Ash & Ice

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Ash & Ice
The Kills - Ash & Ice cover.jpg
Studio album by
the Kills
ReleasedJune 3, 2016 (2016-06-03)
Studio
Length51:42
LabelDomino
Producer
The Kills chronology
Blood Pressures
(2011) 		Ash & Ice
(2016)
Singles from Ash & Ice
  1. "Doing It to Death"
    Released: March 1, 2016
  2. "Heart of a Dog"
    Released: April 18, 2016
  3. "Siberian Nights"
    Released: May 24, 2016
  4. "Impossible Tracks"
    Released: September 13, 2016

Ash & Ice is the fifth studio album by indie rock band the Kills. It was released on June 3, 2016 through Domino.[1][2] The album was recorded in a rented house in Los Angeles and at Electric Lady Studios, New York City. It was produced by Jamie Hince and co-produced by John O'Mahoney.[3][4] It is promoted by the singles "Doing It to Death" and "Heart of a Dog".

Formats and packaging[]

The album was made available as a CD – with a 20-page booklet with lyrics and album artwork – and as digital download.[5]

A limited edition double LP was also made available. The LPs are coloured in blue and pink and packaged into a wide spine jacket with a gold foil imprint. The release also includes two fold-out posters, two printed inner sleeves and an exclusive lyric zine, with the first 250 orders signed by the band.[6]

Promotion[]

The lead single off the album, "Doing It to Death", was released on March 1, 2016.[1] It was accompanied by a music video directed by Wendy Morgan.[7] The second single from the album, "Heart of a Dog", and an accompanying music video directed by Sophie Muller were released on April 18, 2016.[8] "Siberian Nights" was released as the third single on May 24, 2016. A music video promoting the song was directed by American actor Giovanni Ribisi.[9][10][11][12]

In support of the album, the band are touring the United States from March through June 2016. The Kills also performed in Mexico City on March 16, in Amsterdam, Paris, London, Toronto and Vancouver in May 2016, and at the Isle of Wight Festival in June. In July, played at the U-Park Festival in Kyiv, Ukraine and at the Park Live Festival in Moscow, Russia, as well as the Off Festival in Katowice, Poland in August before returning to the U.S. in September and then back to Europe through October and November.[4] They performed "Whirling Eye" on The Late Late Show with James Corden on the 21 October episode.[13]

Critical reception[]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic68/100[14]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic3.5/5 stars[15]
Consequence of SoundC–[16]
Entertainment WeeklyA–[17]
The Guardian3/5 stars[18]
musicOMH3/5 stars[19]
NME4/5[20]
Pitchfork6.2/10[21]
Spin6/10[22]
Exclaim!7/10[23]

Ash & Ice received generally favourable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 68, based on 21 reviews.[14] Writing for Exclaim!, Laura Sciarpelletti praised the band's "bare bones power technique".[23]

Track listing[]

No.TitleLength
1."Doing It to Death"4:07
2."Heart of a Dog"3:46
3."Hard Habit to Break"3:52
4."Bitter Fruit"4:14
5."Days of Why and How"4:32
6."Let It Drop"3:15
7."Hum for Your Buzz"3:17
8."Siberian Nights"4:53
9."That Love"2:33
10."Impossible Tracks"3:41
11."Black Tar"3:52
12."Echo Home"5:06
13."Whirling Eye"3:34

Personnel[]

Charts[]

Chart (2016) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[24] 21
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[25] 15
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[26] 25
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[27] 16
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[28] 61
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[29] 51
French Albums (SNEP)[30] 11
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[31] 25
Irish Albums (IRMA)[32] 84
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[33] 11
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[34] 33
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[35] 14
UK Albums (OCC)[36] 18
US Billboard 200[37] 45

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Carley, Brennan (March 1, 2016). "The Kills Announce New Album, 'Ash & Ice,' With the Snarling 'Doing It To Death'". Spin. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
  2. ^ Mansfield, Mollie (March 1, 2016). "The Kills return with fifth album 'Ash & Ice' - watch 'Doing It To Death' video". NME. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
  3. ^ Minsker, Evan (March 1, 2016). "The Kills Announce New Album Ash & Ice, Share "Doing It to Death" Video". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c "The Kills announce new album 'Ash & Ice', offer up 'Doing It To Death'". DIY. March 1, 2016. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
  5. ^ "CD". Domino Recording Company. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
  6. ^ "Deluxe LP and zine". Domino Recording Company. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
  7. ^ "The Kills - Doing It To Death (Official Video)". YouTube. March 1, 2016. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
  8. ^ Carley, Brennan (April 18, 2016). "The Kills Prep for 'Ash & Ice' With New Single, 'Heart Of A Dog'". Spin. Retrieved May 13, 2016.
  9. ^ Havenson, Lyndsey (May 24, 2016). "The Kills share new song/video for "Siberian Nights" — watch". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  10. ^ Spanos, Brittany (May 24, 2016). "Watch the Kills' Chilling 'Siberian Nights' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  11. ^ Minsker, Evan (May 25, 2016). "Watch the Kills' "Siberian Nights" Video". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  12. ^ Carley, Brennan (May 24, 2016). "Wolves Dash Through the Darkness in the Kills' New 'Siberian Nights' Video". Spin. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  13. ^ The Late Late Show with James Corden (October 21, 2016). "The Kills: Whirling Eye". YouTube. CBS. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b "Reviews for Ash & Ice by The Kills". Metacritic. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  15. ^ Phares, Heather. "Ash & Ice - The Kills". AllMusic. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  16. ^ Mayo, Amanda Roscoe (May 31, 2016). "The Kills – Ash & Ice". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  17. ^ Brown, Eric Renner (June 3, 2016). "The Kills' Ash & Ice: EW Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  18. ^ Jonze, Tim (June 2, 2016). "The Kills: Ash & Ice review – the same old riffs, but a spark remains". The Guardian. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  19. ^ Baber, Andy (June 13, 2016). "The Kills – Ash & Ice". musicOMH. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  20. ^ Daly, Rhian (June 1, 2016). "The Kills - 'Ash & Ice' Review". NME. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  21. ^ Berman, Stuart (June 7, 2016). "The Kills: Ash & Ice Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  22. ^ Gaca, Anna (June 14, 2016). "Review: The Kills' 'Ash & Ice' Has Too Much Ballast to Weather the Storm". Spin. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  23. ^ Jump up to: a b Sciarpelletti, Laura (June 1, 2016). "The Kills - Ash and Ice". Exclaim!. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
  24. ^ "Australiancharts.com – The Kills – Ash & Ice". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
  25. ^ "Austriancharts.at – The Kills – Ash & Ice" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  26. ^ "Ultratop.be – The Kills – Ash & Ice" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  27. ^ "Ultratop.be – The Kills – Ash & Ice" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  28. ^ "The Kills Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  29. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Kills – Ash & Ice" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  30. ^ "Lescharts.com – The Kills – Ash & Ice". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
  31. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Kills – Ash & Ice" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  32. ^ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 23, 2016". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  33. ^ "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. June 13, 2016. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  34. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – The Kills – Ash & Ice". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  35. ^ "Swisscharts.com – The Kills – Ash & Ice". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  36. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
  37. ^ "The Kills Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
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