| A Billion Heartbeats | |
| Type: | Studio |
| Artist: | Mystery Jets |
| Cover: | A_Billion_Heartbeats_Album_Cover.jpg |
| Genre: | Alternative, Indie Rock |
| Label: | Caroline International |
| Producer: | Blaine Harrison, Matthew Twaites, Mystery Jets |
| Prev Title: | Curve of the Earth |
| Prev Year: | 2016 |
A Billion Heartbeats is the sixth studio album by English indie rock band Mystery Jets. It was released on 3 April 2020.
The first single released from the album was "Hospital Radio" on 8 July 2019, and it was first played on Steve Lamacq's BBC Radio 6 Music show.[1] The next single, "Screwdriver", was released on the 5 August 2019, alongside the announcement of the album name, tour dates and release date of 27 September 2019.[2]
On 17 September 2019, the band announced the postponement of the album's release and tour due to the hospitalisation of singer Blaine Harrison. They announced the rescheduled album release date for the 3 April 2020, with the tour following in April–May.[3]
The band were forced to reschedule the tour again to November–December 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic, however the album release still went ahead as planned, but only digitally.
As a result of the postponed release, two EPs were released - Petty Drone and A Billion Heartbeats, each having all the released tracks up to that point.
A Billion Heartbeats received positive reviews from contemporary music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 87, based on seven reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[4]
Most critics were impressed with the rousing sound displayed on the record; Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph praised the anthemic and intention sound of the album, stating that: "This is the sound of a group breaking out of their shell and demanding to be heard."[5] DIY Magazine reviewer Elly Watson agreed, calling the album a "rallying call for change and action", whilst also positing that the record will become an "undoubtedly influential album."[6] Alice Jenner of The Line of Best Fit echoed these calls, suggesting that "it's not a far stretch from their already established sound" but retains a sound which is "slightly heavier and a bit more raw in places".
Mystery Jets