Therapy (Anne-Marie album) explained

Therapy
Type:studio
Artist:Anne-Marie
Cover:Anne-Marie - Therapy.png
Genre:Pop[1]
Length:33:50
Label:
Producer:
Prev Title:Speak Your Mind
Prev Year:2018
Next Title:Unhealthy
Next Year:2023

Therapy is the second studio album by English singer-songwriter Anne-Marie. It was released on 23 July 2021, through Major Tom's and Asylum Records. It features guest appearances by KSI, Digital Farm Animals, Little Mix, Niall Horan, Nathan Dawe, MoStack, and Rudimental. The album was supported by four singles: "Don't Play", "Way Too Long", "Our Song", and "Kiss My (Uh-Oh)".

The album received generally positive reviews from music critics and was also a commercial success. Therapy peaked at number 2 in both the UK albums chart and the Scottish albums chart. It also peaked at number 4 on the Irish albums chart.

Background

Planning for Anne-Marie's second album began in 2019; in an interview with Music Week in March of that year, she provided information on her upcoming second studio album, stating "I love the studio. I was able to get in there and have some sort of therapy with my own brain for a week and that's going towards the next album". She further commented that "the first album was made up of so many songs that people had heard for years and that's amazing. But for me as a creative person, I'm writing something new all the time and all I want to do is put it out straight away. That wasn't the way it happened with [the debut] album so, for this next one, I'm hoping to be more active on writing and put something out straight away that's fresh and no one's heard before."[2]

During 2020, Anne-Marie released the standalone singles "Birthday", "Her", "To Be Young" (featuring American singer and rapper Doja Cat) and "Problems",[3] with "Birthday" and "To Be Young" later appearing on the Japanese edition of Therapy.

On 15 January 2021, Anne-Marie released the lead single of Therapy, "Don't Play", in collaboration with British YouTuber and rapper-singer KSI and English DJ and producer Digital Farm Animals.[4] On 9 April 2021, the second single "Way Too Long" was released in collaboration with English producer Nathan Dawe and British rapper MoStack.[5] On 21 May 2021, the third single "Our Song", a collaboration with Niall Horan, was released.[6] On that date, Anne-Marie announced the title, cover art, and release date of Therapy.[7] She later announced that she would embark on the Dysfunctional Tour in 2022, and Therapy: The Live Experience on 7 August 2021 in support of the album.[8] [9]

On 6 July 2021, via Twitter, Anne-Marie created a website that involved her fans/followers to figure out the track-listing for the album, with new ones appearing daily.[10] [11]

On 7 July 2021, random followers were sent DMs of one of two snippets of a song along with parts of the title. The track was revealed to be "Kiss My (Uh-Oh)" with British girlband Little Mix on 8 July 2021. The song samples "Never Leave You (Uh Oooh, Uh Oooh)" by Lumidee. The track was announced as the album's fourth single on 9 July 2021 along with its release date being 23 July 2021.[12] A snippet of the song was released on TikTok. The cover was revealed on Anne-Marie's social media on 21 July 2021. On the day of release the song was accompanied by a music video was directed by Hannah Lux Davis. The music video parodies the 2011 comedy film Bridesmaids.

Composition

Therapy was described by music critics as a genre-hopping pop album that draws influence from trance, indie, electronic, trap, UK garage, and pop rock.[1] [13] The opener, "x2", begins as a soulful song before turning into a revenge track.[1] [14] Lead single "Don't Play" was described as a 2-step-influenced UK garage track about heartache.[15] [16] "Kiss My (Uh-Oh)", a collaboration with Little Mix, was described as a calypso-pop number that was compared to the works of Beyoncé.[15] [14] It samples "Never Leave You (Uh Oooh, Uh Oooh)" by Lumidee.[13] "Who I Am" was described as a pop song with lyrics of defiance and self-acceptance.[15] [14] "Unlovable", a collaboration with Rudimental, is a "fist-pumping" dance track.[1] "Beautiful" sees the singer detailing her own insecurities over what NME described as swaying percussion.[1] The tracks "Tell Your Girlfriend" and "Better Not Together" both contain lyrics about turning heartbreak into self-confidence.[1] The title track serves as the closer for the album, being a trop-pop number.[15]

Promotion

Dysfunctional Tour

Concert Tour Name:Dysfunctional Tour
Artist:Anne-Marie
Image Caption:Tour poster released on 28 May 2021, along with the announcement of the tour.
Album:Therapy
Start Date:3 May 2022
End Date:18 October 2022
Number Of Shows:11
Number Of Legs:2
Last Tour:Speak Your Mind Tour
(2019)
This Tour:Dysfunctional Tour
(2022)
Next Tour:The Unhealthy Club Tour
(2023/2024)

On 28 May 2021, Anne-Marie announced the Dysfunctional Tour, scheduled to take place from 3 to 11 May 2022 across cities in United Kingdom and Ireland. Tickets were released to the general public on 4 June at 10 am BST, with the option of pre-sale tickets given to those who pre-ordered Therapy through the singer's official website. The pre-sale tickets were available from 2 to 4 June (for the London and Leeds shows only).[17] North American dates were announced on 30 November 2021.[18] European shows were announced on 7 June 2022,[19] while the Asian leg of the tour was announced on 15 July 2022.[20]

In September 2022, venues announced that both European and North American legs of tour were cancelled due to the singer's scheduling conflict, however Anne-Marie did not issue an official statement.[21]

List of confirmed dates and venues!Date!City!Country!Venue!Supporting act
UK & Ireland
3 May 2022DublinIreland3ArenaGracey
Billen Ted
6 May 2022GlasgowScotlandOVO Hydro
7 May 2022CardiffWalesMotorpoint Arena Cardiff
9 May 2022LeedsEnglandFirst Direct Arena
11 May 2022LondonSSE Arena
29 July 2022NewmarketNewmarket RacecourseGraceyMimi Webb
30 July 2022SwanseaWalesSingleton Park
Asia
13 October 2022TokyoJapanToyosu Pit—
14 October 2022OsakaNamba Hatch
16 October 2022Quezon CityPhilippinesNew Frontier Theater
18 October 2022SingaporeSingaporeCapitol Theatre
List of cancelled dates!Date!City!Country!Venue!Reason
5 November 2022HamburgGermanySporthalle HamburgUnknown Reasons
7 November 2022ColognePalladium
10 November 2022Esch-sur-AlzetteLuxembourgRockhal
12 November 2022AmsterdamNetherlandsZiggo Dome
13 November 2022BrusselsBelgiumPalais 12
15 November 2022ParisFranceZénith Paris - La Villette
11 October 2022New TaipeiTaiwanZEPP New TaipeiCovid-19 Pandemic
26 November 2022San FranciscoUnited StatesAugust HallUnknown Reasons
27 November 2022Los AngelesBelasco Theatre
1 December 2022ChicagoPark West
3 December 2022ColumbusNewport Music Hall
5 December 2022TorontoCanadaPhoenix Concert Theatre
7 December 2022New York CityUnited StatesWebster Hall

Setlist

This setlist comes from opening night in Dublin on 3 May 2022, it does not represent the setlist for the remainder of the tour.[22]

  1. "Ciao Adios"
  2. "x2"
  3. "Alarm"
  4. "Tell Your Girlfriend"
  5. "Then"
  6. "Rockabye"
  7. "Therapy"
  8. "Our Song"
  9. "Breathing"
  10. "Beautiful"
  11. "Perfect to Me"
  12. "Better Off"
  13. "2002"
  14. "Kiss My (Uh-Oh)"
  15. "Way Too Long"
  16. "Don't Play"

Encore

  2. "Friends"
  3. "Birthday"

Critical reception

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, Therapy has an average score of 65 based on six reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Ali Shutler of NME compared it favourably to her debut album, writing that while her previous effort "spent too much time playing it safe", "its follow-up Therapy doesn't make the same mistake". Referring to the record as "infinitely more confident" sonically, Shutler gave the album four out of five stars.[1] Robin Murray, writing for Clash, was similarly favourable, rating the album seven out of ten. Murray wrote that the album "pushes her story to its next chapter, and while it features some surging highs, it doesn't quite dispel notions that Anne-Marie has yet to nail down a singular sound she can call her own".[15] Ben Devlin of musicOMH gave the album four out of five stars writing, "her newest record is packed to the brim with famous faces on vocals, songwriting and production, but her relatable, unpretentious, sometimes playful delivery holds disparate sounds and moods together with ease."[23]

Lauren Murphy, writing for The Irish Times was slightly more mixed, criticising songs such as "Beautiful" and "Better Not Together", but states "the majority [of the tracks] land with a thud rather than a glance here". Dani Blum of Pitchfork dubbed the album "crisply rendered [and] competently hooky", noting that it "promises a more personal self-portrait, but [the British singer] ends up disappearing into vague songwriting and anodyne dance-pop production."[24] Michael Cragg of The Guardian was more negative, referring to the album as a "missed opportunity", criticising the amount of collaborators on the album for overshadowing the singer, while preferring the "moments when Anne-Marie's brand of plain-spoken yet vulnerable pop shines through". He ultimately rated the album two out of five stars.

Commercial performance

In its first charting week, Therapy opened at number-two on the UK Albums Chart with sales of 18,260, of which 12,463 were physical copies.[25]

Track listing

Notes

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[27] [28]

Musicians

Technical

Artwork

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2021)! scope="col"
Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[29] 60
Japan Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[30] 66
Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)[31] 54
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[32] 36
Slovak Albums (ČNS IFPI)[33] 78

Year-end charts

Chart (2021)! scope="col"
Position
UK Albums (OCC)[34] 98

Release history

Region! scope="col"
DateFormatVersionLabel
Various23 July 2021Standard[35]
JapanCDJapan bonusWarner Music Japan

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Shutler . Ali . Anne-Marie – 'Therapy' album review: bright and bold pop gold . . 23 July 2021 . 28 July 2021 . 28 July 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210728223236/https://www.nme.com/reviews/anne-marie-therapy-album-review-3001364 . live .
  2. News: Sutherland. Mark. 19 March 2019. 'I want to put out something fresh': Team Anne-Marie target second album success. Music Week. 7 July 2019. 7 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190707010251/https://www.musicweek.com/talent/read/i-want-to-put-out-something-fresh-team-anne-marie-target-second-album-success/075656. live.
  3. Web site: Dodds. Emma. Anne-Marie drops brand new song 'Problems' . 2 January 2021. Hits Radio. en. 16 November 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201116223404/https://planetradio.co.uk/hits-radio/entertainment/music/anne-marie-problems/. live.
  4. Web site: Anne-Marie, KSI & Digital Farm Animals release new single 'Don't Play'. 23 January 2021. Celebmix. 15 January 2021. 15 January 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210115151447/https://celebmix.com/anne-marie-ksi-dfa-single/. live.
  5. Web site: Way Too Long - Single by Nathan Dawe x Anne-Marie x MoStack on Apple Music . Apple Music . 9 April 2021 . 5 May 2021 . 5 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210505075304/https://music.apple.com/us/album/way-too-long-single/1559074234 . live .
  6. Niall Horan Reveals 'Our Song' Collab With Anne-Marie Is 'Finally Happening,' Offers a Sneak Peek. 13 May 2021. Gil. Kaufman. Billboard. 30 May 2021. 3 June 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210603184849/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/9572045/niall-horan-teases-our-song-with-anne-marie-listen. live.
  7. Web site: THERAPY is out JULY 23rd!!! Pre-order here. Twitter. 21 May 2021. 21 May 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210521082534/https://twitter.com/AnneMarie/status/1395650708410716161. live.
  8. Web site: UK & IRELAND! I'M GOING ON TOUR!!!! SO EXCITED to see all your faces in real life again✨✨✨✨ Pre-order the album or register on my store before 3PM BST on Mon 31st May for early access to tickets! General sale starts at 10am on June 4th lnk.to/AM2022TOUR-Pre…. Twitter. 7 July 2021. 2 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210802090150/https://twitter.com/annemarie/status/1398202388520095744. live.
  9. Web site:
    1. THERAPY The Live Experience ✨ So excited to announce on August 7th I'll be doing a VERY special performance of my new album THERAPY for you all!!!!! I. CAN'T. WAIT. It's gonna be so much fun ✨✨✨✨✨ Early bird tickets are available here: annemarie.onair.events
    . Twitter. 7 July 2021. 6 July 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210706115855/https://twitter.com/AnneMarie/status/1412380513852088326. live.
  10. Web site: 6 July 2021. If you want the track list for #Therapy you'll have to put your detective hats on and get searching for the clues ️‍♀️. 6 July 2021. Twitter. 6 July 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210706164448/https://twitter.com/AnneMarie/status/1412452396303794189. live.
  11. Web site: 6 July 2021. FINDING Therapy WORK TOGETHER TO REVEAL THE TRACK LIST FOR THERAPY SEARCH ACROSS SOCIALS FOR CLUES, NEW ONES ADDED DAILY. 6 July 2021. 6 July 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210706164527/https://tracklist.iamannemarie.com/. live.
  12. Web site: Anne-Marie announces Little Mix collaboration Kiss My (Uh-Oh) on new album Therapy. Official Charts Company. Copsey. Rob. 8 July 2021. 8 July 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210708095825/https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/anne-marie-announces-little-mix-collaboration-kiss-my-uh-oh-on-new-album-therapy__33543/. 8 July 2021. live.
  13. Web site: Cragg . Michael . Anne-Marie: Therapy review – a missed opportunity . . 25 July 2021 . 28 July 2021 . 28 July 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210728120435/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/jul/25/anne-marie-therapy-review . live .
  14. News: Murphy . Lauren . Anne-Marie: Therapy review – feisty, empowering tracks land with a thud . . 28 July 2021 . 25 July 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210725060910/https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/anne-marie-therapy-review-feisty-empowering-tracks-land-with-a-thud-1.4624582 . live .
  15. Web site: Murray . Robin . Anne-Marie - Therapy . . 23 July 2021 . 28 July 2021 . 28 July 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210728213416/https://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/anne-marie-therapy . live .
  16. Web site: Wynter. Courtney. 15 January 2021. KSI, Anne-Marie & Digital Farm Animals Team Up In Fresh 'Don't Play' Visuals. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210115141707/https://grmdaily.com/ksi-anne-marie-digital-farm-animals-dont-play/. 15 January 2021. 15 January 2020. GRM Daily. en.
  17. Web site: Anne-Marie live concerts 2022: Dates venues and tickets for Anne-Marie's Dysfunctional tour. 2024-05-02. Heart. en.
  18. Web site: Major. Michael. Anne-Marie Announces New North American Tour Dates. 2024-05-02. BroadwayWorld.com. en.
  19. Web site: Dumitrescu. Julia. 2022-06-07. Anne-Marie ogłasza europejską trasę koncertową. Anne-Marie announces European tour. 2024-05-02. All About Music. pl-PL.
  20. Web site: Ng . Scott. 2022-07-15. Anne-Marie announces Asia tour dates including stops in Singapore and Manila. 2024-05-02. NME. en-GB.
  21. Web site: Ziggo Dome - Anne-Marie. 2024-05-02. Ziggo Dome. Inspired by Live Music. en.
  22. Web site: Anne‐Marie Setlist at 3Arena, Dublin, Ireland . setlist.fm . 4 May 2022 . 4 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220504201033/https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/annemarie/2022/3arena-dublin-ireland-53b7afdd.html . live .
  23. Web site: 2021-07-30. Anne-Marie - Therapy Album Reviews. 2021-08-06. Musicomh.com. en-GB. 30 July 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210730152853/https://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/anne-marie-therapy. live.
  24. Web site: Blum. Dani. 2021-08-09. Anne-Marie: Therapy. 2021-08-09. Pitchfork. en. 9 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210809204059/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/anne-marie-therapy/. live.
  25. Web site: Dave breaks UK rap streaming record and boosts physical market with We're All Alone In This Together. Music Week. 30 July 2021. 31 July 2021. 24 June 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230624174308/https://www.musicweek.com/labels/read/dave-breaks-uk-rap-streaming-record-and-boosts-physical-market-with-we-re-all-alone-in-this-together/083836. live.
  26. Web site: Copsey. Rob. 8 July 2021. Anne-Marie teams up with Little Mix for new single. 13 July 2021. Official Charts Company. 8 July 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210708095308/https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/anne-marie-announces-little-mix-collaboration-kiss-my-uh-oh-on-new-album-therapy__33543/. live.
  27. Web site: Credits / Therapy / Anne-Marie . . 26 July 2021 . 17 July 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210717000407/https://listen.tidal.com/album/190930397/credits . live .
  28. Japanese bonus track references:
  29. The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 2 August 2021. The ARIA Report. Australian Recording Industry Association. 1639. 6. 2 August 2021.
  30. Web site: Billboard Japan Hot Albums: 2021/07/28 公開. Billboard Japan. ja. 29 July 2021. 29 July 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210729002256/https://www.billboard-japan.com/charts/detail?a=hot_albums&year=2021&month=08&day=2. live.
  31. Web site: 2021 30-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100). AGATA. Lithuanian. 30 July 2021. 30 July 2021. 30 July 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210730082254/https://www.agata.lt/lt/naujienos/30s/. live.
  32. Web site: NZ Top 40 Albums Chart. Recorded Music NZ. 2 August 2021. 31 July 2021. 30 July 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210730235842/https://nztop40.co.nz/chart/albums?chart=5176. live.
  33. Web site: Top 100 Slovak Albums. International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. August 16, 2024.
  34. Web site: End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2021. Official Charts Company. 6 January 2022. 21 February 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220221185027/https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/end-of-year-artist-albums-chart/. live.
  35. Physical releases for Therapy:
    • Web site: THERAPY TRANSPARENT PINK CASSETTE. Anne-Marie Store. live. https://archive.today/20210710143750/https://shop.iamannemarie.com/uk/music/therapy-transparent-pink-cassette.html. 10 July 2021. 10 July 2021.
    • Web site: THERAPY CD. Anne-Marie Store. live. https://archive.today/20210710143129/https://shop.iamannemarie.com/uk/music/therapy-cd.html. 10 July 2021. 10 July 2021.
    • Web site: THERAPY ROSE VINYL. Anne-Marie Store. live. https://archive.today/20210710144456/https://shop.iamannemarie.com/uk/music/therapy-rose-vinyl.html. 10 July 2021. 10 July 2021.

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