The Universal Want

The Universal Want is the fifth studio album by British rock band Doves. The album was released by Heavenly Recordings and Virgin/EMI on 11 September 2020.[1] The Universal Want is the band's first album following a hiatus that began in 2010; the band members pursued solo projects in the interim.

The Universal Want
Studio album by
Doves
Released11 September 2020 (2020-09-11)
Recorded2017–2020
Studio
Length47:06
Label
Producer
Doves chronology
The Places Between: The Best of Doves
(2010)		 The Universal Want
(2020)
Doves studio album chronology
Kingdom of Rust
(2009)		 The Universal Want
(2020)
Singles from The Universal Want
  1. "Carousels"
    Released: 18 June 2020
  2. "Prisoners"
    Released: 9 July 2020
  3. "Cathedrals of the Mind"
    Released: 27 August 2020

Three digital singles preceded the album's release across mid-2020: "Carousels" in June, "Prisoners" in July, and "Cathedrals of the Mind" in August. Doves also announced a nationwide tour of the United Kingdom to support the album, scheduled for March and April 2021.[2] The Universal Want garnered critical acclaim and was commercially successful, entering the UK Albums Chart at #1, becoming Doves' third album to achieve the top position.[3]

Background

After touring and promotion of the band's previous album, Kingdom of Rust, and subsequent compilation album The Places Between: The Best of Doves in 2009 and 2010 respectively, Doves announced they would be taking an indefinite hiatus. Jimi Goodwin released his debut solo album, Odludek, in March 2014, while Jez and Andy Williams regrouped as Black Rivers and released a self-titled album in February 2015.

In December 2018, Goodwin and the Williams brothers announced they would be reuniting as Doves and performing at the Royal Albert Hall in support for the Teenage Cancer Trust in March 2019.[4] Following the warm reception to the performance and additional live gigs, rumours began to circulate regarding new material being written and recorded. On 18 June 2020, the band released "Carousels", their first new song in ten years. A month later on 9 July, the band announced the details of their new album and released the album's first proper single, "Prisoners".[1]

Recording

Doves partly recorded the album at Frank Bough Sound III (a studio converted from a barn in Cheshire where they had recorded Kingdom of Rust[5]), Big Red Studios in Macclesfield, EVE Studios in Stockport and Vada Studios in Alcester in England. The band co-produced the album with frequent collaborator Dan Austin, and it was mixed by Craig Silvey at London's Toast Studios and Dan Austin at SoundHorn Studios in southwest England.[5]

In an interview with independent music website At the Barrier, Andy Williams said there was a renewed focus and clarity in the studio after not recording together for as long as the band did; he added, "[There was also] an appreciation of what all three of us brought to the band originally. We enjoy each other's company. We missed writing together and we also gave each other more room. If someone wasn't feeling great one day we'd reconvene at a later date whereas during Kingdom of Rust we were working solidly day-to-day; clocking in. It was quite militant. We've always had a strong work ethic but this time it was different because of the way we gave each other space if they weren't feeling it. It was a lot easier as a process."[6]

The album's artwork was chosen by the band from London-based, Finnish photographer Maria Lax. Goodwin was moved by the images in Lax's 2020 photobook, Some Kind of Heavenly Fire, and he gifted his bandmates a copy each.[7] This marks the first album release by the band to not feature artwork from longtime collaborator Rick Myers.

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.2/10[8]
Metacritic80/100[9]
Review scores
SourceRating
Clash8/10[10]
The Guardian[11]
Mojo[12]
musicOMH[13]
NME[14]
Our Culture Mag[15]
Pitchfork6.7/10[16]
Q[17]
Uncut9/10[18]
Under the Radar8/10[19]

The Universal Want was met with critical praise. In the October 2020 issue of Uncut, reviewer Paul Moody awarded the album a 9 out of 10 rating, and praised the album as a "cathartic comeback from the kings of Northwestern noir" and concluded, "With their fifth album they're taking strength from sadness, hope from despair, and wisdom from experience. In troubled times, The Universal Want is exactly what we need."[18][20] Reviewer Jonathan Taylor of British independent website Gigslutz gave the album a positive review, stating, "There is an autobiographical subtext and musically it encapsulates perfectly three decades of experience and ideas. This time around, devoid of pressure and breaking free from the shackles of expectation, Doves have produced a masterpiece of a record, which arguably could be considered their finest album to date."[21] Along with positive reviews, both Stereogum and The Guardian awarded the album their "Album of the Week" tags for the week of the release date.[22][11]

Accolades

In a year-end recap, independent music website Albumism ranked The Universal Want at number 10 on their list of the "100 Best Albums of 2020."[23] Under the Radar ranked the album at number 12 on their "Top 100 Albums of 2020" list.[24]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Jez Williams, Jimi Goodwin, and Andy Williams[upper-alpha 1].

The Universal Want track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Carousels"4:50
2."I Will Not Hide"4:15
3."Broken Eyes"4:15
4."For Tomorrow"5:28
5."Cathedrals of the Mind"5:20
6."Prisoners"4:26
7."Cycle of Hurt"4:15
8."Mother Silverlake"5:13
9."Universal Want"5:21
10."Forest House"3:43
Total length:47:06
Japanese CD bonus tracks[25][upper-alpha 2]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."There Goes the Fear" (Live acoustic) 4:40
12."M62 Song" (Four Tet Remix)Williams, Goodwin, Williams, Fripp, Giles, Lake, McDonald, Sinfield6:26
Total length:58:09
Limited edition box set bonus 12" single track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Carousels" (The Comet Is Coming Remix)5:02
2."Carousels" (The Comet Is Coming Instrumental)5:01
3."Carousels" (Instrumental)4:54

Notes
  1. "Carousels" features a drum sample written by Tony Allen.
  2. Bonus tracks originally released in 2002; reissued in 2020 on the band's digital download-only release Remnants II.

Credits
Technical
  • Produced by Doves and Dan Austin, except tracks 1, 5 and 9 produced by Doves.
  • Tracks 1, 2, 3, 4 and 8 mixed by Craig Silvey at Toast Studios; assisted by Dani Bennett Spragg.
  • Tracks 2 and 4 additional mixing by Jez Williams.
  • Tracks 6, 7 and 10 mixed by Dan Austin at SoundHorn.
  • Tracks 5 and 9 mixed by Jez Williams for Cedar Music Productions.
  • Engineered by Jez Williams and Dan Austin.
  • Assistant engineers: Henry Broadhead and Joel Patchett (tracks 2, 4, 8 and 10); Jake Evans (track 3); George Perks (tracks 7, 9 and 10).
  • Mastered by Matt Colton at Metropolis Mastering, London.
  • Strings on tracks 3, 6 and 7 arranged by Jez Williams.
Musicians
  • All instruments performed by Doves.
  • Martin Rebelski – piano on tracks 1, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 9; modular synths on track 6.
  • Tony Allen – drums on track 1.
  • Dan Austin – programming.
  • Belinda Hammond and Hannah Groarke-Young – strings on tracks 3, 6 and 7.
  • Colin Williams, Kim Wedderburne, Mark Menzies, Se-ember Yaor and Yvonne Shelton – backing vocals on tracks 4 and 9.
Visual
  • Photography by Maria Lax.
  • Band photo by Jon Shard.

Charts
Chart performance for The Universal Want
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[26] 83
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[27] 120
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[28] 85
Irish Albums (OCC)[29] 6
Scottish Albums (OCC)[30] 1
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[31] 65
UK Albums (OCC)[32] 1

Release history
Country Date Label Format Catalogue # Notes
Various 11 September 2020 Heavenly/Virgin CD CDV3248
LP V3248
Red-coloured LP VY3248 Doves' webstore and online retail exclusive
White-coloured LP VX3248 Indie stores exclusive
Limited edition box set VBOX3248 Limited numbered box set with lenticular cover on lid; includes picture disc LP, bonus 12" single, cassette, art prints and postcards
Japan Universal Music Japan CD UICY-15922 Includes two bonus tracks
United States 9 October 2020 Heavenly/Virgin via Imperial Distribution LP V3248

References
  1. Bloom, Madison (9 July 2020). "Doves announce first album in 11 years, share video for new song "Prisoners"". Pitchfork. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  2. Moore, Sam (27 July 2020). "Doves announce 2021 UK tour". NME. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  3. "UK #1 Album - Doves Music Blog". 18 September 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  4. Aubrey, Elizabeth (29 March 2019). ""We're blown away – this is incredible": Doves make emotional return to a sold-out London crowd". NME. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  5. Munro, Scott (10 July 2020). "Doves reveal new album The Universal Want with video for Prisoners". Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  6. Walsh, Dominic (25 August 2020). "Doves' Andy Williams: Interview - At The Barrier". Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  7. Leas, Ryan (9 July 2020). "Doves Announce 'The Universal Want,' Share "Prisoners": Listen - Stereogum". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  8. "The Universal Want by Doves reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  9. "The Universal Want by Doves Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  10. Hansen, Susan (7 September 2020). "Doves – The Universal Want – Reviews". Clash. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  11. Petridis, Alexis (10 September 2020). "Doves: The Universal Want review – soaring soundtrack to changing lives". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  12. Collins, Andrew. "Mojo Magazine October 2020 (pg.90)". Mojo. Retrieved 3 September 2020 – via Album of the Year.
  13. Ashton-Smith, Alan (10 September 2020). "Doves - The Universal Want - Reviews - musicOMH". musicOMH. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  14. Jones, Damian (8 September 2020). "Doves - 'The Universal Want' album review". NME. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  15. Pappis, Konstantinos (14 September 2020). "Album Review: Doves,'The Universal Want'". Our Culture Mag. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  16. Cohen, Ian (14 September 2020). "Doves The Universal Want". Pitchfork. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  17. Segal, Victoria. "Q Magazine September 2020 (pg.106)". Q. Retrieved 3 September 2020 – via Album of the Year.
  18. October 2020 issue, pg.38
  19. Conner, Matt (10 September 2020). "Doves: The Universal Want (IMPERIAL) Review". Under the Radar. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  20. "Doves Music Blog – Uncut Review". 16 August 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  21. Taylor, Jonathan (30 August 2020). "ALBUM REVIEW: Doves 'The Universal Want' - Gigslutz". Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  22. Leas, Ryan (8 September 2020). "Doves 'The Universal Want' Album Review". Stereogum. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  23. Chadwick, Justin (6 December 2020). "Albumism's 100 Best Albums of 2020 - #10: Doves' 'The Universal Want'". Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  24. Redfern, Mark (15 January 2021). "Under the Radar's Top 100 Albums of 2020". Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  25. "ザ・ユニバーサル・ウォント[CD]" (in Japanese). Universal Music Japan. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  26. "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 21 September 2020". No. 1594. Australian Recording Industry Association. 21 September 2020. Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  27. "Ultratop.be – Doves – The Universal Want" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  28. "Offiziellecharts.de – Doves – The Universal Want" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  29. "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  30. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  31. "Swisscharts.com – Doves – The Universal Want". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  32. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
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