Kaiser Chiefs' Easy Eighth Album

Kaiser Chiefs' Easy Eighth Album is the eighth studio album by English indie rock band Kaiser Chiefs, released on 1 March 2024. Produced by Amir Amor, it was preceded by the singles "How 2 Dance", "Jealousy", "Feeling Alright" (co-written with Nile Rodgers),[1] "Burning in Flames" and "Beautiful Girl". It received positive reviews from critics and debuted in the top 10 of the UK Albums Chart.

Kaiser Chiefs' Easy Eighth Album
The number 8 drawn in blue with yellow and red paint around it and a splatter at the top of the number; the title is stamped in blue in the top left corner
Studio album by
Released1 March 2024 (2024-03-01)
GenrePop-funk
Length29:51
LabelV2
ProducerAmir Amor
Kaiser Chiefs chronology
Duck
(2019)
Kaiser Chiefs' Easy Eighth Album
(2024)
Singles from Kaiser Chiefs' Easy Eighth Album
  1. "How 2 Dance"
    Released: 4 November 2022
  2. "Jealousy"
    Released: 11 April 2023
  3. "Feeling Alright"
    Released: 25 October 2023
  4. "Burning in Flames"
    Released: 19 January 2024
  5. "Beautiful Girl"
    Released: 14 February 2024

Background

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Along with the release of the "Feeling Alright" single, frontman Ricky Wilson said:

On the first day with Nile Rodgers, he said 'what have you got?' We searched through some jams we had and this was a song that stood out to him. The band loved playing it round and round, and it must be fun to play but we never really knew where it would find a home. Nile turned out to be the best estate agent and found it a home almost immediately. He also brought in Amir, who turned out to be our housemate for the entire record. A good place to start![1]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic66/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [3]
The Arts Desk     [4]
Clash7/10[5]
Mojo     [6]
MusicOMH     [7]

Kaiser Chiefs' Easy Eighth Album received a score of 65 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on six critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception.[2] AllMusic's Neil Z. Yeung stated that the band "finally figure out how to balance the vibes of their anthemic, pub-friendly early-era fare with their pop-polished late-2010s material", writing that "every track is custom-designed to inspire a good time, whether that's the soundtrack to a bit of love (or lust) or a full-on dance party".[3] Reviewing the album for Clash, Emma Harrison characterised it as "a funk-laden album which includes a smattering of tracks that are certain to become mainstays of the band's live sets in the coming years" as well as "an admirable attempt of fusing together eighties funk-pop sensibilities with the classic Kaiser Chiefs indie rock sound".[5]

Mojo felt that "despite one-time Rudimental leader Amir Amor's rather flat production and the dearth of all-out tub-thumpers beyond the wry 'The Lads', they've transformed themselves inti a differently beguiling proposition".[6] MusicOMH's John Murphy described the tracks as "slinky pop-funk tunes" and "certainly a new sound that takes some getting used to" despite finding that "a fair amount" of it "sounds weirdly dated".[7] Ellie Roberts of The Arts Desk found that while "there is an easy feeling to the album, [...] it leans dangerously close to blasé at times" and "they lack the energy needed to secure a place on the playlists of the future".[4]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Ricky Wilson, Andrew White, Simon Rix, Nick Baines, and Vijay Mistry, with others noted.

Kaiser Chiefs' Easy Eighth Album track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Feeling Alright"Nile Rodgers3:37
2."Beautiful Girl"Iain Archer2:32
3."How 2 Dance"2:43
4."The Job Centre Shuffle" (featuring Hak Baker)3:00
5."Burning in Flames"
  • Amor
  • Leroy Clampitt
3:08
6."Reasons to Stay Alive"Amor3:04
7."Sentimental Love Songs"Amor2:44
8."Jealousy"
  • Henry Tucker
  • Amor
  • Lewis Thompson
  • RISC
2:09
9."Noel Groove"
  • Amor
  • Ben Allen
3:02
10."The Lads"
3:52
Total length:29:51

Charts

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Chart performance for Kaiser Chiefs' Easy Eighth Album
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Scottish Albums (OCC)[8] 6
UK Albums (OCC)[9] 6
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[10] 2

References

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  1. ^ a b Johnson, Laura (25 October 2023). "Kaiser Chiefs Announce Eighth Album And Spring UK Tour, Share New Single Feeling Alright". Stereoboard. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Kaiser Chiefs' Easy Eighth Album by Kaiser Chiefs Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  3. ^ a b Yeung, Neil Z. "Kaiser Chiefs' Easy Eighth Album – Kaiser Chiefs". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  4. ^ a b Roberts, Ellie (1 March 2024). "Album: Kaiser Chiefs – Kaiser Chiefs' Easy Eighth Album". The Arts Desk. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  5. ^ a b Harrison, Emma (29 February 2024). "Kaiser Chiefs – Kaiser Chiefs' Easy Eighth Album | Reviews". Clash. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Kaiser Chiefs – Kaiser Chiefs' Easy Eighth Album". Mojo. March 2024. p. 88.
  7. ^ a b Murphy, John (29 February 2024). "Kaiser Chiefs – Kaiser Chiefs' Easy Eighth Album". MusicOMH. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  8. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  9. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  10. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 March 2024.