Are You Alright? is the debut EP by British indie band Lovejoy. It was released on May 9, 2021 and includes four tracks.
After the band formed in 2020, Wilbur Soot's popularity as a gaming content creator garnered Lovejoy a large fanbase. The band also kept in close contact with fans, teasing bits of the songs and documenting the recording process on social media.
Development and production[]
Lovejoy wrote the EP from August 2020 to February 2021, with Wilbur Soot and Joe Goldsmith writing the most. While the songs retain some of the satirical emphasis in Wilbur's earlier songs from Your City Gave Me Asthma and his e-girl trilogy, they feature a different style that the band describes as indie rock. Thematically, they focus on similar topics, such as troubled romances and self-doubt.
The band initially drafted six songs; however, only four were released in the EP. In February 2021, the band also planned to record and mix the songs themselves before sending the recordings to be produced, but the audio recording failed and the band sent a video of themselves performing one of the songs, "Taunt", instead.[1] The EP was eventually recorded in Brighton Electric Studios in March 2021, produced by Cameron Nesbitt, and mastered by Shaw.[2]
Title and artwork[]
The EP cover was drawn by @elsiecairns on Instagram.[3] The title of the EP refers to lines from "Taunt" and "One Day":
"She's always asking, 'Am I alright?'" (from "Taunt")
"And stop / 'Cause why'd you have to kill my cat?" (from "One Day")
The question "are you alright?" is commonly asked when the answer, usually negative, is clear. The lyrics refer to this mannerism through lyrics about how the narrator of the songs recognizes that he is in a bad relationship, yet overlooks the relationship's problems. The EP cover refers to this by having the words "Are you alright?" pointing at an obviously dead cat.
Release and promotion[]
Parts of "One Day" were teased on Wilbur's stream on April 14, 2021, and he discussed the EP on-stream with other streamers such as JackManifoldTV.[4][5] Mark also posted Studio Archives on Instagram, which featured clips of band members recording the songs and other behind-the-scenes pictures and videos.[6][7][8][9][10][11] Due to Wilbur's following from YouTube and Twitch, a large fanbase quickly supported Lovejoy after Wilbur announced it in February 2021 and spread news of the EP.
The tracks and music video for "One Day" were released simultaneously on YouTube and Apple Music on May 9, 2021.[12][13] A second music video for "Taunt", featuring GeorgeNotFound, was released on May 10, as well as the EP on Spotify.[14]
Reception[]
Are You Alright? quickly gained traction. The EP trended on Twitter, both music videos accumulated over one million views within a day of release, and all three videos (EP and music videos) trended simultaneously on YouTube. Several popular content creators, such as TommyInnit, also listened to songs from the EP on-stream.[15]
The EP debuted at number two on the US, UK, and Australian iTunes Charts, number three in Canada, and charted in Germany, and later peaked at number one on the US chart.[16][17] In Apple Music, the EP charted in the top pop and top album categories, including in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, the Netherlands, and the Philippines.[18] On Spotify, "One Day" and "Taunt" were added to Spotify's Top 50 playlists in the US, UK, and Canada.[19][20] The EP has also been played on some radio stations internationally.[21][22]
Track listing[]
| # | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Taunt" | Wilbur Soot • Joe Goldsmith • Ash Kabosu • Mark Boardman | Cameron Nesbitt | 2:13 |
| 2 | "One Day" | Wilbur • Joe • Ash • Mark | Cameron | 2:24 |
| 3 | "Sex Sells" | Wilbur • Joe • Ash • Mark | Cameron | 4:06 |
| 4 | "Cause for Concern" | Wilbur • Joe • Ash • Mark | Cameron | 3:22 |
Personnel[]
Credits are adapted from YouTube.
- Wilbur Soot - lead vocals, guitar, songwriting
- Joe Goldsmith - guitar, songwriting
- Ash Kabosu - bass guitar, songwriting
- Mark Boardman - drums, songwriting
- Cameron Nesbitt - production
- Shaw - mastering
Charts[]
| Date | Single | Peak position | Weeks on chart |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 May 2021 | "One Day" | 54 | 3 |
| 20 May 2021 | "Taunt" | 75 | 2 |
| 27 May 2021 | "Sex Sells" | 93 | 1 |
Trivia[]
- The cat on the cover is named Anvilcat.[24]
References[]
- ↑ Little Bit of Everything (February 5, 2021). "Wilbur Soot VOD (Feb 4th 2021) - my neck, my back, watch this stream i'm back QNA" (stream VOD).
- ↑ @cameronnesbitt (May 10, 2021). Cameron produced, recorded, and mixed; @shawissure mastered (Instagram post).
- ↑ @LVJYonline (May 11, 2021). Album art designed by @elsiecairns on Instagram (tweet).
- ↑ Little Bit of Everything (April 15, 2021). "Wilbur Soot VOD (April 15th 2021) - ORIGINS. NEW FACES. DIET COKE. IT'S BOUT TO GO DOWN" (stream VOD). At 1:58, Wilbur plays a snippet of "One Day".
- ↑ @LVJYupdate (May 2, 2021). Wilbur talks about the album name with Jack (tweet).
- ↑ @markboardman_tbt (April 19, 2021). Studio Archive 1: EP recording sessions March 2021 (Instagram post).
- ↑ @markboardman_tbt (April 20, 2021). Studio Archive 2: EP Recording sessions (Instagram post).
- ↑ @markboardman_tbt (April 21, 2021). Studio Archive 3: Ep recording sessions (Instagram post).
- ↑ @markboardman_tbt (April 22, 2021). Studio Archive 4: EP recording session (Instagram post).
- ↑ @markboardman_tbt (April 23, 2021). Studio Archive 5: EP recording sessions (Instagram post).
- ↑ @markboardman_tbt (April 26, 2021). Studio Archive 6: EP recording sessions (Instagram post).
- ↑ Lovejoy (May 9, 2021). "Lovejoy - Are You Alright? (Full Album" (album).
- ↑ Lovejoy (May 9, 2021). "Lovejoy - One Day (OFFICIAL VIDEO)" (music video).
- ↑ Lovejoy (May 10, 2021). "Lovejoy - Taunt (OFFICIAL VIDEO)" (music video).
- ↑ TommyInnit (May 11, 2021). "Tommy's Reaction to Wilbur's Band Lovejoy..." (stream clip).
- ↑ "Lovejoy - 'Are You Alright? - EP' American iTunes Chart Performance" (May 10, 2021). iTunes Charts.
- ↑ "Lovejoy - 'Are You Alright? - EP' British iTunes Chart Performance" (May 10, 2021). iTunes Charts.
- ↑ @LVJYupdate (May 10, 2021). Are You Alright? rankings on Apple Music top pop charts (tweet).
- ↑ @LVJYupdate (May 13, 2021). "One Day" and "Taunt" on Spotify's UK daily Top 50 playlist (tweet).
- ↑ @reallymillee (May 13, 2021). "One Day" on Spotify's US and Canada daily Top 50 playlists (tweet).
- ↑ @Tarsalll (May 12, 2021). Lovejoy on Hastings Rock Radio in England, United Kingdom (tweet).
- ↑ @Lunar_Eclipseed (May 10, 2021). Lovejoy on Mustang Morning Squad in Indonesia (tweet).
- ↑ Official Charts. Lovejoy Official Chart History.
- ↑ @AshKabosu (October 14, 2021). "The Adventures Of Anvilcat & Peebee" (tweet).