Chaos and the Calm

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Chaos and the Calm
Chaos and the Calm.jpg
Studio album by
Released15 December 2014
Recorded2013–2014
StudioBlackbird Studios, Nashville, Tennessee[1][2]
Genre
Length48:11
LabelRepublic
Producer
James Bay chronology
Chaos and the Calm
(2014)
Electric Light
(2018)
Singles from Chaos and the Calm
  1. "Let It Go"
    Released: 15 September 2014
  2. "Hold Back the River"
    Released: 17 November 2014
  3. "Scars"
    Released: 28 August 2015
  4. "If You Ever Want to Be in Love"
    Released: 29 October 2015
  5. "Best Fake Smile"
    Released: 2 March 2016
  6. "Running"
    Released: 11 March 2016

Chaos and the Calm is the debut studio album by English singer-songwriter James Bay. It was first released on 15 December 2014 via Republic Records.

The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Album, while the song "Hold Back the River" was nominated for Best Rock Song and Bay for Best New Artist.

Critical reception[]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic58/100[7]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic3.5/5 stars[8]
Clash7/10[9]
The Guardian2/5 stars[10]
PopMatters6/10[11]

Chaos and the Calm received mixed reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 58, which indicates "mixed or average reviews", based on 9 reviews.

Commercial performance[]

Chaos and the Calm debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart on 29 March 2015, having sold over 64,000 copies in the first week of release.[12]

Track listing[]

Chaos and the Calm standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Craving"Jacquire King3:47
2."Hold Back the River"
  • Bay
  • Archer
King3:59
3."Let It Go"King4:21
4."If You Ever Want to Be in Love"
King3:58
5."Best Fake Smile"
  • Bay
  • Archer
King3:26
6."When We Were on Fire"
  • Bay
  • Jon Green
King3:59
7."Move Together"King4:37
8."Scars"BayKing4:32
9."Collide"King3:24
10."Get Out While You Can"King4:43
11."Need the Sun to Break"King3:46
12."Incomplete"
King3:41
Total length:48:11
Chaos and the Calm deluxe version
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
13."Running"BayBay3:36
14."Clocks Go Forward"
Green4:10
15."Stealing Cars"
  • Bay
  • Green
Green3:43
16."Scars" (live at iTunes Festival 2014; digital bonus track only)  4:43
Total length:64:23
Chaos and the Calm deluxe edition – disc 2
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Move Together" (The Dark of the Morning Version)
  • Bay
  • Hartman
Green4:45
2."Need the Sun to Break" (The Dark of the Morning Version)
  • Bay
  • Pott
Green3:37
3."When We Were on Fire" (The Dark of the Morning Version)
  • Bay
  • Green
Green3:59
4."Stealing Cars"
  • Bay
  • Green
Green3:43
5."Clocks Go Forward"
  • Bay
  • Brammer
  • Argyle (adapter)
Green4:10
6."Sparks"
  • Bay
  • Barry
Bay3:07
7."Wait in Line"
  • Bay
  • Harpoon
Bay4:00
8."Running"BayBay3:36
9."Hear Your Heart"Robson3:02
10."Heavy Handed"
  • Bay
  • Harcourt
Bay3:29
Total length:84:00

Charts and certifications[]

Certifications[]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[60] Gold 35,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[61] Gold 7,500*
Canada (Music Canada)[62] 2× Platinum 160,000double-dagger
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[63] 2× Platinum 40,000double-dagger
Germany (BVMI)[64] Gold 100,000double-dagger
Mexico (AMPROFON)[65] Gold 30,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[66] Gold 7,500^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[67] Gold 15,000*
Singapore (RIAS)[68] Gold 5,000*
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[69] Gold 10,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[71] 3× Platinum 824,540[70]
United States (RIAA)[72] Platinum 1,000,000double-dagger

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
double-dagger Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history[]

Region Date Format Label
Ireland 20 March 2015
United Kingdom[73] 2014

References[]

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  6. ^ Tshepo Mokoena. "James Bay: Chaos and the Calm review – festival-ready and forgettably pleasant". the Guardian.
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  10. ^ "James Bay: Chaos and the Calm review – festival-ready and forgettably pleasant". The Guardian.
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