Disco (Kylie Minogue album)

In April 2018, Kylie Minogue released her fourteenth studio album Golden.[1] It was her first release after signing with BMG Rights Management, as well as her first release co-distributed by her company, Darenote. The album, inspired by country pop music, was a musical departure from her previous work.[2][3] Despite its commercial success, the album received a lukewarm critical reception due primarily to Minogue's experimentation with country music.[4] To promote the record, Minogue went on her promotional tour Kylie Presents Golden, and the album's main tour of the same name in 2019, travelling throughout Europe and Australia.[5]

Minogue began working on new music while on her Golden Tour, but did not have a particular direction.[5] Minogue was later inspired by a section from the Golden Tour that was loosely inspired by Studio 54 and disco culture. Following this, Minogue felt her creative direction was "heading straight back to the dance floor" with a disco-influenced album. Following her performance at the Glastonbury Festival that same year, she announced her intention to release a "pop-disco" album.[6][7]

The first sessions took place in the autumn of 2019 in London, and production continued into early 2020.[8] Minogue took a brief break from recording to perform in São Paulo in March 2020.[9] She began working in various studios with producers and co-songwriters after returning. Minogue was initially concerned about the album's overall concept, but her team reassured her about the sound and process, with Minogue saying, "We think we've got this disco thing down. We know which lane we should be in."[9]

However, the COVID-19 pandemic occurred earlier that year and due to COVID-19 lockdowns restrictions, Minogue continued working in her home in London.[11] She described the effects as "eerie" in the first few weeks as she tried to figure out the best ways to continue working on her music.[10] She established the Infinite Disco Studio as a home studio and began by using GarageBand as a starting point.[9] Later, she began recording her vocals with Logic Pro, which "took some time getting used to," she recalled.[9] According to Minogue, about 90 percent of the record was recorded at her home, with other sessions taken prior to the lockdown. Additionally, she co-wrote each song that appeared on the album.[12]

Throughout the process, Minogue was still unsure about the album's overall theme. According to Minogue, she said, "I did wonder at a certain point if this was still right, [...] Is it viable or is this just unpalatable?."[10] However, her A&R, notably long-time collaborator Jamie Nelson, reassured her it was the right direction. He stated, "Kylie’s known to some extent for making disco records, but she’s not made any real dance music in some years now. And, bearing in mind what’s gone on in the world over the last six months, it feels absolutely on message in terms of what people need..."[10] Minogue added onto that, stating that she was honing the album's theme of escapism during lockdown restrictions.[13][14]

Disco musically references the same title of the music genre. Neil Z. Yeung from AllMusic described it as a "welcome return to the club-friendly dance-pop that defined Australian diva Kylie Minogue's early 21st century rebirth."[15] Yeung also likened the album to the works of Gloria Gaynor, Chic, and Summer.[15] Robbin Murray of Clash agreed, feeling it was "the sound of Kylie Minogue re-connecting with her roots."[16] Writing for DIY, Lisa Wright wrote that although Disco is influenced by disco music from the 1970s and 1980s, she felt that Minogue "still manages to savvily read the room of the current popscape."[17] Helen Brown of The Independent believed its disco sound was influenced by "the original American disco scene, born in the underground clubs of New York in the years after her own birth in 1968."[18] She later correlated themes of escapism, that Minogue identified, tied with the underground scene that expressed people of oppression.[18] Lyrically, the album cover topics such as love and intimacy, fun, unity, and celebration. Regarding its songwriting, The Guardian editor Michael Cragg wrote, "Kylie is listed as a co-writer on every track here, and while that album touched on some of her personal upheavals, Disco’s lyrics mainly revolve around the push and pull of love and its myriad forms."[19]

The album opens with "Magic", a "cheery" dance-oriented disco song with elements of pop was compared to the sounds of 1970s pop music.[20] Its instrumentation includes horns, "funky" strings, "celebratory" handclaps, and staccato keys.[21] Lyrically, it provides a hopeful message of a brighter future.[21] The second track, "Miss a Thing", is described as an "retro-futuristic" uptempo disco number that was compared to Minogue's work on her albums Light Years (2000) and Fever (2001).[22][16] "Real Groove" is the album's third track, and is a 1980s-influenced disco-pop song with house and R&B elements.[23][24][16][25] Instrumentally, the song features additional keyboard instrumentation and Auto-Tune effects that has been compared to British singer Dua Lipa's work on Future Nostalgia (2020).[16][17] The fourth track, "Monday Blues", is a notable departure to the album's disco sound and overall energy, in favour of a fast-paced "summery pop" sound with partying ambient background noises.[16][19][17][26]

The album's fifth track, "Supernova", is an energetic number with various "luscious" string arrangements, that has been musically compared to the works of bands Boney M. andBee Gees, and producer Giorgio Moroder[16][17][19][15] "Say Something", the album's lead single and sixth track, features a variety of electronic and disco sounds that use "thick" synths, drum crashes, a funk guitar, and a choir.[27][28] Minogue sings lines such as "Love is love / It never ends / Can we all be as one again?"[29] Lyrically, it uses themes of unity and a quest for love.[30] The seventh track "Last Dance" is a pop-infused track that pays musical homage to American signer Donna Summer's "Last Dance" and Swedish group ABBA's "Voulez-Vous".[16][26][19] "I Love It", the albums eighth track and first promotional release, was described by Wright as "perfectly-produced, shimmering Minogue 101."[17]

"Where Does the DJ Go?" is the ninth track on Disco, and has been compared to Daft Punk's work on Random Access Memories (2013).[26] In contrast to the other tracks on the album, it is noted for its "frantic" and "quick" pacing, record scratch sounds, and handclaps,while lyrically references American singer Gloria Gaynor's song "I Will Survive".[19][17] The tenth track, "Dance Floor Darling", is inspired by 1980s pop music and begins with a mid-tempo beat with finger snaps, vocoders, and synths.[19] It later transitions into a spoken word section before concluding with an uptempo beat near the end of the song.[15][26] "Unstoppable", the eleventh track on the record, was co-written by Minogue, alongside Fiona Bevan and Troy Miller. The standard version of the album closes with "Celebrate You", a piano-led track that focuses mainly of Minogue's vocal deliveries and songwriting.[15] Lyrically, it features theme of self-empowerment and the expression of sadness.[19]

Disco was released on 6 November 2020.[31][32] It is her fifteenth studio album as well as her second with BMG Rights Management and her second directly through her company, Darenote.[33] The standard album features 12 tracks totalling more than 41 minutes in length, whilst the deluxe edition lasts over 53 minutes long with four additional songs: "Til' You Love Somebody", "Fine Wine", "Hey Lonely", and "Spotlight".[31][32] Disco was released on numerous physical formats via her web-store and various retailer outlets. Early bundle releases included a signed autograph from Minogue, as well as variants of different copies. The standard edition includes a digisleeve and a casebound book, while the deluxe edition were released as two variants of the latter.[34]

Six large vinyl variants were also released: a standard black vinyl, a clear vinyl, a turqoise-colored vinyl, a blue-colored vinyl, a blue-marble vinyl, and a limited edition glow-in-the-dark vinyl. Two white test pressing vinyls were made; one featuring the standard edition, and one including the deluxe content.[35] Five cassette tapes were also released with different cover art and colours: turquoise, blue, clear, white, and an additional blue colour with two cassettes containing the deluxe content.[36] Disco was also distributed on digital platforms and streaming services, both standard and deluxe editions.[31][32]

The artwork and promotional photography for Disco were shot by Simon Emmett.[33] Minogue is depicted on the cover with curly blonde hair, a blue sequin dress, and a lens flare in the middle of her hands, as well as her name and the album title in each top corner. The designs were created by Moross Studios under the creative direction of Kate Moross. Moross Studios also oversaw the creation of designs for all of Minogue's promotional merchandise, booklets, and packaging, as well as scenes and design work for her Infinite Disco tour.[37]

Singles

British musician Dua Lipa (pictured) appeared on Kylie Minogue's remixed version of her single "Real Groove".

"Say Something" was released as the lead single from the album. It premiered on 23 July at 08:30 BST on BBC Radio 2 during The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show.[74] The song was acclaimed by music critics[75] and peaked at number 56 on the UK Singles Chart.[76] It also reached number nine on the UK Singles Downloads and Sales charts.[77][78] In the United States, it debuted at number three on Billboard's Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales.[79] The music video for the song was directed by Sophie Muller[80] and filmed at the Black Island Studios in London, England, while adhering to social distancing measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It depicts the singer travelling through the universe mounted upon a golden horse sculpture, shooting lasers from her hands and flying on a hovercraft.[81][82]

"Magic" debuted on The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show on 24 September[83] and was released onto music services at 8am BST the same day, receiving positive reactions from music critics.[84][85] The song was released as a single edit,[86] while the album cut alongside "Say Something" appeared with the track on streaming services.[87][88] It peaked at number 53 on the UK Singles Chart and number two on the Scottish Singles Chart.[89] Also directed by Muller, the music video for "Magic" was filmed at Fabric, a nightclub in Farringdon, London.[90] It features Minogue dressed as a druid with a magic staff dancing in the club alongside several dancers and then sitting on a throne wearing a gold medallion dress reminiscent of Cleopatra. According to Minogue, although Fabric was closed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, she wanted "to give fans a moment of escapism to celebrate on a fantasy dance floor."[91]

"Real Groove" was confirmed by Minogue on BBC Radio 2 as the third single on 5 December 2020.[64][65] The full performance of "Real Groove" from 'Infinite Disco' was already uploaded to Minogue's YouTube channel prior to this on 6 November 2020. The "Studio 2054 Remix" of the song featuring Dua Lipa was released to digital platforms on 31 December 2020.[92][93] The remix featured updated production, handled by Lipa's musical director William Bowerman, as well as an extended instrumental section in the middle of the song.[94]

Three promotional tracks were released from Disco. "I Love It" was released as a promotional single on 23 October 2020.[95] On digital music platforms the track was released as an EP that also featured "Magic" and "Say Something".[96][97] Two remixes of "Magic" were also included.[96][97] "Dance Floor Darling" was added to BBC Radio 2's B-List from 24 April 2021.[98] On Twitter, Minogue thanked BBC Radio 2 for adding the song to their playlist and interacted with fans.[99] On TikTok, she re-posted multiple videos of fans using the song in their creations.[100] Furthermore, video clips showing Minogue dancing along to the song in various outfits were posted on several platforms.[101] Additionally, a remix subtitled "Linslee's Electric Slide remix" was included on the Guest List Edition of the album. The 'Infinite Disco' performance of the song was later made available on YouTube on 6 May 2022.[102] On 22 July 2022, a music video for "Miss a Thing", directed by Sophie Muller, was uploaded to Minogue's YouTube channel, celebrating two years since the Disco era began and as a thank you to fans.[103][104]

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.2/10[118]
Metacritic	72/100[119]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[15]
Clash	8/10[16]
DIY	[17]
The Guardian	[19]
The Independent	[18]
NME	[120]
Pitchfork	5.6/10[121]
Rolling Stone	[122]
Slant Magazine	[22]
The Times	[123]

Disco received positive reviews from most music critics.[124] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 72 based on 16 reviews, indicating "generally favourable reviews".[119] Additionally, AnyDecentMusic? assigned a normalised rating of 7.2 out of 10, based on 22 reviews from music critics.[118] In a positive review for NME, Nick Levine described the album as "a consistently uplifting set that feels like Minogue's best album since 2010's Aphrodite [...] Disco shimmers with a warm glittery glow that's just irresistible."[29] Writing in The Guardian, Michael Cragg described Disco as being "saturated in Kylie's supernatural mix of high camp and total sincerity", while also praising the album for its "consistent sonic palette".[19]

Some music critics praised the album's upbeat nature and production value, describing it as a hopeful sonic adventure during the latter half of the COVID-19 pandemic. Describing the album as "pure fantasia", Will Hodgkinson of The Times said: "the best thing about Disco, coming at a time when hopefulness has been at a premium, is how optimistic it sounds."[123] Robin Murray of music title Clash called Disco "sheer escapism from start to finish, an exit point from the darkness that has fallen over 2020", while also complimenting the album's fusion of vintage and modern styles.[16] Elisa Bray of i News called the album "pure euphoria", praising its production while describing its sound as "unabashedly retro [...] with a thoroughly modern sheen".[125]

A few critics cited Disco amongst Minogue's best works. Neil Z. Yeung of AllMusic praised the album for reaching the same "highs" as her albums from the early 2000s and considered it a return to form following Golden.[15] Arts critic Ben Neutze, writing for The Guardian on 17 November 2020, gave Disco a 4-out-of-5-star rating and commented: "It's a fitting album to rack up this milestone: a collection of songs exemplifying the cathartic joy that's been central to Kylie's brand since the beginning. It's music that makes you want to dance, and while the dance floors where many of her fans gather are currently off limits, it doesn't feel like a tease. Instead, it's a gift."[126]

Despite positive feedback, minor criticism was levelled at Minogue's lack of an adventurous approach to the genre, which was perceived to be safe. Pitchfork contributor Katherine St. Asaph gave Disco 5.6 out of ten. In contrast to a few songs, Asaph felt the album had an "uncoolness" to it, and that the first half of the record was the "weakest". She stated, "The album, with a couple exceptions, has two modes: overly tasteful cruise-ship programming and gauche rehashes".[121] Lisa Wright from DIY awarded it three-and-a-half stars out of five, stating that whilst Disco "might not be the most progressive or groundbreaking album of the year, it’s certainly up there as one of the most charming."[17] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine gave it the same rating, saying Minogue "has made a version of this album before," referring to Minogue's 2001 record Fever. He concluded, "For better or worse, though, Disco doesn't attempt to adapt the classic titular sound in a contemporary context like those albums did, instead content to bask in unapologetic homage. In the end, it's a sugar rush worth the hangover."[22]

In the United Kingdom, Kylie Minogue's album Disco surpassed American singer Lady Gaga's (pictured) record Chromatica as the best-selling record of the year.

On 21 August 2020, the head of BMG, Alistair Norbury, gave an interview with Music Week about the marketing campaign for Disco. Minogue and BMG publicised Disco with an extensive marketing campaign ahead of and during the album's launch.[148] According to Norbury, Disco was outperforming her previous studio album Golden when compared with the same stage in its album campaign. This was according to key metrics such as streaming, Amazon pre-orders, D2C pre-orders and video views.[149] In the United Kingdom, Disco debuted at number one on the Official Albums Chart on 13 November 2020, becoming her second consecutive number one studio album after Golden, and her sixth overall. Disco debuted 5,000 units ahead of its closest competitor, Confetti by Little Mix, in what several outlets deemed to be a hotly contested chart battle.[148][150]

Disco overtook American singer-songwriter Lady Gaga's record Chromatica as the biggest opening week release of 2020, selling 54,905 units.[151][152] This was quickly surpassed by Power Up by Australian band AC/DC, which sold 62,000 units in its first week.[153] Disco became Minogue's eighth number one album in the UK and in the process, Minogue broke the record as the first female artist to earn a number one album in five consecutive decades, following Kylie (1988), Enjoy Yourself (1989), Greatest Hits (1992), Fever (2001), Aphrodite (2010), Golden (2018) and Step Back In Time: The Definitive Collection (2019).[154] Within a month of its release, the album was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), and was later upgraded to Gold on 18 December 2020, having shipped over 100,000 units in the UK. As of September 2023, the album had amassed 179,892 sales, according to the Official Charts Company.[155]

In Minogue's native Australia, Disco debuted at number one, becoming her seventh chart-topping on the ARIA Charts.[156] It descended to number two the following week, and lasted eight non-consecutive weeks in the chart. After the re-release of the Guest List Edition, it re-entered the chart at number seven for a sole week.[157] In New Zealand, the album opened at number nine on their national chart, Minogue's first top-ten entry since Fever in 2001. However, it only stayed in the chart for a week.[158] In France, the album debuted at number eight, her highest charting position since Aphrodite peaked at number three. It quickly fell down the chart, and after re-entering at 45 during the promotional phase of the Guest List Edition, it fell off again the following week.[159]

In the United States, Disco opened and peaked at number 26 on the Billboard 200 with 19,000 album-equivalent units, 15,000 of which were pure sales, becoming her third highest-charting album in the country after Fever in 2002 and Aphrodite in 2010.[160][161] It also debuted at number two on the Billboard Top Albums Sales chart[162][163] and atop the Dance/Electronic Albums chart, making it her first number-one on the chart.[164] As of November 2021, Disco has sold 35,000 copies in the United States.[165] It debuted at number 64 on the regional Oricon Albums Chart and number 65 on the Billboard Japan Hot Albums chart in Japan. It has reportedly sold 2,980 units in that country.

As of September 2023, the album had sold approximately 700,000 copies worldwide. [166]

Adapted from liner notes.[169]

• List of number-one albums of 2020 (Australia)
• List of Irish Independent Albums Chart number ones of 2020
• List of number-one albums of 2020 (Scotland)
• List of UK Albums Chart number ones of the 2020s
• List of UK top-ten albums in 2020
• List of Billboard number-one electronic albums of 2020

Notes

Citations