It's the End of the World but It's a Beautiful Day is the sixth studio album by American rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars, released on September 15, 2023, through Concord. It is the first album after their debut without guitarist Tomo Miličević who left the band in June 2018.
It's the End of the World but It's a Beautiful Day | ||||
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![]() One of ten covers created for the album. This is the cover used on the Apple Music release of the album. | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 15, 2023 | |||
Studio | The International Centre for the Advancement of the Arts and Sciences of Sound (Los Angeles, California) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 33:25 | |||
Label | Concord | |||
Producer |
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Thirty Seconds to Mars chronology | ||||
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Singles from It's the End of the World but It's a Beautiful Day | ||||
Background and development
editSitting down for NME in November 2021, Leto revealed that they had penned 200 tracks for their upcoming record. Much of the material was inspired by 1970s and 1980s electronic music.[3] He explained that the band took advantage of their time in lockdown. At the time in 2021, Jared said that they were awaiting "the right opportunity" to release it.[4] On another occasion, in March 2022, Leto stated that the band was sitting on "two albums, maybe three, worth of material", that took him "a month or two to get into the swing of things". Once again, he pointed out the fact that the two were confined to one place was a unique situation.[5] About a year later, on April 6, 2023, Leto announced that they were "getting ready" to release new music.[6]
The band shared a teaser of a new song titled "Stuck" with a 14-second grayscale preview clip on May 5, 2023.[7] The "powerful, high-energy track" was released as the lead single on May 8, 2023, with an accompanying music video directed by Jared Leto himself.[8] To Leto, song and video signify "a celebration of art, design, fashion, and the remarkable people who bring them to life".[9] Release of the song was accompanied by the announcement of the album, their first in over five years.[10] It was made available for pre-order in various CD and vinyl editions.[11] On September 22, the second single, "Seasons" was released.[12]
On November 9, the band announced the Seasons Tour in support of the album, with legs in North & South America, Europe and Oceania.[13]
Critical reception
editAggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 57/100[14] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [15] |
Clash | 8/10[2] |
Classic Rock | [16] |
Hot Press | 5/10[17] |
Kerrang! | [18] |
The Line of Best Fit | 4/10[19] |
Riff Magazine | 7/10[20] |
Toronto Star | [21] |
Trend | [1] |
It's the End of the World but It's a Beautiful Day received a score of 57 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on five critics' reviews, indicating "mixed or average" reception.[14] In his review for Kerrang!, Nick Russell praised the band's will to change and stated "as another move forward, It's the End Of The World But It's a Beautiful Day succeeds in part because, once again, Thirty Seconds To Mars haven't sounded like this before. More power to them for that".[18] Mark Kennedy from the Toronto Star awarded it four stars out of five and while praising the "anguished torch song 'Never Not Love You' to the encouraging 'Get Up Kid'", stated that the album "is exactly what it sounds like — optimistic, despite the doom."[21] Trend's K. Kasey stated that the band delivers "a pop album that is as catchy as it is danceable", further saying "that it is difficult not to wonder if behind this artificial euphoria we can find something more than a diversion from the brother duo, but after more than twenty years of career and with their ability to adapt to new sounds and make them their own, the solvency of the band is more than assured".[1]
Isabella Miller, writing for Clash, gave the album a positive review and commented that "it feels as though experimentation was at the centre of this record, with digital soundbites and electronic instruments at the forefront of many of the tunes, yet still beautifully intertwined with the traditional line up".[2] Classic Rock gave the album three stars out of five and summarized the band's change in style by saying "double down on revitalising their music while finding new logs to throw on the philosophical fire".[16] In First Hubbard's review for The Upcoming, he stated the album was "uplifting" and described the band as "ever-evolving". He rated the album four out of five.[22] In a far more critical review, Steven Loftin at The Line of Best Fit criticised the album saying, "[t]he beats go by listlessly, rarely igniting any semblance of emotive response" and that "[t]hey're often joined by anything but a coarse Leto whisper, failing to ever establish a personal take on it", but noted that "[t]hankfully, this new electronic palette they're toting isn't wholly lost" and that the album "at least hosts a heart."[19]
Track listing
editNo. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Stuck" |
| 3:02 | |
2. | "Life Is Beautiful" |
|
| 3:19 |
3. | "Seasons" |
|
| 2:46 |
4. | "Get Up Kid" |
|
| 2:58 |
5. | "Love These Days" |
|
| 3:00 |
6. | "World on Fire" |
|
| 3:18 |
7. | "7:1" |
|
| 2:45 |
8. | "Never Not Love You" |
|
| 3:14 |
9. | "Midnight Prayer" |
|
| 2:34 |
10. | "Lost These Days" |
|
| 3:05 |
11. | "Avalanche" |
|
| 3:24 |
Total length: | 33:25 |
Personnel
editThirty Seconds to Mars
- Jared Leto – guitars, bass, keyboards, lead vocals (all tracks except 9)
- Shannon Leto – drums, percussion, lead vocals (9)
Additional contributors
- Mike Bozzi – mastering
- Spike Stent – mixing (1, 2, 4–6, 8–10)
- Josh Gudwin – mixing (3)
- Ed Sheeran – guitars (6)
- Oscar Neidhardt – mixing (7), engineering (10)
- Rob Kinelski – mixing (11)
Charts
editChart (2023) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA)[23] | 9 |
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[24] | 17 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[25] | 98 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[26] | 24 |
French Albums (SNEP)[27] | 34 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[28] | 16 |
Italian Albums (FIMI)[29] | 12 |
Japanese Download Albums (Billboard Japan)[30] | 93 |
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[31] | 16 |
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[32] | 25 |
Scottish Albums (OCC)[33] | 6 |
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[34] | 35 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[35] | 7 |
UK Albums (OCC)[36] | 20 |
US Billboard 200[37] | 76 |
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[38] | 16 |
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[39] | 9 |
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[40] | 11 |
References
edit- ^ a b c Kasey, K. (September 18, 2023). "Thirty Seconds To Mars, review of It's The End Of The World". Trend.
- ^ a b c Miller, Isabella (September 14, 2023). "Thirty Seconds to Mars – It's the End of the World but It's a Beautiful Day". Clash. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
- ^ "Thirty Seconds to Gaga? Jared Leto says it "would be fun" to collaborate with his 'House of Gucci' co-star". KPNT. November 24, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
- ^ Skinner, Tom (November 24, 2021). "Jared Leto says Thirty Seconds To Mars have written 200 new songs". NME. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
- ^ Skinner, Tom (March 23, 2022). "Thirty Seconds To Mars to release new music "momentarily", Jared Leto reveals". NME. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
- ^ Machin, Jennifer (April 6, 2023). "Thirty Seconds To Mars is releasing new music after 5 years". Hypebae. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
- ^ Duran, Anagricel (May 5, 2023). "Thirty Seconds To Mars share teaser for new song 'Stuck'". NME. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
- ^ Aniftos, Rania (May 8, 2023). "Thirty Seconds to Mars Announces New Album, Unveils Lead Single 'Stuck'". Billboard. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
- ^ Mier, Tomás (May 8, 2023). "Thirty Seconds to Mars Announce First Album in 5 Years, Drop New Single 'Stuck'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
- ^ Taysom, Joe (May 8, 2023). "Thirty Seconds To Mars announce first album in five years". Far Out. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
- ^ "Thirty Seconds To Mars announce new album, release new song Stuck". Kerrang!. May 8, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
- ^ Fusi, Eleonora (September 15, 2023). "Thirty Seconds To Mars - Seasons (Radio Date: 22-09-2023)". EarOne. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
- ^ "Thirty Seconds To Mars announce huge world tour for 2024". Kerrang!. November 9, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
- ^ a b "It's the End of the World, But It's a Beautiful Day by Thirty Seconds to Mars". Metacritic. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
- ^ "It's the End of the World, But It's a Beautiful Day - Thirty Seconds to Mars: Review". AllMusic. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
- ^ a b "It's the End of the World but It's a Beautiful Day". Classic Rock. October 2023. p. 81.
- ^ McFee, Edwin (September 15, 2023). "Album Review: Thirty Seconds To Mars, It's The End Of The World, But It's A Beautiful Day". Hot Press. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
- ^ a b "Album review: Thirty Seconds To Mars – It's The End Of The World But It's A Beautiful Day". Kerrang!. September 12, 2023.
- ^ a b Loftin, Steven (September 14, 2023). "Thirty Seconds to Mars: It's the End of the World but It's a Beautiful Day Review". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
- ^ DeWald, Mike (September 11, 2023). "Review: Thirty Seconds to Mars transform on It's the End of the World But It's a Beautiful Day". Riff Magazine. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
- ^ a b Kennedy, Mark (September 14, 2023). "Thirty Seconds To Mars, It's The End Of The World, But It's A Beautiful Day". Toronto Star.
- ^ "Thirty Seconds to Mars – It's the End of the World but It's a Beautiful Day Review". The Upcoming. September 13, 2023.
- ^ "Australiancharts.com – Thirty Seconds to Mars – It's the End of the World but It's a Beautiful Day". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Thirty Seconds to Mars – It's the End of the World but It's a Beautiful Day" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Thirty Seconds to Mars – It's the End of the World but It's a Beautiful Day" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Thirty Seconds to Mars – It's the End of the World but It's a Beautiful Day" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Thirty Seconds to Mars – It's the End of the World but It's a Beautiful Day". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Thirty Seconds to Mars – It's the End of the World but It's a Beautiful Day" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
- ^ "Italiancharts.com – Thirty Seconds to Mars – It's the End of the World but It's a Beautiful Day". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
- ^ "Download Albums [2023/09/20]". Billboard Japan. September 20, 2023. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
- ^ "OLiS - oficjalna lista sprzedaży - albumy" (in Polish). OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Note: Change the date to 15.09.2023–21.09.2023 under "zmień zakres od–do:". Retrieved September 28, 2023.
- ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Thirty Seconds to Mars – It's the End of the World but It's a Beautiful Day". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
- ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Thirty Seconds to Mars – It's the End of the World but It's a Beautiful Day". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Thirty Seconds to Mars – It's the End of the World but It's a Beautiful Day". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
- ^ "Thirty Seconds to Mars Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
- ^ "Thirty Seconds to Mars Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
- ^ "Thirty Seconds to Mars Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
- ^ "Thirty Seconds to Mars Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 26, 2023.