Hit Parade (Róisín Murphy album)
Hit Parade is the sixth solo studio album by Irish singer Róisín Murphy, released on 8 September 2023 through Ninja Tune.[3] It was produced by DJ Koze and was preceded by the singles "CooCool", "Can't Replicate" (exclusively as a 12-inch single), "The Universe",[4] "Fader" and "You Knew". "CooCool" was released alongside Murphy's announcement she had signed to Ninja Tune.[1] Murphy will play select shows in North America following the album's release.[2]
| Hit Parade | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 8 September 2023 | |||
| Length | 58:23 | |||
| Label | Ninja Tune | |||
| Producer | DJ Koze | |||
| Róisín Murphy chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Hit Parade | ||||
The album received acclaim from critics, with some calling it her best work yet and one of the best records of the year. Several critics acknowledged and felt that Murphy's August 2023 Facebook comment about puberty blockers and young trans people had negatively affected the preceding "goodwill" toward the album.[5][6] Hit Parade became Murphy's highest charting album on the UK Albums Chart, peaking in the top five, and debuted in the top ten in Germany as well as the top twenty in Belgium, Ireland and Switzerland.
Background and recording edit
In a statement, Murphy expressed that the music was worked on remotely, with her in London and DJ Koze in Hamburg, over the course of several years, and "both [were] in a personal, private place when working on the songs", which "brought out a more intimate approach to the songwriting" for Murphy and allowed her to tell "this album [her] secrets", and Koze had "total freedom" and was not "distracted by [her] presence". She called the resulting album "joyful" as she has "never been happier",[7] and the music "so vibrant and alive" and "exploding with colour".[4]
Murphy was photographed by Connor Egan, who they collaborated together with Beth Frey on the colourful artwork, with Bráulio Amado serving as graphic designer.[4]
Critical reception edit
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 8.3/10[8] |
| Metacritic | 87/100[9] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Clash | 9/10[10] |
| The Guardian | [11] |
| Mojo | [12] |
| NME | [6] |
| Pitchfork | 8.2/10[5] |
| PopMatters | 7/10[13] |
| Slant Magazine | [14] |
| Uncut | 9/10[15] |
Hit Parade received a score of 87 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on 12 critics' reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[9] Sophia McDonald of Clash called it "as colourful and playful as Róisín Murphy herself. Truly a contender for album of the year, Murphy has created an album of true musical depth that doesn't take itself too seriously",[10] and Uncut stated, "bursting with warmth and character even when nearly tweaked beyond the point of recognition, Murphy's voice has rarely had a more satisfying showcase".[15]
Mojo called the track "Fader" evidence "that [Murphy] could do out-and-out pop if the mood were ever to take her, but there are too many strange and good ideas for anything quite so prosaic".[12] Peter Piatkowski, reviewing the album for PopMatters, wrote that "there are some great moments on the record, but overall, Hit Parade is a bit inconsistent; its title is false advertising. It's a frustratingly uneven album, with just enough genius to make the mediocrity on some tracks stand out".[13]
Reviewing the album for Pitchfork, Harry Tafoya described it as "the kind of highly original pop assemblage that the Irish singer has seemingly always wanted to make, a record of peerless highs whose best and worst quality is how alienating it just so happens to be."[5] Pitchfork also granted the album's first two singles, "CooCool" and "The Universe", Best New Track status.[16][17] Jordan Bassett of NME summarised it as "a playful record imbued with a sense of mystery and occasional glimpses of autobiography, slowly revealing itself as the cracked mirror image of Róisín Machine's bruised optimism."[6]
Shaad D'Souza of The Saturday Paper wrote that "for Róisín Murphy, becoming the world's most fabulous and daringly experimental living pop star has taken a long time", calling the album "a masterclass in unfussy pop – her best record yet and maybe the album of the year".[18]
Track listing edit
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "What Not to Do" | 5:02 | |
| 2. | "CooCool" |
| 4:31 |
| 3. | "The Universe" |
| 4:05 |
| 4. | "Hurtz So Bad" |
| 4:37 |
| 5. | "The House" |
| 3:32 |
| 6. | "Spacetime" |
| 0:30 |
| 7. | "Fader" |
| 4:23 |
| 8. | "Free Will" |
| 6:22 |
| 9. | "You Knew" |
| 7:16 |
| 10. | "Can't Replicate" |
| 7:28 |
| 11. | "Crazy Ants Reprise" |
| 1:28 |
| 12. | "Two Ways" |
| 4:26 |
| 13. | "Eureka" |
| 4:43 |
| Total length: | 58:23 | ||
Notes
- "Spacetime" is a separate, unmixed track on the digital edition, whereas it is mixed as an intro to "Fader" on all physical editions. The deluxe vinyl version includes an additional song, "Milf Funk" (5:10) between "The Universe" and "Hurtz So Bad".[19][20]
- "CooCool" contains a sample of "Together" by Mike James Kirkland.
- "Fader" contains a sample of "Window Shopping" by Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings.
- "Can't Replicate" contains a sample of "Sæglópur" by Sigur Rós.
- The physical CD/LP version available from Rough Trade includes a bonus disc featuring a live performance at the Royal Albert Hall.
Personnel edit
- Róisín Murphy – vocals
- Laufey – vocals, production
- DJ Koze – production (all tracks), mixing (tracks 1, 2, 4–11, 13)
- Deinklang – mastering
- Philipp Hoppen – mixing (3, 12)
- Tadhg Properzi – guest vocals (6)
Charts edit
| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[21] | 95 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[22] | 51 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[23] | 16 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[24] | 68 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[25] | 54 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[26] | 6 |
| Irish Albums (OCC)[27] | 11 |
| Irish Independent Albums (IRMA)[28] | 1 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[29] | 4 |
| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[30] | 88 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[31] | 12 |
| Swiss Albums (Les charts Romandy)[32] | 16 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[33] | 5 |
| UK Album Downloads (OCC)[34] | 3 |
| UK Dance Albums (OCC)[35] | 1 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[36] | 1 |
| US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[37] | 40 |
| US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[38] | 13 |
References edit
- ^ a b Williams, Kyann-Sian (8 March 2023). "Róisín Murphy signs to Ninja Tune and shares new single 'CooCool'". NME. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
- ^ a b Renshaw, David (17 May 2023). "Róisín Murphy announces Hit Parade, an album 'exploding with colour'". The Fader. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
- ^ Kelly, Tyler Damara (18 May 2023). "Róisín Murphy announces her forthcoming album, Hit Parade". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
- ^ a b c Minsker, Evan; Monroe, Jazz (17 May 2023). "Róisín Murphy Announces DJ Koze–Produced Album Hit Parade and Tour, Shares New Song: Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
- ^ a b c Tafoya, Harry (13 September 2023). "Róisín Murphy – Hit Parade Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
- ^ a b c Bassett, Jordan (8 September 2023). "Róisín Murphy – Hit Parade review: an accomplished record marred by controversy". NME. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
- ^ Rettig, James (17 May 2023). "Róisín Murphy – 'The Universe'". Stereogum. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
- ^ "Hit Parade by Róisín Murphy reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
- ^ a b "Hit Parade by Róisín Murphy Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
- ^ a b McDonald, Sophia (4 September 2023). "Róisín Murphy – Hit Parade". Clash. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- ^ Snapes, Laura (7 September 2023). "Róisín Murphy: Hit Parade review – a masterful album with an ugly stain". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
- ^ a b "Róisín Murphy – Hit Parade". Mojo. October 2023. p. 81.
- ^ a b Piatkowski, Peter (5 September 2023). "Róisín Murphy Makes a Valiant Attempt at Being a Soul Diva". PopMatters. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
- ^ Williams, Tom (6 September 2023). "Róisín Murphy Hit Parade Review: A Singularly Wild and Weird Musical Cavalcade". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
- ^ a b "Róisín Murphy – Hit Parade". Uncut. October 2023. p. 31.
- ^ Sherburne, Phillip (8 March 2023). "Róisín Murphy – "CooCool" Track Review". Pitchfork.
- ^ Tafoya, Harry (17 May 2023). "Róisín Murphy – "The Universe" Track Review". Pitchfork.
- ^ D'Souza, Shaad (26 August 2023). "Róisín Murphy's Hit Parade". The Saturday Paper. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
- ^ "Roisin Murphy – Hit Parade". Rosin Murphy official store. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
- ^ "Roisin Murphy – Hit Parade". Resident Music. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
- ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 18 September 2023". The ARIA Report. No. 1750. Australian Recording Industry Association. 18 September 2023. p. 6.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Róisín Murphy – Hit Parade" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Róisín Murphy – Hit Parade" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Róisín Murphy – Hit Parade" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Róisín Murphy – Hit Parade" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Róisín Murphy – Hit Parade" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
- ^ "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
- ^ "Top 20 Independent – Week Ending 22 Sep 2023". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
- ^ "Top 100 Albums Weekly". Promusicae. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Róisín Murphy – Hit Parade". Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ "lescharts.ch - Róisín Murphy - Hit Parade" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
- ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ "Official Dance Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
- ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
- ^ "Top Album Sales: Week of September 23, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
- ^ "Top Dance/Electronic Albums: Week of September 23, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
External links edit
- Hit Parade at Discogs (list of releases)