Present Tense (Wild Beasts album)

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Present Tense
Studio album by
Released24 February 2014 (2014-02-24)
RecordedKonk Studios in London and at The Distillery in Bath, Somerset
GenreIndie rock, dream pop, synthpop
Length40:55
LabelDomino
ProducerLexxx, Leo Abrahams, Wild Beasts
Wild Beasts chronology
Smother
(2011)
Present Tense
(2014)
Boy King
(2016)
Singles from Present Tense
  1. "Wanderlust"
    Released: 24 February 2014
  2. "A Simple Beautiful Truth"
    Released: 19 May 2014
  3. "Mecca"
    Released: 4 August 2014
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.1/10[1]
Metacritic86/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
The Guardian[4]
The Independent[5]
Mojo[6]
NME9/10[7]
The Observer[8]
Pitchfork8.2/10[9]
Q[10]
Record Collector[11]
Uncut9/10[12]

Present Tense is the fourth studio album by Wild Beasts, released 24 February 2014 on Domino Recording Company. It was preceded by the single "Wanderlust" released on the same day.[13]

Background[edit]

Following a two-year-long world tour in promotion of their third album Smother, the band admitted to feelings of burn out by the experience and in late 2012 announced that they would take a year off from touring to concentrate on writing and recording the follow-up. Seeking a fresh approach, the band chose not to work with long-time producer Richard Formby, who had helmed the recording of Two Dancers and Smother, though they have not ruled out collaborating with him again in the future. Producers Leo Abrahams and Lexxx (who was also involved in the mixing of both records) were brought in to sharpen the band's focus and help them craft songs that continued to pursue the band's shift into electronic and synthesized sounds, yet with a more direct and aggressive feel in comparison to Smother. The album received acclaim from critics.[2]

Track listing[edit]

All songs written by Wild Beasts.

No.TitleLength
1."Wanderlust"4:55
2."Nature Boy"3:33
3."Mecca"3:45
4."Sweet Spot"4:00
5."Daughters"4:46
6."Pregnant Pause"3:10
7."A Simple Beautiful Truth"2:36
8."A Dog's Life"3:20
9."Past Perfect"2:57
10."New Life"4:37
11."Palace"3:20

Chart positions[edit]

Chart (2014) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[14] 77
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[15] 146
French Albums (SNEP)[16] 172
Irish Albums (IRMA)[17] 13
Irish Independent Albums (IRMA)[18] 2
Scottish Albums (OCC)[19] 15
UK Albums (OCC)[20] 10
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[21] 3
US Current Albums (Billboard)[22] 177
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[23] 5
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[23] 44

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Present Tense by Wild Beasts reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Reviews for Present Tense by Wild Beasts". Metacritic. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
  3. ^ Phares, Heather. "Present Tense – Wild Beasts". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  4. ^ Nicholson, Rebecca (20 February 2014). "Wild Beasts: Present Tense – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
  5. ^ Gill, Andy (21 February 2014). "Album reviews: Little Feat, Neneh Cherry, John Harle & Marc Almond, Julie Fowlis, Wild Beasts". The Independent. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
  6. ^ Sheppard, David (March 2014). "Wild Beasts: Present Tense". Mojo (244): 89.
  7. ^ Horner, Al (17 February 2014). "Wild Beasts – 'Present Tense'". NME. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
  8. ^ Mongredien, Phil (23 February 2014). "Wild Beasts: Present Tense – review". The Observer. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
  9. ^ Cohen, Ian (26 February 2014). "Wild Beasts: Present Tense". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
  10. ^ Harrison, Ian (March 2014). "Brute Force". Q (332): 116.
  11. ^ Atkins, Jamie (March 2014). "Wild Beasts – Present Tense". Record Collector (425). Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  12. ^ Richards, Sam (20 March 2014). "Wild Beasts – Present Tense". Uncut. Archived from the original on 19 December 2019. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
  13. ^ "Wild Beasts, Present Tense". Domino Recording Company. 7 January 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  14. ^ "Ultratop.be – Wild Beasts – Present Tense" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  15. ^ "Ultratop.be – Wild Beasts – Present Tense" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  16. ^ "Lescharts.com – Wild Beasts – Present Tense". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  17. ^ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 9, 2014". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  18. ^ "Independent Artists Album". Chart-Track.co.uk. GFK Chart-Track. IRMA. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
  19. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  20. ^ "Wild Beasts | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  21. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  22. ^ "Top Current Albums : Mar 15, 2014". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
  23. ^ a b "Present Tense - Wild Beasts Awards". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 15 March 2014.