The Black Light
Studio album by
The Ting Tings
ReleasedOctober 26, 2018 (2018-10-26)
GenreDrum and bass, UK garage, indie rock, indietronica
Length27:37
LabelFinca
ProducerJules De Martino, Jon Foster
The Ting Tings chronology
Super Critical
(2014)		 The Black Light
(2018)		 The Black Light (Manchester Versions)
(2019)
Singles from The Black Light
  1. "Blacklight"
    Released: September 13, 2018
  2. "Estranged"
    Released: October 15, 2018

The Black Light is the fourth studio album by English indie pop duo The Ting Tings. It was released on October 26, 2018 by Finca Records.[1]

Background and recording

The album was written and recorded over a two-year period mostly in Los Angeles and Spain.[1]

During the creation of The Black Light and unlike the band's previous albums the lyrics were written first and then put to music.[2] Vocalist Katie White and drummer Julian De Martino initially recorded demos in Spain, with an indie rock sound styled after their heroes The Smiths and The Cure but were unhappy with this as they felt it was unrepresentative of their musical intentions for the project. They moved to Los Angeles where they built another new studio, rearranging the songs and re-recording some of the material before finding the resulting sound they searched for.[3][4]

The resulting album became a departure for Ting Tings having a more darker and melancholic sound than the band’s previous albums.[1][3][4] The Black Light explores the themes like complicated relationships, inner turmoil and dead loved ones.[5]

Release and promotion

Singles "Blacklight" and "Estranged" were released ahead of the album, both accompanied by music videos.[3] The album was released on vinyl and digitally, but did not feature a CD version both in the band’s native UK and US.

Seven remixes of the songs from the album were released digitally from October 2018 through March 2019.[6]

A limited edition black USB memory stick with alternative stripped down version of the album subtitled 'Manchester Versions'[7] and a collection of remixes was released in March 2019.[8]

A standalone digital release of The Black Light (Manchester Versions) took place in July 2019.[9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Dork[10]

The Black Light received mixed reviews from music critics and less media coverage in comparison to the band's previous albums.

Alex Cabré of Dork magazine wrote that "In short, the album feels unfinished. ", "Intended as a minimalist dance effort, ‘The Black Light’ mostly comes across as muted and half-arsed. "[10]

NME reviewer Jordan Bassett expressed bewilderment with the lead single. "Comeback single ‘Blacklight’ is not The Ting Tings – aka 35-year-old singer and guitarist Katie White and 49-year-old drummer Jules De Martino – as we remember them. It’s not the funky disco strut of ‘Shut Up And Let Me Go’, nor the multi-coloured, perky indie-pop stomp of ‘That’s Not My Name’". "It’s both unbelievably dated and completely alien, in a way that makes you wonder: What were they thinking? How did this seem like a plausible comeback?"[11]

Despite the lack of initial recognition in 2023 classicrockhistory.com rated the songs "Estranged" and "Blacklight" as #8 and #10 respectively in their list of Top 10 Ting Tings songs.[12]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Jules De Martino and Katie White[13]

No.TitleLength
1."Estranged"5:11
2."Basement"2:16
3."A&E"4:03
4."Blacklight"2:45
5."Earthquake"4:31
6."Fine & Dandy"4:31
7."Word for This"3:16
8."Good Grief"3:04
Total length:27:37
Bonus track on the vinyl and Japanese editions
No.TitleLength
9."Souvenir"4:17
Total length:31:54
Manchester Versions tracklisting
No.TitleLength
1."Estranged" (Manchester Version)5:56
2."Basement" (Manchester Version)3:15
3."A&E" (Manchester Version)4:10
4."Blacklight" (Manchester Version)2:50
5."Earthquake" (Manchester Version)3:52
6."Fine & Dandy" (Manchester Version)4:06
7."Word for This" (Manchester Version)2:58
8."Good Grief" (Manchester Version)2:50
9."Souvenir" (Manchester Version)4:28
Total length:32:25
Bonus remixes on the Black USB release
No.TitleLength
1."Blacklight" (Leeroy Thornhill Dirty & Ruff Remix)4:46
2."Blacklight" (Tuff Ghost Remix)3:50
3."Blacklight" (Niamh Remix)3:15
4."A&E" (IYEARA Remix)3:58
5."Earthquake" (Blackpaw Remix)3:12
6."Basement" (Boixy Remix)2:22
7."Fine & Dandy" (DoubleD Remix)3:42

References

  1. 1 2 3 Lenniger, Shea (October 26, 2018). "The Ting Tings Release New Album 'The Black Light': Stream It Now". billboard.com. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  2. ↑ Duveau, Laetitia. "Interview with Katie White of The Ting Tings". curatedbygirls.com. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
  3. 1 2 3 Mead, Matt (October 15, 2018). "The Ting Tings Video Exclusive Louder Than War". louderthanwar.com. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  4. 1 2 "The Ting Tings Are Living In Their Own World". clashmusic.com. September 13, 2018. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  5. ↑ Bowring, Declan (October 11, 2018). "Interview: The Ting Tings on their ten-year career and new album release". counteract.co. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  6. ↑ "The Ting Tings - Singles & EPs". music.apple.com. Retrieved 2023-01-11.
  7. ↑ "The Ting Tings – The Black Light (Manchester versions)". facebook.com. 24 May 2019. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
  8. ↑ "The Ting Tings – The Black USB". discogs.com. Retrieved 2023-12-22.
  9. ↑ "The Black Light (Manchester Version) – The Ting Tings". music.apple.com. July 5, 2019. Retrieved 2023-12-22.
  10. 1 2 Cabré, Alex. "THE TING TINGS – THE BLACK LIGHT". Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  11. ↑ Bassett, Jordan. "We Need To Talk About: the Tings Tings' bizarre new drum'n'bass song. No, really". nme.com. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
  12. ↑ Kamau, Eric (May 2023). "Top 10 Ting Tings Songs". classicrockhistory.com. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
  13. ↑ "The Black Light by The Ting Tings on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
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