Pala (album)

2011 studio album by Friendly Fires
Pala
Studio album by
Friendly Fires
Released16 May 2011
Genre
Length44:00
LabelXL
Producer
Friendly Fires chronology
Friendly Fires
(2008) 		Pala
(2011) 		Inflorescent
(2019)
Singles from Pala
  1. "Live Those Days Tonight"
    Released: 23 March 2011
  2. "Hawaiian Air"
    Released: 25 July 2011[2]
  3. "Blue Cassette"
    Released: 5 December 2011
  4. "Hurting"
    Released: 27 February 2012

Pala is the second studio album from British alternative dance band Friendly Fires. It was released in the UK on 16 May 2011, and charted at number 6 on the UK Albums Chart.[3] The album name comes from Aldous Huxley's final novel Island, which tells the story of a journalist shipwrecked on the fictional island of Pala, which supports a utopian society.[4][5][6] The scarlet macaw photograph was chosen from the private collection of Norwegian fashion photographer Sølve Sundsbø.[4]

Singles

  • "Live Those Days Tonight" is the first single taken from the album. The track received its first play on Zane Lowe's show on BBC Radio 1 on 22 March 2011. The band performed the song on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,[7] and it was released to the US iTunes Store[8] the next day. In the UK, it was released on 16 May 2011, the same day as the album, and charted at number 80 on the UK singles chart.
  • "Hawaiian Air" was the second single taken from the album. The music video was shot in southern Spain in May 2011.[9] It reached No. 92 in the UK, and appeared on the soundtrack of the 2012 racing video game Forza Horizon alongside "Hurting".
  • "Blue Cassette" was released as the third single on 2 December 2011, along with the Tiga Remix of the single.
  • "Hurting" was announced as the next single by Nick Grimshaw on BBC Radio 1 on 3 August 2011 with the release date confirmed as 10 October 2011.[10] Remixes of the single were released on 27 February 2012. It appeared on the soundtrack of 2012 racing video game Forza Horizon alongside "Hawaiian Air".

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic73/100[11]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStar[12]
BBC(very favourable)[13]
ClashStarStarStarStar[14]
Drowned in Sound(8/10)[15]
Evening StandardStarStarStarStar[16]
The GuardianStarStarStarStar[17]
The IndependentStarStar[18]
MetroStarStarStarStar[19]
MusicOMHStarStarStarStarHalf star[20]
NME8/10[21]
Pitchfork Media7.4/10[22]
TMRStarStarStarStarStarStarStarStar[23]
QStarStarStar
Slant MagazineStarStarStarHalf star[24]

The album received a score of 73 on Metacritic (based on 22 reviews), indicating "generally favorable reviews".[11]

Track listing

Taken from the album booklet:

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Live Those Days Tonight"
5:02
2."Blue Cassette"
  • Gibson
  • Macfarlane
  • Savidge
  • Macfarlane
  • Epworth*
3:32
3."Running Away"
  • Gibson
  • Macfarlane
  • Savidge
3:02
4."Hawaiian Air"
  • Gibson
  • Macfarlane
  • Savidge
Macfarlane4:12
5."Hurting"
  • Gibson
  • Macfarlane
  • Savidge
  • Macfarlane
  • Epworth*
  • Zane*
5:03
6."Pala"
  • Gibson
  • Macfarlane
  • Savidge
  • Macfarlane
  • Zane*
4:01
7."Show Me Lights"
  • Gibson
  • Macfarlane
  • Savidge
  • Epworth
  • Friendly Fires
3:36
8."True Love"
  • Gibson
  • Macfarlane
  • Savidge
  • Macfarlane
  • Zane*
3:15
9."Pull Me Back to Earth"
  • Gibson
  • Macfarlane
  • Savidge
Macfarlane3:30
10."Chimes"
  • Gibson
  • Macfarlane
  • Savidge
  • Epworth
  • Friendly Fires
4:37
11."Helpless"
  • Gibson
  • Macfarlane
  • Savidge
Macfarlane4:30
iTunes Store bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."Strangelove"Martin Gore4:38
Amazon bonus track
No.TitleLength
12."Stay Here (with Azari & III)"4:38
US bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
12."Hurting" (Tensnake Remix)4:49
13."Blue Cassette" (Tiga Remix)5:26
14."Hawaiian Air" (Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs Remix)5:31
15."Hurting" (Benoit & Sergio Remix)7:13
16."Live Those Days Tonight" (Tim Green Main Mix)8:50
Japan bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."Strangelove"Martin Gore4:38
13."Hold On" 5:06
14."Stay Here" 5:55
Japan tour limited edition bonus disc
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Live Those Days Tonight" (Live in LA) 4:51
2."Hawaiian Air" (Live in LA) 4:26
3."Skeleton Boy" (Live in LA) 3:51
4."Jump in the Pool" (Live in LA) 3:55
5."Paris" (Live in LA) 4:02
6."Kiss of Life" (Live in LA) 7:34
7."The Edge of Glory" (Live at Maida Vale Studios)Lady Gaga, Fernando Garibay, Paul Blair3:16
8."Live Those Days Tonight" (Lone Remix) 6:28
9."Hawaiian Air" (Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs Remix) 5:32
10."Hurting" (Benoit & Sergio Remix) 7:16
11."Blue Cassette" (Tiga Remix) 5:27

(*) additional production

Notes
  • "Live Those Days Tonight" contains a sample of "Albondigas" by Badonday (Toby Tobias and Dave Garnish).
  • "Hurting" contains a sample of "Lissoms" by Toro y Moi.

Chart positions

Pala debuted on the UK Albums Chart at number 6 on 22 May 2011, that week's second highest debut after Kate Bush's Director's Cut. It also debuted at number 2 on the albums download chart, and number 3 on the UK Indie Chart.

Weekly charts

Chart (2011) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[25] 19
Irish Albums (IRMA)[26] 29
Scottish Albums (OCC)[27] 6
UK Albums (OCC)[28] 6
US Billboard 200[29] 152
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[30] 36

Year-end charts

Chart (2011) Position
UK Albums (OCC)[31] 174

As of January 2012 UK sales stand at 90,000 copies according to The Guardian.[32]

References

  1. ^ "Friendly Fires: Pala | Album Reviews". Pitchfork. 25 May 2011. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  2. ^ "iTunes – Music – Hawaiian Air – Single by Friendly Fires". iTunes Store. 25 July 2011. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  3. ^ "Friendly Fires to release new album 'Pala' on May 16". NME. 22 March 2011. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  4. ^ a b Chang, Mary (31 May 2011). "Interview: Edd Gibson and Jack Savidge of Friendly Fires". There Goes the Fear. Archived from the original on 19 December 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
  5. ^ "Album Review of Friendly Fires – Pala". MusicOMH. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
  6. ^ JB Hi-Fi. "Pala – Friendly Fires". Retrieved 18 May 2011.
  7. ^ Emmy Blotnick. "Friendly Fires Perform "Live Those Days Tonight" – Music". Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  8. ^ "iTunes – Music – Live Those Days Tonight – Single by Friendly Fires". iTunes Store. 23 March 2011. Archived from the original on 12 November 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  9. ^ "Hawaiian Air – Friendly Fires | Manic Butterfly Productions". Manicbutterflyproductions.com. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  10. ^ hmvdigital UK – Hurting by Friendly Fires
  11. ^ a b "Critic Reviews for Pala at Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  12. ^ Pala at AllMusic
  13. ^ "Music – Review of Friendly Fires – Pala". BBC. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  14. ^ "Music Reviews on Albums, Singles, Gigs, DVDs and Films –". Clash Music. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  15. ^ Nellis, Krystina (12 May 2011). "Friendly Fires – Pala / Releases / Releases // Drowned in Sound". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 8 March 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  16. ^ "CDS of the week: Kate Bush and Ambrose Akinmusire | Music". Archived from the original on 16 May 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
  17. ^ Dave Simpson (12 May 2011). "Friendly Fires: Pala – review | Music". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  18. ^ Gill, Andy (13 May 2011). "Album: Friendly Fires, Pala (XL)". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022.
  19. ^ Haider, Arwa (24 February 2012). "Friendly Fires, Pala: Album review". Metro.co.uk. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  20. ^ "Friendly Fires – Pala | album reviews". MusicOMH. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  21. ^ "NME Album Reviews – Album Review: Friendly Fires – 'Pala'". NME. 11 May 2011. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  22. ^ "Friendly Fires: Pala | Album Reviews". Pitchfork. 25 May 2011. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  23. ^ Pancccake (10 June 2011). "TMR-The Music Review: Review #40: Friendly Fires – Pala". Tmr-music.blogspot.com. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  24. ^ "Friendly Fires: Pala | Music Review". Slant Magazine. 24 May 2011. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  25. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Friendly Fires – Pala". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  26. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Friendly Fires". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  27. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart on 22/5/2011 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  28. ^ "Official Albums Chart on 22/5/2011 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  29. ^ "Friendly Fires Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  30. ^ "Friendly Fires Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  31. ^ "End Of Year Chart 2011" (PDF). Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  32. ^ Lynskey, Dorian (16 January 2012). "Indie rock's slow and painful death". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
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