III (The Lumineers album)

III
Studio album by
the Lumineers
ReleasedSeptember 13, 2019
StudioThe Clubhouse (Rhinebeck, NY)
Three Flights Studios (Denver)
F.A.M.E.S. Project (Skopje, Macedonia)
The Pierce Rooms (London)
Flying Elephants (New York City)[1]
GenreFolk[2]
Length37:47
Label
ProducerSimone Felice
The Lumineers chronology
Cleopatra
(2016) 		III
(2019) 		Brightside
(2022)
Singles from III
  1. "Gloria"
    Released: April 4, 2019
  2. "It Wasn't Easy to Be Happy for You"
    Released: July 19, 2019
  3. "Salt and the Sea"
    Released: April 13, 2020

III is the third studio album by American indie folk band the Lumineers, released by Dualtone on September 13, 2019.[3] The album was accompanied by a feature-length film directed by Kevin Phillips.

Background

In addition to being the Lumineers' third album, the album title also references the fact that the album is presented in three chapters, each focusing on a different main character of the fictional Sparks family.[4] Lumineers co-founder Jeremiah Fraites told Rolling Stone, "This collection of songs worked out in a beautiful way, and I feel with this album we've really hit our stride."[5] In an interview with NPR, Fraites and Schultz both discussed how their lives have been impacted by drug addiction, saying that this album was intended to chronicle the effects of addiction on family members and loved ones. "Schultz says he had a childhood friend in New Jersey who slowly came apart as a teenager because of drug addiction. Both band members experienced this because Schultz's friend, Josh Fraites, was the brother of his future bandmate, Jeremiah."[6]

Release

Film

The album was supported by a 44-minute visual accompaniment, written by Schultz with director Kevin Phillips. The film follows three generations of the working class Sparks family as they struggle with addiction and dysfunction in the Northeastern United States. The cast includes Anna Cordell, Nick Stahl, Charlie Tahan and Joshua Close. It was released online in ten installments between May 21 and September 19, 2019.[7]

Commercial performance

III debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 with 86,000 album-equivalent units, including 73,000 pure album sales. It is the Lumineers' third top-two album in the US.[8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic72/100[9]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[10]
Gigwise[11]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote, "III moves at a deliberate, nearly dreary pace that forces a listener to pay attention, and while it can take some effort to meet the Lumineers on their own terms, it's nevertheless easy to admire the ambition behind the project."[10]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites except where noted

Chapter I: Gloria Sparks
No.TitleLength
1."Donna"3:05
2."Life in the City"3:51
3."Gloria"3:36
Chapter II: Junior Sparks
No.TitleLength
4."It Wasn't Easy to Be Happy for You"3:34
5."Leader of the Landslide"5:54
6."Left for Denver"3:16
Chapter III: Jimmy Sparks
No.TitleLength
7."My Cell"3:16
8."Jimmy Sparks"5:55
9."April"0:50
10."Salt and the Sea"4:30
Total length:37:47
Bonus tracks [12]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Democracy"Leonard Cohen6:44
12."Old Lady" 4:17
13."Soundtrack Song" 2:01
Total length:50:49

Personnel

The Lumineers

Additional musicians

  • Byron Isaacs − bass, background vocals
  • Lauren Jacobson − violin, background vocals
  • Simone Felice − maracas, background vocals
  • David Baron − synthesizer, keyboards, harmonium
  • Anneke Schaul-Yoder − cello

Technical

  • Simone Felice – producer (1–10)
  • Bob Ludwig – mastering
  • David Baron – mixing (1, 3–6, 8–10, 12, 13), engineering
  • Ryan Hewitt – mixing (2, 7, 11), engineering
  • Alen Adzi Stefanov – engineering
  • Darren Heelis – engineering
  • Pete Hanlon – engineering
  • Connor Milton – assistant engineer
  • Will Duperier – assistant engineer
  • Dylan Nowik – assistant

Design

  • Nicholas Sutton Bell – creative director
  • Tomas Cristobal Patlan – portrait photography
  • Kevin Phillips – additional photography
  • Max Knies – additional photography

Charts

References

  1. ^ III (liner notes). The Lumineers. Dualtone. 2019. 80302-01951-27.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. ^ O'Toole, Lucy. "Album Review: The Lumineers, III". HotPress. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  3. ^ Meek, Andy (April 5, 2019). "The Lumineers Explain How Hip-Hop, Harry Potter & Fatherhood Impact New Album 'III'". Billboard.com. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  4. ^ "Lumineers About Page". thelumineers.com. Archived from the original on April 6, 2019. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  5. ^ Zemler, Emily (April 5, 2019). "The Lumineers Preview Upcoming Album With New Song 'Gloria'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  6. ^ "The Lumineers Trace The Cycle Of Addiction: 'It's A Progressive Disease'". NPR.org. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
  7. ^ Bliss, Karen (September 26, 2019). "The Lumineers Explore Addiction and Dysfunction In 'III,' a Three-Chapter Visual Exploration of Their New Album". Billboard. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Caulfield, Keith (September 23, 2019). "Post Malone Spends Second Week at No. 1 on Billboard 200, The Lumineers & Korn Debut in Top 10". Billboard. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  9. ^ "Metacritic Review". Metacritic. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  10. ^ a b Stephen Thomas, Erlewine. "III - The Lumineers". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
  11. ^ Pywell, Matty (September 16, 2019). "Gigwise Review". Gigwise. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  12. ^ "III [SHM-CD][CD]" (in Japanese). Universal Music Japan. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  13. ^ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. September 23, 2019. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  14. ^ "Austriancharts.at – The Lumineers – III" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  15. ^ "Ultratop.be – The Lumineers – III" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
  16. ^ "Ultratop.be – The Lumineers – III" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
  17. ^ "Post Malone Is King Of The Charts For A 2nd Week". FYIMusicNews. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  18. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Lumineers – III" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
  19. ^ "Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums Fusionnes – SNEP (Week 38, 2019)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the original on October 6, 2019. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  20. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Lumineers – III" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
  21. ^ "Irish Albums Chart: 20 September 2019". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  22. ^ "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 38 (dal 13.09.2019 al 19.09.2019)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  23. ^ "Savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. September 23, 2019. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
  24. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  25. ^ "Top 100 Albumes – Semana 38: del 13.9.2019 al 19.9.2019" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  26. ^ "Swisscharts.com – The Lumineers – III". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  27. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  28. ^ "The Lumineers Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  29. ^ "The Lumineers Chart History (Top Americana/Folk Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  30. ^ "The Lumineers Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  31. ^ "Americana/Folk Albums – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  32. ^ "Independent Albums – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  33. ^ "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  34. ^ "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 21, 2020.