Civilisation is the fourth studio album by French rapper Orelsan, released on 19 November 2021 through 7th Magnitude, 3e Bureau and Wagram. The album was largely produced by long-time collaborator Skread and features guest appearances by Gringe and The Neptunes. It marks his first album release in over four years.
The album made a record-breaking debut on the French Albums Chart, moving more units than any other album in 2021.
Prior to its release, Orelsan did not reveal much about the album.[4] According to him, in his mind the record signifies a "deconstruction".[5] In late October 2021, it was announced that physical copies of the album would arrive in 15 different designs.[4] Two vinyl editions of the album were released on 10 December 2021.[6]
Civilisation sees the rapper departing from his "crazed humour" trademark style, instead settling for more "commited and personal tracks",[7] in a soundscape between "drill" and "disco".[8] French publication Le Parisien called Civilisation the best French rap album of 2021.[3] However, the record was also criticised for containing too much singing while it was also noted that the rapper took himself too seriously at times.[9]
Commercial performance[]
In its first three days, Civilisation sold 94,306 units, beating a record previously held by PNL's Deux frères (2019).[10] The album arrived atop the French Albums Chart, moving 138,929 units in its first week, 96,615 of which were physical sales.[11] The sum reset the record for the largest opening week in France for an album in 2021, beating Adele's 30 which debuted at number two the same week.[12] The lead single "L'odeur de l'essence" reached number one on the French Singles Chart a week prior. In total, the album spawned two number-one songs. All of the album tracks entered the French Singles Chart in its first week, eight of which reached the top ten.
