Boy King is the fifth and final studio album by Wild Beasts, released on 5 August 2016 through Domino Records.
| Boy King | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 5 August 2016 | |||
| Studio | Dallas, Texas | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 39:07 | |||
| Label | Domino | |||
| Producer | John Congleton | |||
| Wild Beasts chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Boy King | ||||
| ||||
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 78/100[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [2] |
| Consequence of Sound | C+[3] |
| Clash | 7/10[4] |
| DIY | [5] |
| Drowned in Sound | 7/10[6] |
| Exclaim! | 5/10[7] |
| The Guardian | [8] |
| Pitchfork | 6.8/10[9] |
| Record Collector | [10] |
| Slant Magazine | [11] |
Background
editBoy King is a concept album dealing with the self-destructive effects of modern-day masculinity. The album has a heavier sound than the band's previous work, featuring distorted synths, compressed drum machine-like beats and guitar solos, marking a big departure from the band's soft yet dramatic art pop sound, which was featured on their past four albums. It was recorded in Dallas, Texas with producer John Congleton, who previously helmed albums by St. Vincent and Swans.
Accolades
edit| Publication | Accolade | Year | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NME | NME's Albums of the Year 2016 | 2016 | 47
|
|
| Rough Trade | Albums of the Year | 2016 | 47
|
|
| The Skinny | Top 50 Albums of 2016 | 2016 | 31
|
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Wild Beasts
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Big Cat" | 3:07 |
| 2. | "Tough Guy" | 3:31 |
| 3. | "Alpha Female" | 3:45 |
| 4. | "Get My Bang" | 3:33 |
| 5. | "Celestial Creatures" | 4:28 |
| 6. | "2BU" | 4:19 |
| 7. | "He the Colossus" | 4:11 |
| 8. | "Ponytail" | 3:38 |
| 9. | "Eat Your Heart Out Adonis" | 3:56 |
| 10. | "Dreamliner" | 4:44 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Boy King Trash" | 20:53 |
Personnel
edit- Tom Fleming – vocals, guitar, keyboards, sampler
- Hayden Thorpe – vocals, bass, keyboards, programming, vocoder
- Ben Little – guitar, keyboards, programming
- Chris Talbot – drums, percussion, keyboards
Charts
edit| Chart (2016) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[16] | 63 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[17] | 80 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[18] | 182 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[19] | 186 |
| Irish Albums (IRMA)[20] | 23 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[21] | 9 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[22] | 9 |
References
edit- ^ "Boy King by Wild Beasts". Metacritic. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
- ^ "Boy King - Wild Beasts". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
- ^ "Wild Beasts - Boy King". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
- ^ "Wild Beasts - Boy King". Clash. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
- ^ "Album review: Wild Beasts - Boy King". DIY. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
- ^ "Album Review: Wild Beasts - Boy King". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 13 April 2019. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
- ^ "Wild Beasts Boy King". Exclaim!. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
- ^ "Wild Beasts: Boy King review – muscular grooves and liberation on their best yet". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
- ^ "Wild Beasts: Boy King Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
- ^ "Boy King". Record Collector. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
- ^ "Wild Beasts: Boy King". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
- ^ "NME's Albums of the Year 2016". NME. 24 November 2016. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
- ^ "Albums of the Year". Rough Trade. 14 November 2016. Archived from the original on 16 November 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
- ^ "Top 50 Albums of 2016". The Skinny. 1 December 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
- ^ "Boy King". Retrieved 26 July 2016.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Wild Beasts – Boy King" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Wild Beasts – Boy King" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Wild Beasts – Boy King" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Wild Beasts – Boy King". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
- ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Wild Beasts". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 August 2016.