Energy (Disclosure album)
Energy (stylised in all caps) is the third studio album by British electronic music duo Disclosure.[2][3][4] It was released on 28 August 2020 through Island Records.
The album is their first full-length release since Caracal in 2015, and subsequently their first major release since Ecstasy, an EP consisting of five songs later included on the deluxe edition of Energy. The deluxe edition also includes the duo's two hit singles with American singer-songwriter Khalid, "Talk" (previously released on Khalid's second studio album Free Spirit) and "Know Your Worth". In addition, the album features collaborations with several singer-songwriters, including Kelis, Channel Tres, Aminé, Slowthai, Mick Jenkins, Fatoumata Diawara, Blick Bassy, Kehlani, Syd, and Common.
After experiencing delays, Energy was ultimately released in the summer of 2020 due to its "positive messages" that Disclosure hoped would resonate with people during the COVID-19 pandemic. The album received generally positive reviews from music critics, who complimented the duo's musical diversity and strong collaboration choices, though some highlighted lyrical weaknesses. Energy's sound has been described as house[5] mixed with elements of dance,[6] R&B,[5][7] and international music such as African-influenced stylings.[5][8][9]
The album was nominated for Best Dance/Electronic Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.[10] The song "My High" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording at the 2021 Grammy Awards.[11]
Background[edit]
Disclosure released Caracal in September 2015, "which helped to build their fanbase beyond Britain. There was a hint of "second-album syndrome", they say, in having to get something out quick to capitalise on the momentum. The guests, including the Weeknd and a then-ascending Lorde, coincided with their desire to ease the pace and lean into an R&B-indebted sound. It received mixed response critically, but was commercially fruitful – as Guy noted, "It took us to fucking Madison Square Garden!" Howard said, "I've learned a lot from looking back at that record as well. Musically, there are parts of the album that I cringe at a bit. There are parts that I over-thought and tried a bit too hard to be clever with or something. For this new album, we wanted to let go a bit more."[7]
After playing 331 live shows between 2013 and 2016, the duo took time off in 2017, "which proved a blessing for the brothers. Guy traveled for several months in Southeast Asia. Howard, meanwhile, stayed in their hometown Reigate and had taken up farming." "I'm really glad we took that time off and we did do that for mental health reasons," Guy says. "I don't think we said it or explicitly, but we were drained and we needed inspiration for life and music to be drawn from outside of the process of touring. For our first two albums, and all the EPs and singles before that, I wouldn't say they were written in a 'rush', but definitely in a very short timeframe. They say have your whole lifetime to write your first album, but we didn't have that either time – and it felt right to do that. But this time we knew we had a solid fan base to rely on and wait for us."[7]
In December 2018, Disclosure returned with the Moonlight EP.[12]
Concept[edit]
Disclosure said that "the thing that decided which songs made it and which songs didn't was that one word: energy. [...] It's called Energy, but not just because it's very upbeat and positive, it's because of the way the songs were formulated. [...] The word energy for us has much more to do with the energy in the room, and that was like the 10 minutes that can make or break a song."[13][6][14]
Development[edit]
Energy was written, recorded and finished in 2019,[7] with Disclosure producing the album. Each song was created from scratch,[15] and "every track was written really quickly. That's why we had to write so many songs because those ones don't come up every day. Or every week. Or every month."[13] Howard added that "morale throughout the process was pretty high".[6]
Disclosure wanted to "write like 200 songs and pick the ten best" for Energy.[6] Thomas Smith of NME wrote the "frantic writing process defined the feel of this record. [Disclosure was] in the early stages of writing they had penned up to 200 songs and opted to push forward with those that came the quickest. Of the 200-strong collection they worked on, roughly 15% have been released across this album and recent accompanying EP Ecstasy."[7]
In an interview with Esquire, Disclosure spoke about the album's progression: "The ones that made the cut were the ones that came around very quickly. It wasn't like, 'Oh, this one will work in the club; this one may be on the radio.' It was about having the most fun we can have in the studio, making songs when it's effortless, when something just pops up out of nowhere."[6]
Guy said about the album's 'international' feel: "We definitely had in our minds that we needed to branch out for this record. All of mine and Howard's favorite artists that we both love rarely did the same thing twice. And Africa, with all of its incredibly diverse genres of music, was something that we hadn't really explored much. [...] It felt natural to go more percussive [for Energy]."[6]
Howard also said, regarding working in a studio: "Our favorite way of working is we turn up with nothing and they turn up with nothing and we all make something from scratch at the same time. That way, we're all on the same page vibe-wise. If me and Guy come and sit down and Guy starts making a beat, I start playing some chords and writing the melodies with the person, it instantly allows us all to sync up."[6]
Artwork[edit]
Slant Magazine described Energy's cover art as depicting Disclosure's "signature masked silhouette embedded in a unified landmass that's beginning to break apart."[16] The creative design studio, Studio Moross, produced the artwork for the album and its singles. The 3D images were produced by Nic Hamilton and digitally retouched by Callum Sadler.[24][25]
Singles[edit]
"Know Your Worth" with Khalid was released as the lead single on 4 February 2020, followed by "Ecstasy" on 24 February 2020. Both songs are only included on the deluxe edition only. The third single, "Energy", was released on 21 May 2020, as a two-track single including the album version of the song (4:53) and a shorter edit (3:50). "My High", with Aminé and slowthai, was released as the fourth single on 3 July 2020. It was issued as a two-track single with a shorter edit (3:12) and the music video. The fifth single, "Douha (Mali Mali)" with Fatoumata Diawara, was released on 29 July 2020, also as a two-track single with a shorter edit (2:51) and the music video. Sixth single "Birthday" (with Kehlani and Syd), was released on 26 August 2020.[26]
Release[edit]
Energy was released on 28 August 2020 to digital download and streaming platforms. After multiple delays with the album's release, Disclosure decided to put out Energy during the summer of 2020 because of its "positive messages".[13] Energy completes Disclosure's three-album deal they signed at the onset of their career.[14] The deluxe edition of Energy also features all five songs included on the Ecstasy EP, released on 28 February 2020.
Minecraft metaverse[edit]
Disclosure released an accompanying "Minecraft experience" for Energy on 28 August 2020, which they called the "largest immersive musical activation within Minecraft."[27] The metaverse features mountains, rolling streams, deep caves, and forests sprawled across seven climates, intended to reflect the musical diversity of the record. Three are also three underground clubs to unlock: two inspired by iconic real-world venues (London's Printworks and Ibiza's DC10) and a third modelled on Guy's kitchen. Created with Island Records and design collective Blockworks, the map (made of more than 100 million blocks) contains hidden tracks players can search for (including eight-bit remixes of Disclosure's previous songs) and a Disclosure megamix that scores the experience. The server was announced to be live for one week, after which players can download the Energy-inspired content.[23][28]
Commercial performance[edit]
Energy debuted at number 3 on the US Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart, becoming Disclosure's first studio album to miss the top spot.[32]
All tracks produced by Disclosure.
Notes
Sample credits