| Anxiety Replacement Therapy | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 28 April 2023 | |||
| Genre | Indie rock[1] | |||
| Length | 38:54 | |||
| Label | Modern Sky UK | |||
| The Lottery Winners chronology | ||||
| ||||
Anxiety Replacement Therapy is the fifth studio album by English indie pop band the Lottery Winners, released on 28 April 2023 through Modern Sky UK. It includes collaborations with Shaun Ryder, Frank Turner and Boy George,[2] as well as three spoken word interludes performed by the actor Stephen Fry.[3] The collaboration with George, "Let Me Down", was also released as a single.[4] The band embarked on a tour throughout April through to mid-2023 in support of the album.[5]
Background
The album was written by the band's lead vocalist Thom Rylance about his struggles with his mental health, following a year in his life.[4] "Worry" was written by Rylance when he felt at his lowest; he stated that "Writing songs releases those dark emotions, so it's healthy for me."[2]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Belfast Telegraph | 6/10[1] |
| Retro Pop Magazine |   [6] |
Alex Green of the Belfast Telegraph called the album a "star-studded affair" on account of its collaborations, and wrote that it "goes for the jugular with anthemic choruses and a maximalist indie rock palate". Green concluded that while "the album is redolent of the lad rock of Hard-Fi and the blissed out pop of Blossoms", its tracks "are delivered with enough energy and passion to make them worth your time".[1]
Retro Pop Magazine described Anxiety Replacement Therapy as "loud and bombastic; a guise for the thinly-veiled lyrical content that speaks openly on various stages of mental illness, from depression and stress to reclusiveness and obsessiveness", as well as "intrinsically personal yet speaks to a range of emotions that have become a part of everyday living for many, for a finely-crafted collection of commercial hits that pack a meaningful punch".[6]
Commercial performance
The album was highly publicised on the band's social media platforms with fans being urged to buy multiple copies, formats and versions. Anxiety Replacement Therapy was placed at number one on the midweek UK Albums Chart dated 1 May 2023, a position it kept over the week, making it the band's first top 10 and number one album.[7] The album was released in 25 different formats, including 12 different CD versions, six vinyl LPs and five cassettes, which was not as many as the 32 formats that The Reytons' What's Rock and Roll?[8] album came in, though The Lottery Winners' album sold more in one week, registering 22,209 sales, a total which was more than all their other album's sales combined.[3][9][10]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "(Play)" | 1:05 |
| 2. | "Worry" | 3:06 |
| 3. | "Burning House" | 3:36 |
| 4. | "Money" (featuring Shaun Ryder) | 3:40 |
| 5. | "Long Way Down" | 4:16 |
| 6. | "Sertraline" | 3:06 |
| 7. | "(Pause)" | 0:17 |
| 8. | "Letter to Myself" (featuring Frank Turner) | 3:56 |
| 9. | "Jennie" | 4:31 |
| 10. | "Let Me Down" (featuring Boy George) | 3:14 |
| 11. | "You're Not Alone" | 3:07 |
| 12. | "Anxiety Replacement Therapy" | 4:36 |
| 13. | "(Stop)" | 0:24 |
| Total length: | 38:54 | |
Charts
| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[11] | 4 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[12] | 1 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[13] | 14 |
References
- ^ a b c Green, Alex (28 April 2023). "Album reviews: From Jessie Ware's That! Feels Good! to The Lottery Winners' Anxiety Replacement Therapy". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
- ^ a b Earls, John (24 January 2023). "The Lottery Winners talk new album Anxiety Replacement Therapy with Shaun Ryder, Boy George and Frank Turner". NME. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
- ^ a b "Charts analysis: The Lottery Winners hit the jackpot with first No.1 album | Analysis | Music Week".
- ^ a b Duran, Anagricel (29 March 2023). "The Lottery Winners share new single 'Let Me Down' with Boy George". NME. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
- ^ "The Lottery Winners eye up collaborations with Johnny Marr, Noel Gallagher and more". Music-News.com. 1 May 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
- ^ a b "The Lottery Winners – Anxiety Replacement Therapy". Retro Pop Magazine. 23 April 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
- ^ Griffiths, George (2 May 2023). "Odds on! The Lottery Winners' Anxiety Replacement Therapy tracks for Number 1". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
- ^ Jones, Alan (27 January 2023). "Charts analysis: The Reytons score first No.1 album". Music Week. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100 | Official Charts". Official Charts.
- ^ https://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/anxiety-replacement-therapy/
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
- ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 May 2023.