Club Romantech
Club Romantech is the third studio album by Swedish duo Icona Pop. It was released on 1 September 2023 through Swedish independent record label TEN Music Group and Ultra. The album marks the duo's first studio release in ten years.[1]
| Club Romantech | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1 September 2023 | |||
| Genre | Electronic dance music, Dance | |||
| Length | 40:36 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
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| Icona Pop chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Club Romantech | ||||
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Background
Work on the album started in 2020, when the duo was forced to sell their Los Angeles home and had to relocate back to Stockholm to quarantine. They eventually found themselves in the "quietest period" they had ever experienced in their career. However, they still wanted to create music that was "more up-tempo".[2] Hjelt stated that the writing process had no rules. The intention was to share their vision with the fans, "inviting them" into their world. Jawo added that the duo loves to put their problems concerning "heartbreaks and sadness" in danceable "uplifting" songs.[3]
On 23 June 2023, the duo announced the album through their social media and shared the album cover.[4] The announcement also saw the release of the single "Where Do We Go from Here", one of the first songs written for the album in fall 2020.[5] The album will include a set of singles released since 2020: "Feels in My Body", "Spa", "Off of My Mind", "You're Free", "I Want You", "Faster" and "Shit We Do for Love".[6]
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 75/100[7] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [8] |
| DIY | [9] |
| The Observer | [10] |
| PopMatters | 7/10[11] |
| The Telegraph | [12] |
Club Romantech received a score of 76 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on four critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception.[7]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Fall in Love" |
|
| 2:23 |
| 2. | "Desire" (with Joel Corry and Rain Radio) |
|
| 2:39 |
| 3. | "Shit We Do for Love" (with Yaeger) |
|
| 2:47 |
| 4. | "Stick Your Tongue Out" |
|
| 2:47 |
| 5. | "Make Your Mind Up Babe" |
| Yaro | 2:11 |
| 6. | "Stockholm at Night" |
| Yaro | 3:02 |
| 7. | "Where Do We Go from Here" |
| Yaro | 2:48 |
| 8. | "I Want You" (with Galantis) |
|
| 2:26 |
| 9. | "Loving You Ain't Easy" |
| Yaro | 2:34 |
| 10. | "Need You" |
| Yaro | 2:30 |
| 11. | "Off of My Mind" (with Vize) |
|
| 2:44 |
| 12. | "Faster" |
| Yaro | 3:00 |
| 13. | "You're Free" (with Ultra Naté) |
| 2:47 | |
| 14. | "Feels in My Body" |
| 2:39 | |
| 15. | "Spa" (with Sofi Tukker) | Jon Hume | 3:19 | |
| Total length: | 40:36 | |||
Notes
Personnel
Icona Pop
- Caroline Hjelt – vocals (tracks 1–10, 12–15)
- Aino Jawo – vocals (1–10, 12–15)
Additional musicians
- Lise Reppe – background vocals (5, 6)
- Philip Strand – background vocals (7)
- Yaroslav Polikarpov – vocals (11)
- Audrey Wheeler – background vocals (13)
- Cindy Mizelle – background vocals (13)
- Keith Fluitt – background vocals (13)
- Ultra Naté – vocals (13)
- Sophie Hawley-Weld – vocals (15)
- Tucker Halpern – vocals (15)
Technical
- Cass Irvine – mastering (1–10, 12, 13)
- Samuel Wills – mastering, mixing (11)
- Aria Mastering – mastering (13)
- Colin Leonard – mastering (14)
- Kevin Grainger – mastering (15)
- Mark Ralph – mixing (1)
- Miles Walker – mixing (3–10, 12–15)
- Jacob Werner – mixing (11), engineering (1, 3, 6, 9, 13), vocal engineering (8)
- Philip Strand – engineering (4, 5), vocal engineering (7)
- Yaro – engineering (5, 6, 10, 12)
- Davie Darlington – engineering (13)
- Ultra Naté – engineering (13)
- Ryan Summer – vocal engineering (7)
- Ryan Jumper – engineering assistance (15)
References
- Spanos, Brittany (23 June 2023). "Icona Pop Announce First Album in 10 Years, 'Club Romantech'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
- Major, Michael (23 June 2023). "Icona Pop Share Title & Tracklist for Second Studio Album 'Club Romantech'". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
- Strauss, Matthew (23 June 2023). "Icona Pop Detail First Album in 10 Years, Share New Song: Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
- O'Neill, Claire (23 June 2023). "Announcing Club Romantech, Icona Pop drops ' Where Do We Go From Here'". Hot Press. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
- Richardson-Dupuis, Emilie (23 June 2023). "Icona Pop Announce New Album 'Romantech,' Share Song". Exclaim!. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
- Hatfield, Amanda (23 June 2023). "Icona Pop announce new LP, share "Where Do We Go From Here"". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
- "Club Romantech by Icona Pop". Metacritic. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- Phares, Heather. "Icona Pop - Club Romantech Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. RhythmOne. Archived from the original on 9 September 2023. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
- Robinson, Otis (30 August 2023). "Icona Pop - Club Romantech review". DIY. Archived from the original on 3 September 2023. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
- Kalia, Ammar (3 September 2023). "Icona Pop: Club Romantech review – Swedish duo get edgier on first album in years". The Observer. Guardian Media Group. Archived from the original on 8 September 2023. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
- Sobsey, Adam (6 September 2023). "Icona Pop Return After Ten Years with 'Club Romantech'". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 8 September 2023. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
- Seal, Jordana (1 September 2023). "Royal Blood battle their demons – the week's best albums". The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 9 September 2023.