''Angry Cyclist'' is the eleventh studio album by Scottish

folk rock Folk rock is a fusion genre of rock music with heavy influences from pop, English and American folk music. It arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music re ...

duo

The Proclaimers The Proclaimers are a Scottish Rock music, rock duo formed in 1983 by twin brothers Craig and Charlie Reid (born 5 March 1962). They came to attention with their 1987 single "Letter from America (song), Letter from America", which reached No. 3 ...

. The album was released on 10 August 2018 on the label

Cooking Vinyl Cooking Vinyl is a British independent record label, based in Acton, London, England. It was founded in 1986 by former manager and booking agent Martin Goldschmidt and his business partner Pete Lawrence. Goldschmidt remains the current owner an ...

. The album spawned the titular single "Angry Cyclist", accompanied by a music video. Charting at No. 2 in Scotland, as well as at No. 17 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

and No. 3 on the

Indie Charts The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent singles and albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 1980, and widely known as the indie chart, the re ...

, the release of ''Angry Cyclist'' was followed by a promotional tour of the United Kingdom, Canada, Iceland, Asia and Australia. Receiving a generally favourable reception, with ''

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

'' praising the record an example of the band's best work, ''Angry Cyclist'' included politically-themed songs reflecting scepticism of

Brexit Brexit (, a portmanteau of "Britain" and "Exit") was the Withdrawal from the European Union, withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU). Brexit officially took place at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February ...

and

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

; it was described by ''

Louder Than War ''Louder Than War'' is a music and culture website and magazine focusing on mainly alternative arts news, reviews, and features. The site is an editorially independent publication that was started by the English musician and journalist John R ...

'' as "an essential record" for those unhappy with the political landscape. The record was described as "

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

in spirit" and showcased a variety of influences including

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

jangle pop Jangle pop is a Music subgenre, subgenre of pop rock and college rock that emphasizes jangle, jangly guitars and 1960s-style pop music, pop melodies. The "jangly" guitar sound is characterized by its clean, shimmering and Arpeggio, arpeggiated ...

and

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

Production

The album was produced by

Dave Eringa David James Eringa (born 30 July 1971 in Brentwood, Essex, Brentwood, Essex) is an English people, English record producer, sound engineer, and mix engineer. Biography He has had a long-standing association with Manic Street Preachers. His ea ...

who produced The Proclaimers' previous album '' Let's Hear It for the Dogs'', and was likewise recorded in Wales at

Rockfield Studios Rockfield Studios is a residential recording studio located in the Wye Valley just outside the village of Rockfield, Monmouthshire, Wales. It was founded in 1963 by brothers Kingsley and Charles Ward. Recording studios Rockfield is a two-stu ...

. On 15 June 2018, it was announced that the album would be released worldwide on 10 August that year.

Release

''Angry Cyclist'' was released on 10 August 2018. Released through

, the album saw

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

-wide release on CD, as well as

vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...

and cassette releases in the UK.

Style and content

Lyrical themes

The lyrics of ''Angry Cyclist'' included political themes. The title-track "Angry Cyclist" reflected dismay at a societal shift to the

political right Right-wing politics is the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position based on natural law, economics, authority, property, ...

following

and the election of

, band member Craig Reid metaphorically likening "sweating, angry cyclists “hemmed in” by city traffic with the polarisation of political discourse", the song was hailed "a metaphor for our times". "Classy" was a wry insight into the "ludicrous strata" of the

British class system The social structure of the United Kingdom has historically been highly influenced by the concept of social class, which continues to affect British society today. British society, like its European neighbours and most societies in world history, ...

. The

sentimental ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner. Balla ...

"Streets of Edinburgh" looked backwards and forwards at the city where the band spent their formative years.

Musical style

'' The York Press'' described the album as "soulful country-folk" as well as "

in spirit", upgraded with strings in a manner reminiscent of producer Dave Eringa's work with Idlewild and

Manic Street Preachers Manic Street Preachers, also known simply as the Manics, are a Wales, Welsh Rock music, rock band formed in Blackwood, Caerphilly, in 1986. The band consists of Nicky Wire (bass guitar, lyrics) and cousins James Dean Bradfield (lead vocals, le ...

. ''AllMusic'' stated that The Proclaimers "present a mix of style influences" on ''Angry Cyclist'', describing "The Battle of the Booze" as " countrified" and noting "Information"'s R&B infusions. "Sometimes It's the Fools" has been described by ''

The Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact (newspaper), compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until ...

'' as ringing out with a "pithy and pacey

jangle Jangle or jingle-jangle is a sound typically characterized by undistorted, treble-heavy electric guitars (particularly 12-strings) played in a droning chordal style (by strumming or arpeggiating). The sound is mainly associated with pop m ...

", comparable to

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American alternative rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the fir ...

, "You Make Me Happy" was labelled a "direct and driving Celtic soul stormer", with it and "Then It Comes To Me" described by ''The Skinny'' as "

Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature the E Street B ...

-esque rockers", with ''The Scotsman'' labelling "A Way with Words" a "twanging

rock’n’roller".

Reception

Critical reception

According to ''

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

'', ''Angry Cyclist'' received a score of 77/100 based in 5 reviews, suggesting "generally positive reviews". Marcy Donelson of ''

'' described the record as "one of he band'sbest" and "the type of album that would be fun see performed live in full". ''Louder Than War'' described ''Dentures Out'' as "an absolutely essential record for those of us unhappy with the nasty turns the world has been taking". In an eight-out-of-ten review, Bryan Willitson of

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

-based publication ''The Spill Magazine'' opined that the album had "many moments to enjoy" and that it "grows on the listener with each successive spin". '' The Skinny'', in a four out-of five-star review by Alan O'Hare, while acknowledging the album to offer "a little less gravitas than usual", stated that " the taut Telecasters that dominate The Proclaimers' eleventh studio album provide a tension that seems to sit well within ..these prescient compositions", and further alluded to the track "Classy" as "lyrical genius". ''

'' complimented ''Angry Cyclist'' as one of the band's "most cutting collections" and that "every track brims with confidence".

Accolades

Angry Cyclist ranked at No. 64 on ''100 Best Albums of 2018'' by UK music retailer Fopp.

Touring

The Proclaimers embarked on a worldwide tour following the release of ''Angry Cyclist''. The 2018 leg of the ''Angry Cyclist'' tour saw the band perform 43 shows and 5

festivals A festival is an event celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, Melā, mela, or Muslim holidays, eid. A ...

in the United Kingdom, as well as 13 concerts in Canada supported by the English

indie folk Indie folk (also called alternative folk) is an alternative genre of music that arose in the 1990s among musicians from indie rock scenes influenced by folk music. Characteristics The staff of '' Paste Magazine'' said in 2020: "No music genre ...

artist Siobhan Wilson. The 2019 portion included performances that April in

Reykjavík Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...

Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

and

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

, as well as a 10-date tour of Australia that May. The tour concluded with a performance on 14 September 2019 at

The Hydro The OVO Hydro is a multi-purpose indoor arena located within the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow, Scotland. The arena was initially named The Scottish Hydro Arena after its main sponsor Scottish Hydro Electric. During construction, Scottish ...

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

, Scotland. The ''Angry Cyclist'' tour saw the duo perform to over 400,000 people across 111 performances.

Track listing

Personnel

; The ProclaimersThe liner notes entail the musical and technical personnel of Angry Cyclist. * Craig Reid - vocals * Charlie Reid - acoustic guitar, vocals ; Additional performers * Stevie Christie - keyboards * Garry John Kane - bass guitar * Zac Ware - electric guitar, classic guitar, pedal steel, mandolin * Clive Jenner - drums, percussion * Sean Genockey - guitar * Andrew Walters - string arrangements, violin * Tanwen Evans - violin * Carly Stone - cello * Nathan Stone - cello * John McCusker - fiddle ; Technical *

- production, programming * Joe Jones - engineering * Jack Boston - engineering * Ed Woods - mastering * Lewis MacDonald - front cover design * Luke Insect - sleeve design * Murdro MacLeod - liner notes photography

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2018 albums Cooking Vinyl albums The Proclaimers albums Albums recorded at Rockfield Studios