Club Romantech Explained
| Club Romantech |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Icona Pop |
| Cover: | Icona Pop - Club Romantech.png |
| Genre: |
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| Length: | 40:36 |
| Label: |
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| Producer: |
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| Prev Title: | Så mycket bättre 2017 – Tolkningarna |
| Prev Year: | 2017 |
Club Romantech (consisting Caroline Hjelt and Aino Jawo) is the third studio album by Swedish synth-pop duo Icona Pop. It was released on 1 September 2023 through Swedish independent record label TEN Music Group and Ultra. The album marks the duo's first studio release in ten years.[1]
Background
Work on the album started in 2020, when the duo was forced to sell their Los Angeles home and had to relocate back to Stockholm to quarantine. They eventually found themselves in the "quietest period" they had ever experienced in their career. However, they still wanted to create music that was "more up-tempo".[2] Hjelt stated that the writing process had no rules. The intention was to share their vision with the fans, "inviting them" into their world. Jawo added that the duo loves to put their problems concerning "heartbreaks and sadness" in danceable "uplifting" songs.[3]
On 23 June 2023, the duo announced the album through their social media and shared the album cover.[4] The announcement also saw the release of the single "Where Do We Go from Here", one of the first songs written for the album in fall 2020.[5] The album will include a set of singles released since 2020: "Feels in My Body", "Spa", "Off of My Mind", "You're Free", "I Want You", "Faster" and "Shit We Do for Love".[6]
On 1 December 2023, the deluxe version of the album was released.
Critical reception
Club Romantech received a score of 76 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on four critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception.[7]
Track listing
Notes
- signifies a co-producer
- signifies a vocal producer
Personnel
Icona Pop
- Caroline Hjelt – vocals (tracks 1–10, 12–15)
- Aino Jawo – vocals (1–10, 12–15)
Additional musicians
- Lise Reppe – background vocals (5, 6)
- Philip Strand – background vocals (7)
- Yaroslav Polikarpov – vocals (11)
- Audrey Wheeler – background vocals (13)
- Cindy Mizelle – background vocals (13)
- Keith Fluitt – background vocals (13)
- Ultra Naté – vocals (13)
- Sophie Hawley-Weld – vocals (15)
- Tucker Halpern – vocals (15)
Technical
- Cass Irvine – mastering (1–10, 12, 13)
- Samuel Wills – mastering, mixing (11)
- Aria Mastering – mastering (13)
- Colin Leonard – mastering (14)
- Kevin Grainger – mastering (15)
- Mark Ralph – mixing (1)
- Miles Walker – mixing (3–10, 12–15)
- Jacob Werner – mixing (11), engineering (1, 3, 6, 9, 13), vocal engineering (8)
- Philip Strand – engineering (4, 5), vocal engineering (7)
- Yaro – engineering (5, 6, 10, 12)
- Davie Darlington – engineering (13)
- Ultra Naté – engineering (13)
- Ryan Summer – vocal engineering (7)
- Ryan Jumper – engineering assistance (15)
Notes and References
- Icona Pop Announce First Album in 10 Years, 'Club Romantech'. Spanos. Brittany. Brittany Spanos . Rolling Stone. 23 June 2023. 23 June 2023.
- Web site: Icona Pop Share Title & Tracklist for Second Studio Album 'Club Romantech'. Major. Michael. BroadwayWorld. 23 June 2023. 23 June 2023.
- Web site: Icona Pop Detail First Album in 10 Years, Share New Song: Listen. Strauss. Matthew. Pitchfork. 23 June 2023. 23 June 2023.
- Web site: Announcing Club Romantech, Icona Pop drops ' Where Do We Go From Here'. O'Neill. Claire. Hot Press. 23 June 2023. 23 June 2023.
- Web site: Icona Pop Announce New Album 'Romantech,' Share Song. Richardson-Dupuis. Emilie. Exclaim!. 23 June 2023. 23 June 2023.
- Web site: Icona Pop announce new LP, share "Where Do We Go From Here". Hatfield. Amanda. BrooklynVegan. 23 June 2023. 23 June 2023.
- Web site: Club Romantech by Icona Pop. Metacritic. 6 September 2023.
