Will of the People (album)
| Will of the People | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 26 August 2022 | |||
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| Genre | Alternative rock[1] | |||
| Length | 37:40 | |||
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| Producer | Muse | |||
| Muse chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Will of the People | ||||
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Will of the People is the ninth studio album by the English rock band Muse, released on 26 August 2022 through Warner Records and Helium-3. Self-produced by the band, it is a genre-hopping album described by Muse as "a greatest hits album – of new songs".[2] Five singles were released from the album; "Won't Stand Down", "Compliance",[3] "Will of the People",[4] "Kill or Be Killed" and "You Make Me Feel Like It's Halloween".
Will of the People received generally positive reviews from critics and was a commercial success, becoming the band's seventh consecutive UK No.1 album.[5] A tour in support of the album, the Will of the People World Tour, began in April 2022 and will continue throughout 2022 and 2023.[4]
Background and recording[]
Will of the People was recorded at Matt Bellamy's Red Room studio in Santa Monica, California,[6] as well as Black Lodge and Abbey Road Studios in London.[7] Warner Records said the album spans multiple genres, describing "Will of the People" as a "glam rocker" and "Kill or Be Killed" as "industrial".[8] Frontman Matt Bellamy said it was spurred by Warner's request for a greatest hits album; instead, Muse decided to make an album that combined their previous sounds, describing it as essentially "a greatest hits album – of new songs".[2]
Bellamy said the lyrics were inspired by "the increasing uncertainty and instability in the world [...] as the Western empire and the natural world, which have cradled us for so long, are genuinely threatened". He called Will of the People "a personal navigation through those fears".[9]
Promotion and release[]
The first snippet of the album was heard on 25 December 2021, when Bellamy briefly livestreamed himself and his 10-year old son Bing listening to the song "Won't Stand Down".[10] Almost two weeks later, the band announced the official release of the song for 13 January 2022, their first single since 2018's "Pressure".[11] The second single from the album, "Compliance", was released on 17 March 2022, alongside the announcement of the album and its release date of 26 August 2022.[12]
The third single off the album, "Will of the People", was released on 1 June 2022. That same month, the band began the European festival leg of their Will of the People World Tour, playing all three released singles live as well as a then-unreleased track from the album, "Kill or Be Killed".[13] The song proved to be popular with fans, and so, on 13 July 2022, the band announced that the song would be released as the album's fourth single on 21 July 2022.[14] On 23 August 2022, Muse announced that a fifth single from the album, "You Make Me Feel Like It's Halloween", would be released on 26 August, the same day as the album's release.[15]
On 1 August 2022, it was announced that Will of the People could be purchased as a non-fungible token (NFT) on the "eco-friendly" Polygon-powered platform Serenade, making it one of the first new chart-eligible format in seven years, narrowly behind Aitch's first studio album, Close to Home, the chart-eligible album that was released on 19 August.[16][17][18][better source needed]
Per The Guardian: "The Muse NFT album will retail for £20 and will be limited to 1,000 copies globally. As both an NFT and a limited-edition format, it is relatively sparse in its offering. Buyers will get a downloadable version of the album – complete with different sleeve – as high-res FLAC files; the members of Muse will digitally sign it[,] and each of the 1,000 buyers will have their names permanently listed on the linked roster of purchasers."[17]
Critical reception[]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 71/100[19] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [20] |
| The Arts Desk |  [21] |
| The Daily Telegraph | [22] |
| DIY | [23] |
| Gigwise |   [24] |
| Kerrang! | 4/5[25] |
| Mojo | [26] |
| musicOMH | [27] |
| NME | [28] |
| Pitchfork | 3.7/10[29] |
Will of the People has received generally positive reviews from critics. On Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received a score of 71 out of 100 based on 14 reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception.[19]
Commercial performance[]
Will of the People debuted at number 1 in their home country, the UK selling 51,500 units in its first week and becoming their seventh chart-topping album on the UK Albums Chart.[30] In the US, the album debuted at number 15 on the Billboard 200, including number 1 on the Top Alternative Albums and Top Rock Albums charts with 24,000 album equivalent units.[31]
Track listing[]
All tracks are written by Matthew Bellamy.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Will of the People" | 3:18 |
| 2. | "Compliance" | 4:10 |
| 3. | "Liberation" | 3:06 |
| 4. | "Won't Stand Down" | 3:30 |
| 5. | "Ghosts (How Can I Move On)" | 3:36 |
| 6. | "You Make Me Feel Like It's Halloween" | 3:00 |
| 7. | "Kill or Be Killed" | 5:00 |
| 8. | "Verona" | 4:56 |
| 9. | "Euphoria" | 3:23 |
| 10. | "We Are Fucking Fucked" | 3:36 |
| Total length: | 37:40 | |
Personnel[]
Additional musicians
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Technical personnel
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Other personnel
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Charts[]
| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[32] | 1 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[33] | 1 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[34] | 2 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[35] | 1 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)[36] | 5 |
| Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[37] | 37 |
| Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[38] | 18 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[39] | 2 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[40] | 2 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[41] | 1 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[42] | 2 |
| Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[43] | 4 |
| Irish Albums (OCC)[44] | 2 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI)[45] | 1 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[46] | 15 |
| Japanese Digital Albums (Oricon)[47] | 6 |
| Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[48] | 13 |
| Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)[49] | 58 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[50] | 1 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[51] | 16 |
| Polish Albums (ZPAV)[52] | 6 |
| Portuguese Albums (AFP)[53] | 1 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[54] | 1 |
| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[55] | 2 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[56] | 27 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[57] | 1 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[58] | 1 |
| US Billboard 200[59] | 15 |
| US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[60] | 4 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[61] | 1 |
| US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[62] | 1 |
Certifications[]
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| France (SNEP)[63] | Gold | 50,000
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| United Kingdom (BPI)[64] | Silver | 60,000
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References[]
- ^ "Muse – Will Of The People". Clash. 26 August 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Moore, Sam (16 May 2022). "Matt Bellamy says Muse's 'Will Of The People' is "a greatest hits album – of new songs"". NME. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
- ^ Childers, Chad (17 March 2022). "Muse Drop Defiant New Song 'Compliance,' Announce New Album". Loudwire. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Daly, Rhian (1 June 2022). "Muse share stomping new song 'Will Of The People' and announce intimate tour". NME. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
- ^ "Muse's Will of the People becomes first UK number one album with NFT technology".
- ^ Matt Bellamy on Muse's new album, being "the biggest unknown band in the world" (YouTube video). CBS Mornings. 26 August 2022. Event occurs at 1:10. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
- ^ Will of the People (album liner notes). Muse. Warner Records; Helium-3. 2022. 019029638386.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Willman, Chris (17 March 2022). "Muse to Return After Four Years With 'Will of the People' Album; 'Compliance' Video Out Now". Variety. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
- ^ Minsker, Evan (17 March 2022). "Muse Announce New Album Will of the People, Share Video for New Song "Compliance": Watch". Pitchfork. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
- ^ Daly, Rhian (26 December 2021). "Matt Bellamy teases new Muse song on Instagram Live". NME.
- ^ Carter, Emily. "Muse to release heavy new single Won't Stand Down next week". Kerrang!. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
- ^ Willman, Chris (17 March 2022). "Muse to Return After Four Years with 'Will of the People' Album; 'Compliance' Video Out Now". Variety. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
- ^ Shutler, Ali (5 June 2022). "Watch Muse perform new song 'Kill or be Killed' as they kick off summer tour". NME. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
- ^ "MUSE on Instagram: "You've been asking for it... Kill or be Killed, out 21st July 3pm BST. Go to @tiktok to hear an exclusive preview @/Muse