Broken Machine (album)

Broken Machine is the second studio album by British rock band Nothing but Thieves. It was released on 8 September 2017 under RCA and Sony Music[2] and produced by Mike Crossey.[3]

Broken Machine
A woman with light grey hair and skin has golden cracks running down one side of her body
Studio album by
Nothing but Thieves
Released8 September 2017
Studio
  • Ranch Studios, California
  • Grand Cru, London
Genre
Length43:31
Label
ProducerMike Crossey
Nothing but Thieves chronology
Nothing but Thieves
(2015)		 Broken Machine
(2017)		 What Did You Think When You Made Me This Way?
(2018)
Deluxe edition cover
A woman with pure black hair and skin has golden cracks running down one side of her body
Singles from Broken Machine
  1. "Amsterdam"
    Released: 2 May 2017[1]
  2. "Sorry"
    Released: 14 August 2017
  3. "Broken Machine"
    Released: 21 August 2017
  4. "I'm Not Made by Design"
    Released: 26 August 2017
  5. "Particles"
    Released: 11 January 2018

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
GIGsoup76/100[4]
The Music[5]
PopMatters8/10[6]
The Soundboard[7]
Varsity[8]
Genre Is Dead![9]

Upon release, Nothing But Thieves received generally positive reviews from critics, with several comments on the development of the band's style. Roisin Oconnor of The Independent described the album as being among 'the best rock albums of the year'.[3] She wrote that it 'showcases the band's consciousness' both on their own development and on the global events taking place around the world.

Varsity's Sarah Taylor awarded the album 4 out of 5 stars, writing that there had been notable anticipation leading up to the album's release and that it '[did] not disappoint'.[8] Taylor also praised the album for 'pushing more boundaries than the last', highlighting the variety in their music and lyricism as an example of them further defining their style.

Linda Köke of Genre Is Dead gave similar praise, writing that the band had showcased their ability to 'follow in the footsteps of rock giants' with their latest album.[9] Köke praises the album's energy while Taylor praises the album's experimental nature, though Köke provides a slightly contrary opinion, describing the tenth track "Hell, Yeah" as being an 'almost mandatory late-album ballad'. Köke does however go on to award the album 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Luke Nuttall of The Soundboard builds on the more critical thoughts of Köke by describing the album as having only 'fragments' of the strongest elements from its predecessor, with most of the 'heavy lifting' being done by the vocals of Conor Mason.[7] Nuttall echoes criticism of final tracks "Hell, Yeah" and "Afterlife", going as far as to argue that the tracks are only 'tolerable' because of the band's capabilities. Nuttall also criticised the production quality on the album, describing it as seeming more 'lax' compared to their debut. He provides a contrasting opinion to that of Taylor and Köke, stating that the band's attempt to experiment with their sound as 'falling flat'. In closing however, Nuttall does describe the album as having 'some nice ideas that are definitely eligible to carry on into the future'.

Track listing

Credits adapted from the Deluxe album notes.[10]

Broken Machine track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I Was Just a Kid"
4:30
2."Amsterdam"Nothing But Thieves4:32
3."Sorry"
  • Nothing But Thieves
  • Julian Emery
  • Jim Irvin
3:34
4."Broken Machine"
  • Nothing But Thieves
  • Julian Emery
  • Jim Irvin
3:54
5."Live Like Animals"Nothing But Thieves4:10
6."Soda"
3:56
7."I'm Not Made by Design"
  • Nothing But Thieves
  • Julian Emery
  • Jim Irvin
3:52
8."Particles"Nothing But Thieves3:55
9."Get Better"
  • Nothing But Thieves
  • Julian Emery
  • Jim Irvin
3:18
10."Hell, Yeah"
  • Nothing But Thieves
  • Julian Emery
  • Jim Irvin
3:06
11."Afterlife"Nothing But Thieves4:43
Total length:43:31
Deluxe, limited and special edition bonus tracks[2]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."Reset Me"
  • Nothing But Thieves
  • Larry Hibbitt
  • Mike Crossey
3:31
13."Number 13"Nothing But Thieves2:57
14."Sorry" (Acoustic)
  • Nothing But Thieves
  • Julian Emery
  • Jim Irvin
3:34
15."Particles" (Piano version)Nothing But Thieves3:39
Total length:57:12
Japanese edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
16."I Need Air (demo)"Nothing But Thieves3:09
17."Stuck On You (demo)"Nothing But Thieves4:07
Total length:65:49

Personnel

Credits adapted from Deluxe album's liner notes.[10]

Nothing but Thieves
  • Conor Mason - vocals
  • Joe Langridge-Brown - guitar, percussion
  • Dominic Craik - guitar, percussion, as well as piano on "Particles (Piano version)"
  • Phil Blake - bass
  • James Price - drums

Additional personnel
  • Mike Crossey - production, mixing, programming
  • Dominic Craik - programming, mixing on "Sorry (Acoustic)" and "Particles (Piano version)"
  • Jonathan Gilmore - engineering, programming
  • Joseph Rodgers - engineering on "Sorry (Acoustic)" and "Particles (Piano version)"
  • Robin Schmidt - mastering (24-96 Mastering)

Charts and certifications
Chart (2017) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[11] 12
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[12] 54
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[13] 29
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[14] 76
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[15] 81
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[16] 8
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[17] 48
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[18] 67
Irish Albums (IRMA)[19] 41
Italian Albums (FIMI)[20] 47
New Zealand Heatseekers Albums (RMNZ)[21] 4
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[22] 14
Scottish Albums (OCC)[23] 5
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[24] 27
UK Albums (OCC)[25] 2
US Billboard 200[26] 195
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[27] 46

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Netherlands (NVPI)[28] Gold 20,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[29] Gold 100,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history
Region Date Format Label Catalog no.
Europe 8 September 2017 LP, CS RCA, Sony Music 88985437031
CD 88985437032
CD (deluxe edition) 88985437042
United Kingdom LP (limited edition, signed) RCA, Sony Music 88985447331, 889854370619
LP (Special Edition) 88985447331
United States CD RCA 88985-43703-1
Japan CD RCA, Sony Music SICP-5578

See also

References
  1. "Nothing but Thieves on new single 'Amsterdam', tour plans and taking advice from Muse's Matt Bellamy - NME". NME. 4 May 2017. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  2. "Nothing but Thieves - Broken Machine". Discogs. 8 September 2017. Archived from the original on 10 September 2017. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  3. O'Сonnor, Roisin (1 September 2017). "Nothing but Thieves interview: 'There's no guidebook for being in a band'". The Independent. Archived from the original on 10 September 2017. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  4. Rodz, Theo. "NOTHING BUT THIEVES 'BROKEN MACHINE'". GIGsoup. Archived from the original on 23 September 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  5. Emily Blackburn (6 September 2017). "Nothing but Thieves Broken Machine Emily Blackburn". themusic.com.au. Archived from the original on 10 September 2017. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  6. Carr, Paul. "Nothing but Thieves: Broken Machine". PopMatters. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  7. Nuttall, Luke (11 September 2017). "ALBUM REVIEW: 'Broken Machine' by Nothing but Thieves". Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  8. Taylor, Sarah (15 September 2017). "Review: Nothing But Thieves - Broken Machine". Varsity. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  9. Köke, Linda (4 October 2017). "Album Review: Nothing but Thieves - Broken Machine". Genre Is Dead. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  10. Nothing But Thieves (2017). Broken Machine (booklet). Sony Music.
  11. "Australiancharts.com – Nothing but Thieves – Broken Machine". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  12. "Austriancharts.at – Nothing but Thieves – Broken Machine" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  13. "Ultratop.be – Nothing but Thieves – Broken Machine" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  14. "Ultratop.be – Nothing but Thieves – Broken Machine" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  15. "Nothing but Thieves Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  16. "Dutchcharts.nl – Nothing but Thieves – Broken Machine" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  17. "Nothing but Thieves: Broken Machine" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  18. "Offiziellecharts.de – Nothing but Thieves – Broken Machine" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  19. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Nothing but Thieves". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  20. "Italiancharts.com – Nothing but Thieves – Broken Machine". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  21. "NZ Heatseekers Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 18 September 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  22. "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  23. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  24. "Swisscharts.com – Nothing but Thieves – Broken Machine". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  25. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  26. "Nothing but Thieves Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  27. "Nothing but Thieves Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  28. "Dutch album certifications – Nothing But Thieves – Broken Machine" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 13 July 2022. Enter Broken Machine in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 2022 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  29. "British album certifications – Nothing But Thieves – Broken Machine". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
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