Ultralife (album)

Ultralife is the second album by alt-pop duo Oh Wonder, released on 14 July 2017.

Ultralife
Studio album by
Oh Wonder
Released14 July 2017 (2017-07-14)
Recorded2016–2017
Genre
Length44:04
Label
ProducerOh Wonder
Oh Wonder chronology
Oh Wonder
(2015)		 Ultralife
(2017)		 No One Else Can Wear Your Crown
(2020)

Background

Anthony West and Josephine Vander Gucht of Oh Wonder began the writing process with a month in an Airbnb in Brooklyn, New York in April 2016. Later in the year, they returned to their hometown of London after a year of touring the world, and wrote the second half of the record. The twelve songs were recorded over a 10-day period at The Pool Studio, Bermondsey in December 2016 and finished at their home studio at the start of 2017. The duo wrote, recorded, produced and mixed the record themselves. The first single "Ultralife" was released on 31 March 2017 and hailed by the NME as "bright-eyed" and "dazzling".[1]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic61/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
Never Enough Notes[3]
Press Play OK[4]
Rolling Stone[5]
Irish Times[6]
Evening Standard[7]
Daily Telegraph[8]
AllMusic[9]

Ultralife received positive reviews from critics. Larisha Paul of Baeble Music called the album an "ethereal adventure" that showcases the duo's "masterful songwriting abilities".[10] In contrast, AllMusic's Marcy Donelson said that, compared to their 2015 debut album, "intimacy definitely takes a hit with Ultralife's expanded production".[9]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Josephine Vander Gucht and Anthony West.

No.TitleLength
1."Solo"3:24
2."Ultralife"3:31
3."Lifetimes"3:52
4."High on Humans"3:11
5."All About You"3:02
6."Heavy"3:11
7."Bigger Than Love"3:39
8."Heart Strings"3:24
9."Slip Away"3:41
10."Overgrown"3:58
11."My Friends"4:55
12."Waste"4:16
Total length:44:04

Charts
Chart (2017) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[11] 37
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[12] 28
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[13] 115
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[14] 17
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[15] 48
Irish Albums (IRMA)[16] 38
New Zealand Heatseekers Albums (RMNZ)[17] 5
Scottish Albums (OCC)[18] 13
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[19] 62
UK Albums (OCC)[20] 8
US Billboard 200[21] 76
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[22] 11
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[23] 14

References
  1. Milton, Jamie. "Oh Wonder get a lease of Ultralife' with dazzling new single". NME. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  2. https://www.metacritic.com/music/ultralife/oh-wonder
  3. Giles, Laura (10 July 2017). "Oh Wonder's extraordinary sophomore album 'Ultralife' exposes their huge talent". Never Enough Notes.
  4. Brick, Jonny (10 July 2017). "REVIEW: Oh Wonder - Ultralife". Press Play OK.
  5. Cunniffe, Jessie (19 June 2017). "Dreamy cohesiveness of the highest order". Rolling Stone Aus. Archived from the original on 19 July 2017. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  6. Murphy, Lauren (13 July 2017). "Songs With A Big Heart You Can Dance To". Irish Times.
  7. Paine, Andre (13 July 2017). "Low-key Duo Let Pure Quality Do The Talking". Evening Standard.
  8. McCormick, Nick (14 July 2017). "Music That's Cool, But Not Too Cool". Daily Telegraph.
  9. Donelson, Marcy. "Ultralife - Oh Wonder". Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  10. Paul, Larisha. "Oh Wonder's 'Ultralife' is an Ethereal Adventure". Baeble Music. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  11. "ARIA Australian Top 50 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. 24 July 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  12. "Ultratop.be – Oh Wonder – Ultralife" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  13. "Ultratop.be – Oh Wonder – Ultralife" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  14. "On The Charts: July 24, 2017". FYIMusicNews. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  15. "Dutchcharts.nl – Oh Wonder – Ultralife" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  16. "Irish Albums Chart: 21 July 2017". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  17. "NZ Heatseekers Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 24 July 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  18. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  19. "Swisscharts.com – Oh Wonder – Ultralife". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  20. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  21. "Oh Wonder Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  22. "Oh Wonder Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  23. "Oh Wonder Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
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