Keep On Smiling (album)
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| Released | 2 September 2022 | |||
| Recorded | 2019–2022 | |||
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| Length | 46:59 | |||
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| Two Door Cinema Club chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Keep On Smiling | ||||
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Keep On Smiling is the fifth studio album by Northern Irish indie rock band Two Door Cinema Club, released on 2 September 2022 by Lower Third (distributed by [PIAS]) and Glassnote Records in North America. The album was written and produced by the band, with additional production from longtime collaborator Jacknife Lee and Dan Grech-Marguerat. It was recorded across studios in London and at Jacknife Lee's studio in Topanga, California.
Background
[edit]Following their fourth album False Alarm (2019), the band began new recording sessions with Jacknife Lee at studios in London and at Lee's studio in Topanga, California. The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted the process; guitarist Sam Halliday and bassist Kevin Baird both became fathers during lockdown, while vocalist Alex Trimble, based in London, invested in building a home studio. Halliday later said the band were "too busy just surviving" to produce a "COVID album", and instead reconnected toward the end of restrictions, sharing ideas over email in what he described as "a throwback to making demos in Alex's garage".[1]
Halliday noted that the band deliberately kept the instrumentation minimal: "We each played our instruments, and that's it. There weren't loads of other elements thrown in just because we could."[2]
Release and promotion
[edit]The album was announced on 16 June 2022 alongside the release of lead single "Wonderful Life", accompanied by a music video directed by Alice Isaacs. "Lucky" followed as the second single on 28 July 2022, and "Everybody's Cool" was released on album day with a video directed by Jack Pell.
The album was released digitally on 2 September 2022. A limited-edition vinyl pressing of 5,000 copies followed on 4 November 2022, available in four colours; the band subsequently destroyed the master recordings, ensuring no further physical editions would be produced.[3]
Shortly after the album's release, the band cancelled their European tour dates after bassist Kevin Baird revealed he had been battling an "incurable autoimmune disease" and required surgery.[4] The band's North American tour was subsequently also cancelled.[5]
Critical reception
[edit]| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 62/100[6] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [7] |
| Clash | 7/10[8] |
| DIY | 6/10[9] |
| NME | [10] |
| Pitchfork | 4.7/10[11] |
| The Line of Best Fit | 6/10[12] |
| The Daily Telegraph | [13] |
| The Skinny | 6/10[14] |
Keep On Smiling received mixed reviews from critics. On Metacritic, the album holds a weighted average score of 62 out of 100 based on 8 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[15]
Matt Collar of AllMusic rated the album four stars out of five and wrote that "there's certainly a hooky immediacy to much of Keep on Smiling, but it's given depth by Two Door Cinema Club's increasingly artful and sardonic pop approach."[7] Emma Harrison of Clash rated it seven out of ten, calling it "punchy, peppy, and undeniably positive" and "an exuberant and life-affirming ambitious album that demonstrates that if in doubt, you have to choose happiness."[8] Rhian Daly of NME gave the album three stars out of five, writing that "when things get serious on this record, the band stumble and the smiles begin to slip."[10] Evan Rytlewski of Pitchfork gave it 4.7 out of 10, writing that "Keep On Smiling's glossy veneer never disguises its particle-board center."[11] Lana Williams of The Line of Best Fit wrote that "though impressive and vaguely explorative, the record falls slightly short of the mark for an outfit aiming to reinvent themselves."[12]
Track listing
[edit]All tracks are written by Alex Trimble, Kevin Baird, Sam Halliday and Garret Lee, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Messenger AD (Intro)" | 2:42 | |
| 2. | "Blue Light" | 3:53 | |
| 3. | "Everybody's Cool" | 4:22 | |
| 4. | "Lucky" |
| 3:39 |
| 5. | "Little Piggy" | 4:26 | |
| 6. | "Millionaire" | 4:53 | |
| 7. | "High" | 3:58 | |
| 8. | "Wonderful Life" |
| 3:19 |
| 9. | "Feeling Strange" | 4:44 | |
| 10. | "Won't Do Nothing" | 4:43 | |
| 11. | "Messenger HD" | 1:28 | |
| 12. | "Disappearer" | 4:52 | |
| Total length: | 46:59 | ||
Personnel
[edit]Credits adapted from the liner notes of Keep On Smiling.[16]
Two Door Cinema Club
[edit]- Alex Trimble – vocals, guitar, percussion, keyboards
- Kevin Baird – bass guitar, keyboards
- Sam Halliday – guitar
Additional musicians
[edit]- Ben Thompson – drums, percussion
Production
[edit]- Jacknife Lee – additional production, keyboards, guitar, programming, percussion, recording, mixing[c]
- Matt Bishop – recording, editing[d]
- Will Purton – recording assistance at RAK Studios[e]
- Ben Loveland – recording assistance at The Bridge Studio[f]
- Dan Grech-Marguerat – additional production, mixing[g]
- Jonny Breakwell – recording[h]
- Triss Ellis – recording assistance[i]
Artwork
[edit]- Alan Fears – painting
- Annelise Keestra – design
Charts
[edit]| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Album Downloads (OCC)[17] | 17 |
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "Two Door Cinema Club: 'We were too busy just surviving'". The Irish Times. 25 August 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
- ↑ "Two Door Cinema Club: 'We were too busy just surviving'". The Irish Times. 25 August 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
- ↑ "Two Door Cinema Club on 'Keep On Smiling' and starting over". NME. 2 September 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
- ↑ "Two Door Cinema Club cancel European tour as Kevin Baird battles 'incurable autoimmune disease'". NME. 7 September 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
- ↑ "Two Door Cinema Club Cancels North American Tour". CelebrityAccess. 23 September 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
- ↑ "Keep on Smiling by Two Door Cinema Club Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
- 1 2 Matt Collar. "Keep on Smiling – Two Door Cinema Club review". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
- 1 2 Emma Harrison (1 September 2022). "Two Door Cinema Club – Keep On Smiling". Clash. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
- ↑ "Two Door Cinema Club – Keep On Smiling". DIY. 1 September 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
- 1 2 Rhian Daly (2 September 2022). "Two Door Cinema Club – 'Keep On Smiling' review". NME. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
- 1 2 Evan Rytlewski (2 September 2022). "Two Door Cinema Club: Keep On Smiling". Pitchfork. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
- 1 2 Lana Williams (31 August 2022). "Two Door Cinema Club: Keep On Smiling review". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
- ↑ "Best new album releases of the week". The Daily Telegraph. 2 September 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
- ↑ "Two Door Cinema Club – Keep On Smiling review". The Skinny. 2 September 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
- ↑ "Keep on Smiling by Two Door Cinema Club". Metacritic.
- ↑ Keep On Smiling (liner notes). Two Door Cinema Club. Lower Third. 2022. PROINC032V1.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ↑ "Two Door Cinema Club full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 March 2026.