| Electric Light | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|  | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 18 May 2018 | |||
| Length | 48:26 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | 
 | |||
| James Bay chronology | ||||
| 
 | ||||
| Singles from Electric Light | ||||
| 
 | ||||
Electric Light is the second studio album by British singer-songwriter James Bay. The album was released on 18 May 2018 through Republic Records.[2]
Background
On 7 March 2018, Bay announced that his second album was called Electric Light and would be released on 18 May 2018. In a press release, he said: "If I had to describe my first album visually it would probably be a flame – while this new album is about a real sonic and artistic evolution for me. The feeling of a 100 watt bulb expanding and brightening is what I envisioned. Electric Light came to my mind and I knew it was perfect."[3]
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating | 
| Metacritic | 71/100[4] | 
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating | 
| AllMusic |      [5] | 
| The A.V. Club | B[6] | 
| Clash | 7/10[7] | 
| Cryptic Rock |      [8] | 
| The Guardian |      [9] | 
| The Independent |      [10] | 
| MusicOMH |      [11] | 
| NME |      [12] | 
| Q Magazine |      [13] | 
| Variety | Positive[14] | 
At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 71 based on 13 ratings, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[15] Jordan Bassett of NME stated "'Electric Light' is all over the place. There are hip-hop style spoken-word skits on the record and, actually, it sometimes sounds more like a lush, exploratory mixtape than a coherent album." He rated the album 3/5.[16] Q magazine was quoted as saying the album contains "an admirable desire for transformation."[15] Stereogum wrote "It’s a genuinely thrilling piece of work, one that converted me into a James Bay fan on impact."[17]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length | 
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro" | Bay | 0:58 | |
| 2. | "Wasted on Each Other" | 
 | 
 | 3:58 | 
| 3. | "Pink Lemonade" | 
 | 
 | 4:14 | 
| 4. | "Wild Love" | 
 | 
 | 3:17 | 
| 5. | "Us" | 
 | 
 | 3:01 | 
| 6. | "In My Head" | 
 | 
 | 3:07 | 
| 7. | "Interlude" | Bay | Bay | 1:01 | 
| 8. | "Just for Tonight" | 
 | 
 | 3:37 | 
| 9. | "Wanderlust" | 
 | 4:16 | |
| 10. | "I Found You" | 
 | 5:06 | |
| 11. | "Sugar Drunk High" | 
 | 
 | 3:39 | 
| 12. | "Stand Up" | 
 | 4:59 | |
| 13. | "Fade Out" | 
 | 
 | 3:52 | 
| 14. | "Slide" | 
 | 
 | 3:21 | 
| Total length: | 48:26 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length | 
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15. | "Confirmation" | 
 | 
 | 3:14 | 
| 16. | "Young Hearts in the Dark" | 
 | 
 | 3:17 | 
| Total length: | 54:59 | |||
| No. | Title | Length | 
|---|---|---|
| 15. | "Wild Love" (acoustic) | 3:09 | 
| 16. | "Pink Lemonade" (acoustic) | 4:23 | 
| 17. | "Us" (acoustic) | 3:03 | 
| Total length: | 59:04 | |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length | 
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18. | "Confirmation" | 
 | 
 | 3:14 | 
| 19. | "Young Hearts in the Dark" | 
 | 
 | 3:17 | 
| Total length: | 65:43 | |||
Notes
Charts
| Chart (2018) | Peak position | 
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[18] | 14 | 
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[19] | 20 | 
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[20] | 24 | 
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[21] | 81 | 
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)[22] | 14 | 
| Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[23] | 43 | 
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[24] | 13 | 
| French Albums (SNEP)[25] | 156 | 
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[26] | 14 | 
| Irish Albums (IRMA)[27] | 12 | 
| Italian Albums (FIMI)[28] | 75 | 
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[29] | 140 | 
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[30] | 21 | 
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[31] | 25 | 
| Portuguese Albums (AFP)[32] | 22 | 
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[33] | 3 | 
| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[34] | 81 | 
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[35] | 26 | 
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[36] | 6 | 
| UK Albums (OCC)[37] | 2 | 
| US Billboard 200[38] | 21 | 
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales | 
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[39] | Silver | 60,000‡ | 
| ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- ↑ "BBC Radio 1 playlist". Retrieved 10 August 2018.
- ↑ "Electric Light by James Bay". iTunes Store (US). 18 May 2018.
- ↑ Daly, Rhian (7 March 2018). "James Bay announces new album, single, and UK and world tour dates". NME. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
- ↑ "Electric Light Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- ↑ "AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine". AllMusic. 23 May 2015. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
- ↑  The A.V. Club. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help); Missing or empty|url=(help)
- ↑ McDermott, Lauren (30 May 2018). "James Bay - Electric Light". Clash.
- ↑ "JAMES BAY – ELECTRIC LIGHT (ALBUM REVIEW)". 14 May 2018.
- ↑ Petridis, Alexis (17 May 2018). "James Bay: Electric Light review – too much chaos and not enough calm". The Guardian.
- ↑ O'Connor, Roisin (16 May 2018). "James Bay, Electric Light, review: A step up for an artist determined to come across more credible". The Independent.
- ↑ "James Bay – Electric Light". MusicOMH.
- ↑ Bassett, Jordan (18 May 2018). "James Bay – 'Electric Light' Review". NME.
- ↑  Q Magazine. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help); Missing or empty|url=(help)
- ↑ Amorosi, A.D. (17 May 2018). "Album Review: James Bay's 'Electric Light'". Variety.
- 1 2 "James Bay – 'Electric Light' album review". Metacritic. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
- ↑ "James Bay – 'Electric Light' album review". NME. 18 May 2018.
- ↑ "Comparing Shawn Mendes And James Bay". Stereogum. 24 May 2018.
- ↑ "Australiancharts.com – James Bay – Electric Light". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
- ↑ "Austriancharts.at – James Bay – Electric Light" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
- ↑ "Ultratop.be – James Bay – Electric Light" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
- ↑ "Ultratop.be – James Bay – Electric Light" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
- ↑ "James Bay Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
- ↑ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 21.Týden 2018 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
- ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – James Bay – Electric Light" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
- ↑ "Lescharts.com – James Bay – Electric Light". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
- ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – James Bay – Electric Light" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
- ↑ "Irish-charts.com – Discography James Bay". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
- ↑ "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 21 (dal 2018-05-18 al 2018-05-24)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
- ↑ "James Bay". Oricon. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
- ↑ "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 28 May 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
- ↑ "VG-lista – Topp 40 Album uke 21, 2018". VG-lista. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
- ↑ "Portuguesecharts.com – James Bay – Electric Light". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
- ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
- ↑ "Top 100 Albumes – Semana 21: del 18.5.2018 al 24.5.2018" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
- ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – James Bay – Electric Light". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
- ↑ "Swisscharts.com – James Bay – Electric Light". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
- ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
- ↑ "James Bay Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
- ↑ "British album certifications – James Bay". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 9 May 2020. Select albums in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type James Bay in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.