New Wave (The Auteurs album)

New Wave is the 1993 debut album by British rock band the Auteurs. In 2014, British independent record label 3 Loop Music re-released the album on 180gsm Vinyl and as a 2CD Expanded Edition which included b-sides, rarities, radio session tracks and the original 4-track demos that led to the band's signing with Hut Records.

New Wave
Studio album by the Auteurs
Released	22 February 1993 (1993-02-22)
Genre	Alternative rock, indie pop
Length	43:41
Label	Hut
Producer	Phil Vinall, Luke Haines
The Auteurs chronology
New Wave (1993) Now I'm a Cowboy (1994)

Background

After the demist of the Servants, musicians Luke Haines and Alice Readman formed the Auteurs; former Dog Unit drummer Glenn Collins joined soon after. The trio made their live debut in April 1992 at the Euston Rails Club in London, signing to Hut Records, a subsidiary of major label Virgin Records. British press saw the band as part of a potential glam rock revival, while American press would plainly compare them to Suede.^[1] Author Dave Thompson wrote in his book Alternative Rock (2000) that New Wave laid the groundwork for what would subsequently become Britpop.^[1]

Release and reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[2]
Alternative Rock	8/10^[3]
Drowned in Sound	9/10^[4]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	^[5]
Entertainment Weekly	A−^[6]
The Irish Times	^[7]
Record Collector	^[8]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	^[9]
Select	4/5^[10]
The Village Voice	A−^[11]

"Show Girl" was released the lead single in December 1992, ahead of New Wave, which appeared in early 1993. By this point, celloist James Banbury joined the band. By mid-1993, Collins was replaced by Barny C. Rockford.^[1]

Thompson referred to the album as a "university thesis on how to build Brit-pop, shot through with such startlingly intelligent perversity that the end result is more of a template than a tribute." He singled "Show Girl" and "Junk Shop Clothes" as highlights.^[3] In a retrospective review, Jake Kennedy of Record Collector said it was not the band's best effort, but considered it a "canny time capsule, bundled up with all the retro glam of the era", with a number of lyrical topics which "confuse and charm in equal measure".^[8]

Thompson said that it was one of the most acclaimed albums in 1993. It was shortlisted for the 1993 Mercury Prize.^[1] It is now included in the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die list.^[12]

Track listing

All songs written by Luke Haines.^[13]

Original 1993 CD/LP (CDHUT7/HUTLP7)

1. "Show Girl" - 4:06
2. "Bailed Out" - 3:44
3. "American Guitars" - 3:31
4. "Junk Shop Clothes" - 2:42
5. "Don't Trust the Stars" - 2:25
6. "Starstruck" - 2:59
7. "How Could I Be Wrong" - 3:53
8. "Housebreaker" - 2:57
9. "Valet Parking" - 2:55
10. "Idiot Brother" - 5:45
11. "Early Years" - 2:40
12. "Home Again" - 3:24 / "Subculture (They Can't Find Him)" - 2:13 (hidden track; it follows 20 seconds of silence after the end of "Home Again")

• Free 7" (HUTL2)

1. "She Might Take a Train" - 1:38
2. "Subculture (They Can't Find Him)" - 2:13

2014 expanded edition bonus tracks (Disc 1)

1. "Subculture (They Can't Find Him)"
2. "She Might Take a Train"
3. "Glad to Be Gone"
4. "Staying Power"
5. "Wedding Day"
6. "High Diving Horses"

2014 Expanded Edition Bonus Tracks (Disc 2)

1. "Housebreaker (Rough Trade Singles Club 7")"
2. "Valet Parking (Rough Trade Singles Club 7")"
3. "Housebreaker (Acoustic Version)"
4. "Junk Shop Clothes (Acoustic Version)"
5. "Starstruck (Acoustic Version)"
6. "Home Again (Acoustic Version)"
7. "Junk Shop Clothes (1993 BBC Radio 1 Session)"
8. "New French Junkshop (1993 BBC Radio 1 Session)"
9. "Government Bookstore (1993 BBC Radio 1 Session)"
10. "How Could I Be Wrong (1993 BBC Radio 1 Session)"
11. "Bailed Out (Original 4-Track Demo)"
12. "American Guitars (Original 4-Track Demo)"
13. "Showgirl (Original 4-Track Demo)"
14. "Glad to Be Gone (Original 4-Track Demo)"
15. "Starstruck (Original 4-Track Demo)"
16. "Early Years (Original 4-Track Demo)"

Personnel

Personnel per booklet.^[13]

The Auteurs

• Luke Haines – guitar, piano, vocals
• Alice Readman – bass guitar
• Glenn Collins – drums

Additional musicians

• James Banbury – cello
• Chris Wyles – percussion
• Kuljit Bhamra – percussion
• Joe Beckett – percussion

Production

• Phil Vinall – engineer, producer
• Luke Haines – producer
• Stefan de Batselier – photography
• Peter Barrett – sleeve design
• Andrew Biscomb – sleeve design

References

Citations

1. Thompson 2000, p. 162
2. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "New Wave – The Auteurs". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
3. Thompson 2000, p. 163
4. Slaughter, Matthew (24 January 2014). . Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 15 November 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
5. Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
6. "The Auteurs: New Wave". Entertainment Weekly. 7 May 1993. p. 58.
7. Clayton-Lea, Tony (7 March 2014). "The Auteurs: New Wave (Expanded Edition)". The Irish Times. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
8. Kennedy, Jake (March 2014). "Reviews". Record Collector (425): 88. ISSN 0261-250X.
9. Harris, Keith (2004). "The Auteurs". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 29–30. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
10. Cavanagh, David (March 1993). "The Auteurs: New Wave". Select (33): 67.
11. Christgau, Robert (6 April 1993). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
12. "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". 1001 Before You Die. Quintessence Editions Ltd. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
13. New Wave (Booklet). The Auteurs. Hut Recordings. 1993. CDHUT 7/263 306.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

Sources

• Thompson, Dave (2000). Alternative Rock. Third Ear: The Essential Listening Companion. San Francisco, California: Miller Freeman Books. ISBN 0-87930-607-6.

External links

• New Wave at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)