Biography

Home Counties
Home Counties
Studio album by Saint Etienne
Released	2 June 2017
Length	56:20
Label	Heavenly
Producer	Augustus; Carwyn Ellis; Shawn Lee; Nick Moon; Saint Etienne; Pete Wiggs;
Saint Etienne chronology
Singles from Home Counties
	"Magpie Eyes"; Released: 11 April 2017; "Dive"; Released: 7 August 2017;

Home Counties is the ninth studio album by English alternative dance band Saint Etienne, released on 2 June 2017 by Heavenly Recordings.^[3] The album features collaborations with Gerard Johnson, Augustus (also known as Gus Lobban of Kero Kero Bonito) and Nick Moon (of Kyte). The album features production from Shawn Lee, Carwyn Ellis and Richard X.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	79/100^[4]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[5]
Clash	6/10^[6]
The Guardian	^[7]
Mixmag	8/10^[8]
Mojo	^[9]
The Observer	^[10]
Pitchfork	7.6/10^[11]
Q	^[12]
The Skinny	^[13]
Uncut	9/10^[14]

Home Counties received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 79, based on 16 reviews.^[4]

Commercial performance

Home Counties debuted at number 31 on the UK Albums Chart, selling 3,215 copies in its first week.^[15]

Track listing

All tracks produced by Saint Etienne and Shawn Lee, except where noted.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"The Reunion"			0:22
2.	"Something New"	Sarah Cracknell Bob Stanley Pete Wiggs		3:17
3.	"Magpie Eyes"	Cracknell Stanley Wiggs		3:35
4.	"Whyteleafe"	Cracknell Stanley Wiggs Gus Lobban	Saint Etienne Lee Augustus	3:09
5.	"Dive"	Cracknell Stanley Wiggs Carwyn Ellis		4:49
6.	"Church Pew Furniture Restorer"	Cracknell Stanley Wiggs		1:53
7.	"Take It All In"	Cracknell Stanley Wiggs Ellis		3:25
8.	"Popmaster"			0:29
9.	"Underneath the Apple Tree"	Cracknell Stanley Wiggs		2:35
10.	"Out of My Mind"	Cracknell Stanley Wiggs Lawrence Oakley Mark Waterfield	Saint Etienne Lee Richard X^[a]	3:58
11.	"After Hebden"	Cracknell Stanley Wiggs Lobban	Saint Etienne Lee Augustus	3:31
12.	"Breakneck Hill"	Cracknell Stanley Wiggs		1:39
13.	"Heather"	Cracknell Stanley Wiggs Nick Moon	Wiggs Lee Moon	3:58
14.	"Sports Report"			0:12
15.	"Train Drivers in Eyeliner"	Cracknell Stanley Wiggs		3:17
16.	"Unopened Fan Mail"	Cracknell Stanley Wiggs Robin Bennett		3:04
17.	"What Kind of World"	Cracknell Stanley Wiggs		3:08
18.	"Sweet Arcadia"	Cracknell Stanley Wiggs Gerard Johnson		7:44
19.	"Angel of Woodhatch"	Cracknell Stanley Wiggs		2:14

Japanese digital download bonus track^[16]
No.	Title	Length
20.	"You Don't Own Me"

Notes

^{^[a]} signifies an additional producer

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Home Counties.^[17]

Saint Etienne

Sarah Cracknell – vocals
Bob Stanley – keyboards
Pete Wiggs – keyboards

Additional musicians

Shawn Lee – drums, percussion, programming, Maestro Rhythm King, bass, guitars, banjo, vibraphone, Mellotron, Yamaha ED10, Siel synth, Casio CZ101, Yamaha CS-5, Roland MC-202, Crumar Multiman, microKORG, Omnichord, glockenspiel, marimba, tambourine handclaps, backing vocals
Gerard Johnson – voice (track 1); piano (tracks 1, 2, 15, 18); Fender Rhodes, Hammond organ, Teisco 100P, Yamaha YS100 (tracks 2, 15, 18)
Carwyn Ellis – bass, guitars, Mellotron, harpsichord, Hammond organ (tracks 5, 7)
Augustus – programming (tracks 4, 11); Novation Bass Station, Kawai PHm, Yamaha PSR-76 (track 4); Roland MT-32, Korg 101 (track 11)
Ben Greenslade-Stanton – trombone, trumpet (tracks 2, 5, 9)
Mark Waterfield – guitar, backing vocals (track 10)
Lawrence Oakley – programming, Nord Lead 3, backing vocals (track 10)
Tim Larcombe – bass (track 3)
James Arben – flute (track 18)
Ken Bruce – voice (track 8)
Wolf – voice (track (14)

Technical

Shawn Lee – production (all tracks); mixing (tracks 1–9, 11–19)
Saint Etienne – production (tracks 1–12, 14–19)
Pierre Duplan – engineering (all tracks); mixing (tracks 1–9, 11–19)
Carwyn Ellis – production (tracks 5, 7)
Augustus – production (tracks 4, 11)
Richard X – additional production, mixing (track 10)
Pete Wiggs – production (track 13)
Nick Moon – production (track 13)
Guy Davie – mastering at Electric Mastering (London)

Artwork

Scott King – art, design
Rhys Atkinson – art assistance, design assistance
Dee Noble – photography

Charts

Chart performance for *Home Counties*
Chart (2017)	Peak position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[18]	190
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)^[19]	97
Scottish Albums (OCC)^[20]	22
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)^[21]	86
UK Albums (OCC)^[22]	31
UK Independent Albums (OCC)^[23]	3
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)^[24]	21

References

^ "Magpie Eyes (2017) | Saint Etienne". 7digital. United Kingdom. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
^ "Dive (3:35 Edit) (2017) | Saint Etienne". 7digital. United Kingdom. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
^ Brandle, Lars (23 March 2017). "Saint Etienne Returns with 'Home Counties'". Billboard. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
^ ^a ^b "Reviews and Tracks for Home Counties by Saint Etienne". Metacritic. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
^ Sendra, Tim. "Home Counties – Saint Etienne". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
^ Heaney, Joe (30 June 2017). "Saint Etienne – Home Counties". Clash. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
^ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (1 June 2017). "Saint Etienne: Home Counties review – finding Arcadia in the Brexit heartlands". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
^ Moore, Ralph (2 June 2017). "June: 18 albums you need to hear this month". Mixmag. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
^ Tyler, Kieron (July 2017). "Filter Albums". Mojo. No. 284. p. 86. ISSN 1351-0193.
^ Morris, Damien (4 June 2017). "Saint Etienne: Home Counties review – a winningly witty paean". The Observer. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
^ Reyes-Kulkarni, Saby (10 June 2017). "Saint Etienne: Home Counties". Pitchfork. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
^ Harrison, Ian (Summer 2017). "Q Review: New Albums". Q. No. 374. p. 108. ISSN 0955-4955.
^ Wade, Lewis (30 May 2017). "Saint Etienne – Home Counties". The Skinny. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
^ Dale, Jon (July 2017). "Saint Etienne – Home Counties". Uncut. No. 242. p. 37. ISSN 1368-0722. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
^ Jones, Alan (9 June 2017). "Official Charts Analysis: Ed Sheeran's ÷ back at No.1". Music Week. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
^ "Home Counties". Hostess Entertainment. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
^ Home Counties (liner notes). Saint Etienne. Heavenly Recordings. 2017. HVNLP139CD.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ "Ultratop.be – Saint Etienne – Home Counties" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
^ "Ultratop.be – Saint Etienne – Home Counties" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
^ "Spanishcharts.com – Saint Etienne – Home Counties". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
^ "Saint Etienne Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 26 June 2017.

[1] "Magpie Eyes (2017) | Saint Etienne". 7digital. United Kingdom. Retrieved 8 September 2017.

[2] "Dive (3:35 Edit) (2017) | Saint Etienne". 7digital. United Kingdom. Retrieved 8 September 2017.

[3] Brandle, Lars (23 March 2017). "Saint Etienne Returns with 'Home Counties'". Billboard. Retrieved 26 June 2017.

[MC-4] "Reviews and Tracks for Home Counties by Saint Etienne". Metacritic. Retrieved 10 June 2017.

[allmusic-5] Sendra, Tim. "Home Counties – Saint Etienne". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 June 2017.

[6] Heaney, Joe (30 June 2017). "Saint Etienne – Home Counties". Clash. Retrieved 8 September 2017.

[7] Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (1 June 2017). "Saint Etienne: Home Counties review – finding Arcadia in the Brexit heartlands". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 June 2017.

[8] Moore, Ralph (2 June 2017). "June: 18 albums you need to hear this month". Mixmag. Retrieved 29 June 2017.

[9] Tyler, Kieron (July 2017). "Filter Albums". Mojo. No. 284. p. 86. ISSN 1351-0193.

[10] Morris, Damien (4 June 2017). "Saint Etienne: Home Counties review – a winningly witty paean". The Observer. Retrieved 29 June 2017.

[11] Reyes-Kulkarni, Saby (10 June 2017). "Saint Etienne: Home Counties". Pitchfork. Retrieved 29 June 2017.

[12] Harrison, Ian (Summer 2017). "Q Review: New Albums". Q. No. 374. p. 108. ISSN 0955-4955.

[13] Wade, Lewis (30 May 2017). "Saint Etienne – Home Counties". The Skinny. Retrieved 29 June 2017.

[14] Dale, Jon (July 2017). "Saint Etienne – Home Counties". Uncut. No. 242. p. 37. ISSN 1368-0722. Retrieved 8 September 2017.

[15] Jones, Alan (9 June 2017). "Official Charts Analysis: Ed Sheeran's ÷ back at No.1". Music Week. Retrieved 26 June 2017.

[16] "Home Counties". Hostess Entertainment. Retrieved 1 December 2018.

[17] Home Counties (liner notes). Saint Etienne. Heavenly Recordings. 2017. HVNLP139CD.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

[ac_Flanders_Saint_Etienne-18] "Ultratop.be – Saint Etienne – Home Counties" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2017.

[ac_Wallonia_Saint_Etienne-19] "Ultratop.be – Saint Etienne – Home Counties" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 June 2017.

[ac_Scotland_-20] "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 June 2017.

[ac_Spain_Saint_Etienne-21] "Spanishcharts.com – Saint Etienne – Home Counties". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 June 2017.

[ac_UK2_-22] "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 August 2021.

[ac_UKIndependent_-23] "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 June 2017.

[ac_BillboardHeatseekers_Saint_Etienne-24] "Saint Etienne Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 26 June 2017.

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Saint Etienne
Sarah Cracknell Bob Stanley Pete Wiggs Gerard Johnson Ian Catt
Studio albums	Foxbase Alpha So Tough Tiger Bay Good Humor Sound of Water Finisterre Tales from Turnpike House Words and Music by Saint Etienne Home Counties I've Been Trying to Tell You
Soundtrack albums	The Misadventures of Saint Etienne What Have You Done Today Mervyn Day?
Compilation albums	You Need a Mess of Help to Stand Alone Fairy Tales from Saint Etienne Too Young to Die: Singles 1990–1995 Casino Classics Continental Interlude Smash the System: Singles and More Travel Edition 1990–2005 London Conversations: The Best of Saint Etienne
Extended plays	Reserection Places to Visit
Singles	"Only Love Can Break Your Heart" "Kiss and Make Up" "Nothing Can Stop Us" "Join Our Club" "Avenue" "You're in a Bad Way" "Hobart Paving" "Who Do You Think You Are" "Xmas 93" "Pale Movie" "Like a Motorway" "Hug My Soul" "He's on the Phone" "Sylvie" "The Bad Photographer" "Tell Me Why (The Riddle)" "Shower Scene" "A Good Thing" "Stars Above Us" "Burnt Out Car" "Method of Modern Love"
Related articles	Discography List of songs recorded by Saint Etienne Debsey Wykes