Isles (Bicep album)

Isles is the second studio album by electronic music duo Bicep, released through Ninja Tune on 22 January 2021. It was recorded over a two-year period and preceded by the single "Apricots".[11]

Isles
Studio album by
Bicep
Released22 January 2021 (2021-01-22)
GenreElectronic[1]
Length49:26
LabelNinja Tune
ProducerBicep
Bicep chronology
Bicep
(2017)		 Isles
(2021)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.8/10[2]
Metacritic78/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Beats Per Minute73%[5]
Clash8/10[6]
DIY[7]
The Guardian[8]
The Independent[9]
NME[1]
Pitchfork6.3/10[10]

The album was nominated for the 2021 Choice Music Prize for Best Irish Album.[12] The album was also considered for the 2021 Northern Ireland Music Prize.[13]

Isles was number one on the midweek UK Albums Chart for the week beginning 25 January 2021,[14] before debuting at number two on the final chart.[15]

Release

On 6 October 2020, Bicep announced the release of their second studio album.[16]

Singles

The first single from the album, "Atlas", was released on 25 March 2020. The band explained the meaning of the song: "It would’ve been unthinkable to foresee the circumstances this track would be released in when we were making it. Our frame of mind was so positive then, fresh off the back of our live tour, full of excitement for the next phase. ‘Atlas’ was our attempt at summing up some of the euphoric moments we experienced on that tour across those two years. It feels like those moments are very far away for all of us right now, but we hope this serves as some form of distraction amidst all this chaos."[17]

The second single "Apricots" was released on 6 October 2020, alongside the announcement of the album.[16]

On 17 November 2020, Bicep release the third single "Saku". The single features guest musician Clara La San.[18]

The fourth single "Sundial" was released on 12 January 2021. Of the single, the band said: "This is probably one of the simplest tracks on the album, it grew from a faulty Jupiter 6 arp recording. Our trigger isn't working properly and the arp skips notes randomly. This was a small segment taken from a recording of Andy just playing the arp live whilst we were just trying to figure out what was going wrong. We actually loved what it had produced and wrote some chords around it, guided by the feeling of this recording."[19]

Tour

The band went on a UK tour in September 2021.[20]

Critical reception

Isles was met with "generally favorable" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 78 based on 14 reviews.[3] At AnyDecentMusic?, the release was given a 7.8 out of 10 based on 22 reviews.[2]

In a review for AllMusic, Paul Simspson wrote: "After taking their material on the road and building a new studio, the London-based duo crafted their second album, Isles, which is inspired by the multi-cultural environment of their adopted home city. The majority of the record's tracks essentially deliver variations on the signature Bicep sound, starting with a sturdy syncopated beat and building up intricate melodies and twisted synth arpeggios until everything reaches an emotional peak. Haunting vocals usually add to the drama."[4] Gareth O'Malley of Beats Per Minute explained: "Isles is an album caught between euphoric escapism and melancholic introspection. Isles pulls from diverse scenes and genres seemingly at will, folding all sorts of inspiration into an album that's mostly primed for the dancefloor."[5] Mike Watkins of Clash described the album as "a brilliant pick me up, a dazzling set of songs that tap into our innermost impulses. A colourful way to remember those good times, and one that is perfectly prepared for our eventual return to the dance floor."[6]

Track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Atlas"5:52
2."Cazenove"4:22
3."Apricots"4:06
4."Saku" (featuring Clara La San)4:57
5."Lido"3:20
6."X" (featuring Clara La San)5:33
7."Rever" (featuring Julia Kent)5:19
8."Sundial"4:35
9."Fir"5:23
10."Hawk" (featuring Machina)5:59
Total length:49:26
Japanese edition and deluxe 3LP bonus tracks[21][22]
No.TitleLength
11."Light" 
12."Siena" (featuring Clara La San) 
13."Meli (I)" 

Charts
Chart performance for Isles
Chart (2021) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[23] 12
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[24] 3
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[25] 97
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[26] 28
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[27] 8
Irish Albums (OCC)[28] 2
Scottish Albums (OCC)[29] 2
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[30] 26
UK Albums (OCC)[15] 2
UK Dance Albums (OCC)[31] 1
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[32] 20
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[33] 73
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[34] 12

References
  1. Jolley, Ben (21 January 2021). "Bicep – 'Isles' review: trippy electronic tales that transcend the club world". NME. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  2. "AnyDecentMusic? Review". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  3. "Isles by Bicep Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  4. Simpson, Paul. "AllMusic Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  5. O'Malley, Gareth (26 January 2021). "Beats Per Minute Review". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  6. Watkins, Mike (18 January 2021). "Clash Magazine Review". Clash. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  7. Taylor, Chris (21 January 2021). "Bicep – Isles | Reviews". DIY. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  8. Petridis, Alexis (21 January 2021). "Bicep: Isles review – dance duo create the ultimate living-room rave". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  9. Brown, Helen (21 January 2021). "Bicep review, Isles: The dance duo dig deeper on this trancey affair". The Independent. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  10. Cardew, Ben (22 January 2021). "Bicep: Isles Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  11. Hinton, Patrick (6 October 2020). "Bicep explore 'Isles' on new album – News". Mixmag. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  12. "2021 Shortlist – Choice Music Prize".
  13. "Eligible List 2021".
  14. "Official Albums Chart Update Top 100: 25 January 2021 – 31 January 2021". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  15. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  16. H, Rob (6 October 2020). "BICEP SHARE THE DELICIOUS "APRICOTS" AND REVEAL NEW ALBUM DETAILS". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  17. H, Rob (25 March 2020). "BICEP RETURN WITH NEW SINGLE "ATLAS"". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  18. H, Rob (17 November 2020). "BICEP BLEND IDM, FOOTWORK AND RNB INTO NEW BANGER "SAKU", FEATURING CLARA LA SAN". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  19. H, Rob (12 January 2021). "BICEP DELIVER THE JUDDERING TRIP "SUNDIAL"". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  20. "Bicep Tour Date". Clash. 28 January 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  21. "Beatink.com / Isles". Beatink.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  22. "Bicep – Isles". Crash Records. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  23. "Australiancharts.com – Bicep – Isles". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  24. "Ultratop.be – Bicep – Isles" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  25. "Ultratop.be – Bicep – Isles" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  26. "Dutchcharts.nl – Bicep – Isles" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  27. "Offiziellecharts.de – Bicep – Isles" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  28. "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  29. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  30. "Swisscharts.com – Bicep – Isles". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  31. "Official Dance Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  32. "Bicep Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  33. "Bicep Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  34. "Bicep Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
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