I'm All Ears is the second studio album by the British musical duo Let's Eat Grandma, released on 29 June 2018, through Transgressive Records. Four singles preceded the release of the album: "Hot Pink", "Falling Into Me", "It's Not Just Me", and "Ava". The album received widespread acclaim from music critics.

I'm All Ears
Studio album by
Released29 June 2018 (2018-06-29)
Genre
Length51:27
LabelTransgressive
Producer
Let's Eat Grandma chronology
I, Gemini
(2016)
I'm All Ears
(2018)
Two Ribbons
(2022)
Singles from I'm All Ears
  1. "Hot Pink"
    Released: 30 January 2018
  2. "Falling Into Me"
    Released: 21 March 2018
  3. "It's Not Just Me"
    Released: 18 April 2018
  4. "Ava"
    Released: 12 June 2018

Release

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The duo released the lead single of the album, "Hot Pink", on 30 January 2018,[3] with a music video directed by Balan Evans released on 21 February, in which they stated they are "trying to navigate through a city where people's perceptions of reality are becoming more and more distorted in the fear that we'll end up the same way."[4] The album was announced on 21 March alongside the release of the second single, "Falling Into Me", a song they said is "about getting to know someone and getting over your fears about feeling insecure."[5] "It's Not Just Me" was released as the third single on 18 April with an accompanying music video also directed by Evans. The duo also announced a tour in promotion of the album, which will begin in late August.[6] The fourth and last single preceding the album, "Ava", was released on 12 June 2018. According to the duo, the song explores "the realization as you get older that some things are more complicated, and from the outside looking at a person you can't always see how difficult some problems are to solve."[7]

The album was released on 29 June 2018 on 2xLP, CD, cassette, digital download and streaming services through Transgressive Records.[8][9][10]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.0/10[11]
Metacritic85/100[12]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [13]
The Guardian     [14]
The Independent     [15]
Mojo     [16]
NME     [17]
The Observer     [18]
Pitchfork8.6/10[19]
Q     [20]
Rolling Stone     [21]
The Times     [22]

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, I'm All Ears received an average score of 85, based on 23 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[12] The Guardian gave the album a perfect score, with Laura Snapes calling it remarkable.[14] Rolling Stone's Will Hermes wrote, "Ultimately it's the spirit of adventure that runs through the entire enterprise that makes the diversity feel perfectly coherent, and timely. The future, after all, belongs to the young."[21] Pitchfork critic Meaghan Garvey said, "I'm All Ears renders flattened communication as poignant, striking not because of the novelty of being made by teenagers but because it speaks with such commanding precision to the experience of a teenager in 2018.".[19] Q critic Niall Doherty said the duo "revealed themselves as a rare, brilliant talent,"[20] while The Independent's Ilana Kaplan wrote, "As a record that's as lyrically compelling as it is sonically daring, I'm All Ears is an admirable follow-up to an impressive debut."[15]

Writing for The Line of Best Fit, Saam Idelji-Tehrani stated "Reflecting Walton and Hollingworth's growth and maturation over a period of approximately two years, it is a creative and infectious record, which after repeat listens, moves from being intriguing to simply irresistible."[23] Matthew Neale of Clash praised the album, saying "If they've perfected the modern pop template associated with acts like SOPHIE (on production duties here) - and they have - it's somehow not the most impressive element of the record. The second half of the album includes a pair of breathtaking epics, 'Cool & Collected' and 'Donnie Darko', that showcase a songwriting maturity well beyond their 18 and 19 years."[24] AllMusic critic Heather Phares wrote, "By the time Let's Eat Grandma unite the album's different sounds on the exhilarating finale, 'Donnie Darko,' Hollingworth and Walton prove that a few more years under their collective belt haven't tamed their adventurous spirit—if anything, the way they challenge expectations on I'm All Ears is more exciting than ever."[13]

Accolades

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Accolades for I'm All Ears
Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
The A.V. Club Top 20 Albums of 2018
20
Dazed Top 20 Albums of 2018
5
The Independent Top 40 Albums of 2018
19
The Line of Best Fit Top 50 Albums of 2018
9
Loud and Quiet Top 40 Albums of 2018
13
Louder Than War Top 25 Albums of 2018
24
MusicOMH Top 50 Albums of 2018
19
Mojo Top 75 Albums of 2018
20
Pitchfork Top 50 Albums of 2018
32
Q Top 50 Albums of 2018
2
Rough Trade Top 100 Albums of 2018
11
Uncut Top 75 Albums of 2018
29

Track listing

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All tracks written by Jenny Hollingworth and Rosa Walton and produced by David Wrench, except "Hot Pink" and "It's Not Just Me", co-written and produced by Sophie and Faris Badwan.[37]

I'm All Ears track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Whitewater"1:57
2."Hot Pink"4:08
3."It's Not Just Me"3:55
4."Falling Into Me"5:46
5."Snakes & Ladders"5:57
6."Missed Call (1)"0:37
7."I Will Be Waiting"4:23
8."The Cat's Pyjamas"1:05
9."Cool & Collected"9:17
10."Ava"3:04
11."Donnie Darko"11:19
Total length:51:27

Personnel

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Credits adapted from the liner notes of I'm All Ears.[37]

Let's Eat Grandma

  • Jenny Hollingworth
  • Rosa Walton

Additional personnel

  • David Wrench – production (tracks 1, 4–11), programming, mixing
  • Faris Badwan – production (tracks 2, 3)
  • Sophie – production (tracks 2, 3)
  • Cecile Desnos – engineering
  • Grace Banks – engineering (tracks 1, 4–11)
  • Marta Salogni – engineering (tracks 1, 4–11)
  • Darren Webb – engineering (tracks 2, 3)
  • Max Heyes – engineering (tracks 2, 3)
  • Matt Colton – mastering
  • Yanjun Cheng – artwork

Charts

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Chart performance for I'm All Ears
Chart (2018) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[38] 164
Scottish Albums (OCC)[39] 27
UK Albums (OCC)[40] 28

References

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  1. ^ Cosores, Philip (29 June 2018). "British Teens Let's Eat Grandma Make Brilliant Avant-Pop On Their New Album 'I'm All Ears'". Uproxx. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  2. ^ Conaton, Chris (2 June 2018). "Let's Eat Grandma Makes Synthpop with Variety on 'I'm All Ears'". PopMatters. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  3. ^ Gaca, Anna (30 January 2018). "Let's Eat Grandma – "Hot Pink"". Spin. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  4. ^ Gaca, Anna (21 February 2018). "Video: Let's Eat Grandma – "Hot Pink"". Spin. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  5. ^ Blais-Billie, Braudie (21 March 2018). "Let's Eat Grandma Announce New Album I'm All Ears, Share New Song". Pitchork. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  6. ^ Kim, Michelle (20 April 2018). "Let's Eat Grandma Share New Song, Announce Tour". Pitchfork. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  7. ^ Green, Gil (12 June 2018). "Let's Eat Grandma – "Ava"". Stereogum. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  8. ^ "Let's Eat Grandma – I'm All Ears". Rough Trade. 12 June 2018. Archived from the original on 18 July 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  9. ^ "Let's Eat Grandma". Transgressive Records. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  10. ^ "Let's Eat Grandma Announce New Album 'I'm All Ears'". DIY. 21 March 2018. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  11. ^ "I'm All Ears by Let's Eat Grandma reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
  12. ^ a b "I'm All Ears by Let's Eat Grandma Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
  13. ^ a b Phares, Heather. "I'm All Ears – Let's Eat Grandma". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  14. ^ a b Snapes, Laura (29 June 2018). "Let's Eat Grandma review – bold, intense pop that gets under the skin". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  15. ^ a b Kaplan, Ilana; Shepherd, Jack; O'Connor, Roisin; Beech, Dave (27 June 2018). "Album reviews: Gorillaz, Teyana Taylor, Ray Davies and more". The Independent. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  16. ^ Waring, Charles (July 2018). "Let's Eat Grandma: I'm All Ears". Mojo (296): 93.
  17. ^ Aubrey, Elizabeth (4 July 2018). "Let's Eat Grandma – 'I'm All Ears' review". NME. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  18. ^ Mackay, Emily (1 July 2018). "Let's Eat Grandma: I'm All Ears review – a radical leap forward". The Observer. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  19. ^ a b Garvey, Meaghan (3 July 2018). "Let's Eat Grandma: I'm All Ears". Pitchfork. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  20. ^ a b Doherty, Niall (Summer 2018). "Teenage Kicks". Q (387): 104.
  21. ^ a b Hermes, Will (2 July 2018). "Review: Let's Eat Grandma's 'I'm All Ears' Is Adventurous Bubblegum". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  22. ^ Hodgkinson, Will (29 June 2018). "Pop review: Let's Eat Grandma: I'm All Ears". The Times. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  23. ^ Idelji-Tehrani, Saam. "Let's Eat Grandma come of age on I'm All Ears". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  24. ^ Neale, Matthew (26 June 2018). "Let's Eat Grandma: I'm All Ears". Clash. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  25. ^ Purdom, Clayton; McLevy, Alex; Rife, Katie; Anthony, David; Zaleski, Annie (18 December 2018). "A.V. Clubs 20 Best Albums of 2018". Music.avclub.com. Archived from the original on 19 December 2018. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  26. ^ "20 Best Albums of 2018". Dazeddigital.com. 5 December 2018. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  27. ^ O'Connor, Roison; Pollard, Alex J (5 December 2018). "The 40 best albums of 2018: From Arctic Monkeys to Christine and the Queens, Kendrick Lamar to Janelle Monae". Independent.co.uk. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  28. ^ "Best Albums of 2018". Thelineofbestfit.com. 3 December 2018. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  29. ^ "The Loud and Quiet Best 40 Albums of 2018". Loudandquiet.com. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  30. ^ Babey, Geb (9 December 2018). "Albums of the Year 2018 : The Top 25". Louderthanwar.com. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  31. ^ Hubbard, Michael (5 December 2018). "MusicOMH's Top 50 Albums of 2018". Musicomh.com. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  32. ^ "Kate Bush Heads Up MOJO's Best Of 2018 Issue". Mojo4music.com. 15 November 2018. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  33. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2018". Pitchfork.com. 11 December 2018. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  34. ^ Bill Pearis (18 December 2018). "Q Magazine's Top 50 Albums of 2018". BrooklynVegan.
  35. ^ "Rough Trade's Albums of the Year". Roughtrade.com. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  36. ^ Sam Richards (21 December 2018). "Uncut's best new albums of 2018". Uncut. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  37. ^ a b I'm All Ears (LP liner notes). Let's Eat Grandma. Transgressive Records. 2018. TRANS347XX.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  38. ^ "Ultratop.be – Let's Eat Grandma – I'm All Ears" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  39. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  40. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 July 2018.