The Night (Saint Etienne album)

The Night
Studio album by
ReleasedDecember 13, 2024 (2024-12-13)
RecordedJanuary–August 2024
Studio
LabelHeavenly
Producer
Saint Etienne chronology
I've Been Trying to Tell You
(2021)
The Night
(2024)

The Night is the twelfth studio album by English pop-rock trio Saint Etienne. It was released on December 13, 2024, via Heavenly Recordings. Recording sessions took place across two locations in Saltaire and Hove from January to August 2024. Production was handled by the band itself in collaboration with composer and producer Gus Bousfield.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.7/10[1]
Metacritic83/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Clash8/10[4]
Financial Times[5]
musicOMH[6]
Pitchfork7.2/10[7]
Spectrum Culture77/100%[8]
Spill[9]
XS Noize[10]

The Night was met with generally favourable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 83 based on seven reviews.[2] The aggregator AnyDecentMusic? has the critical consensus of the album at a 7.7 out of 10, based on thirteen reviews.[1]

Ljubinko Zivkovic of the Spill magazine praised the album, resuming: "it is thematic and specific and at the same time one of the most coherent efforts the trio has come up with so far".[9] AllMusic's Tim Sendra stated: "truly beautiful and moving ambient pop mini-triumph that's sad, nostalgic, and elegiac - with lovely vocals by Sarah Cracknell and brilliant production throughout".[3] John Williamson of Clash wrote: "introverted and understated but not underwhelming, The Night rewards repeated listens and while it is unlikely to provide the viral moment that returns Saint Etienne to their rightful place in the charts or troubles new audiences, it will more than satisfy the committed and may, with the benefit of an even longer lens, be among their greatest achievements".[4] Sandra Blemster of XS Noize called it "a lullaby for the modern age—best savoured before sleep, one delicate note at a time".[10] John Murphy of musicOMH concluded: "it may not be what you expect if you're a casual fan, but it's another intriguing little audio experiment from Wiggs, Stanley and Cracknell".[6] Ludovic Hunter-Tilney of Financial Times summed up with: "lyrics convey impressions and fragmentary thoughts to evoke a state between waking and sleeping".[5]

Charts

Chart (2024) Peak position
Scottish Albums (OCC)[11] 65
UK Albums Sales (OCC)[12] 47
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[13] 15
UK Record Stores (OCC)[14] 4
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[15] 27

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Settle In"
3:04
2."Half Light"Peter Wiggs1:54
3."Through the Glass"
  • Shukman
  • Bousfield
2:42
4."Nightingale"
4:09
5."Northern Counties East"
  • Shukman
  • Bousfield
2:44
6."Ellar Carr"
  • Cracknell
  • Shukman
  • Bousfield
0:54
7."When You Were Young"
  • Cracknell
  • Bousfield
4:27
8."No Rush"
  • Shukman
  • Bousfield
3:09
9."Gold"Wiggs2:06
10."Celestial"Wiggs1:39
11."Preflyte"Wiggs3:22
12."Wonderlight"
  • Shukman
  • Wiggs
1:14
13."Hear My Heart"
  • Cracknell
  • Shukman
  • Wiggs
  • Bousfield
6:04
14."Alone Together"
  • Cracknell
  • Shukman
  • Bousfield
4:21

References

  1. ^ a b "The Night by Saint Etienne reviews | Any Decent Music". www.anydecentmusic.com. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Critic Reviews for The Night - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  3. ^ a b Sendra, Tim. "The Night - Saint Etienne | Album | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  4. ^ a b Williamson, John (13 December 2024). "Saint Etienne - The Night | Reviews". CLASH. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  5. ^ a b Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (11 December 2024). "Saint Etienne: The Night album review — atmospheric nocturnal songs". Financial Times. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  6. ^ a b Murphy, John (12 December 2024). "Saint Etienne - The Night | Album Reviews". musicOMH. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  7. ^ Tafoya, Harry (19 December 2024). "Saint Etienne: The Night". Pitchfork. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  8. ^ Zaple, Trevor (11 December 2024). "Saint Etienne: The Night". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  9. ^ a b Zivkovic, Ljubinko (13 December 2024). "SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: SAINT ETIENNE - THE NIGHT". The Spill Magazine. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  10. ^ a b Blemster, Sandra (10 December 2024). "ALBUM REVIEW: Saint Etienne - The Night". www.xsnoize.com. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  11. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart on 20/12/2024". Official Charts. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
  12. ^ "Official Albums Sales Chart on 20/12/2024". Official Charts. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
  13. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart on 20/12/2024". Official Charts. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
  14. ^ "Official Record Store Chart on 20/12/2024". Official Charts. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
  15. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart on 20/12/2024". Official Charts. Retrieved 2024-12-24.