Brightside" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  12. ^ "Ultratop.be – The Lumineers – Brightside" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  13. ^ "The Lumineers Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  14. ^ "Top Albums (Week 3, 2022)". SNEP. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  15. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Lumineers – Brightside" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  16. ^ "Irish Albums Chart: 21 January 2022". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  17. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  18. ^ "Top 100 Albums Weekly". PROMUSICAE. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  19. ^ "Swisscharts.com – The Lumineers – Brightside". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  20. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  21. ^ "The Lumineers Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  22. ^ "The Lumineers Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  23. ^ "The Lumineers Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 25, 2022.