Ungodly Hour
Ungodly Hour is the second studio album and fifth release by American R&B duo Chloe x Halle, released through Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records on June 12, 2020. It serves as the follow up to The Kids Are Alright (2018). Originally scheduled for a June 5 release, the album was pushed back to June 12 as a way of showing respect and support to the Black Lives Matter movement.[1][2] Ahead of the album's release, two singles were released, "Catch Up" (with Swae Lee featuring Mike Will Made-It) and "Do It", the latter of which is their most successful single to date. "Forgive Me" was announced as the second official single and released alongside a music video on June 12. The album was critically acclaimed, with critics praising their vocal delivery, artistic growth, maturity, and the album's cohesiveness.
Ungodly Hour | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | June 12, 2020 | |||
Recorded | September - October 2019 | |||
Genre | R&B | |||
Length | 43:17 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer |
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Chloe x Halle chronology | ||||
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Singles from Ungodly Hour | ||||
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Background
On May 14, 2020, Chloe x Halle announced their second studio album Ungodly Hour. They also unveiled the artwork and made it available for pre-order with the first two singles "Catch Up" and "Do It", exclusively on iTunes.[3]
Critical reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Album of the Year | 81/100[4] |
Metacritic | 82/100[5] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Clash | 8/10[6] |
Entertainment Weekly | B+[7] |
The Guardian | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Our Culture Mag | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The album received critical acclaim, with critics praising their vocal delivery, artistic growth, maturity, and the album's cohesiveness. Shahzaib Hussain of Clash stated that the album "lacks some of the DIY spirit of their earlier efforts, but benefits from navigating the trails of playability and experimentation". He praised the fact that the album "doesn't adhere to good-girl-gone-bad tropes, that age-old changeover from wide-eyed teen sensations to risqué provocateurs" and that the pair's vocals and harmonies elevated the more mundane tracks, concluding, "The Ungodly Hour is a soothing salve for a world on fire. It's an avowal of sisterhood and sorority, a projection of a generation of young black women galvanized by a collective willingness to enact efficacious change in the face of adversity."[6] Rachel Aroesti of The Guardian said the pair match "sumptuous harmonies with intricate beats" and that the listener's attention was drawn to the album's details and "the slow-burn appeal of the pair's vocal melodies, which are habitually inventive, ornate and hauntingly beautiful".[8]
Accolades
Publication | Accolade | Rank | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Rolling Stone | Rolling Stone's 50 Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year | 44 |
Track listing
Adapted from Amazon Music and Tidal.[12][13]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Forgive Me" |
|
| 4:06 |
2. | "Baby Girl" |
| C. Bailey | 3:32 |
3. | "Do It" |
|
| 3:56 |
4. | "Tipsy" |
| C. Bailey | 3:33 |
5. | "Ungodly Hour" |
|
| 4:16 |
6. | "Busy Boy" |
|
| 4:10 |
7. | "Catch Up" (with Swae Lee featuring Mike Will Made-It) |
|
| 4:04 |
8. | "Lonely" |
|
| 4:07 |
9. | "Don't Make It Harder on Me" |
|
| 3:35 |
10. | "Wonder What She Thinks of Me" |
| Chloe x Halle | 3:32 |
11. | "ROYL" |
| Chloe x Halle | 4:25 |
Total length: | 43:10 |
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from Tidal.[13]
Instrumentation
- Adrienne Woods – strings (tracks 1, 2, and 12)
- Bianca McClure – strings (tracks 1, 2, and 12)
- Chelsea Stevens – strings (tracks 1, 2, and 12)
- Derek Dixie – strings (tracks 1, 2, and 12)
- Marta Honer – strings (tracks 1, 2, and 12)
- Rhea Hosanny – strings (tracks 1, 2, and 12)
- Stephanie Matthews – strings (tracks 1, 2, and 12)
- Stephanie Yu – strings (tracks 1, 2, and 12)
Production
- Beyoncé – executive production
- Chloe x Halle – executive production, production (all tracks)
- Sounwave – production (track 2)
- Scott Storch – production (tracks 4 and 10)
- Disclosure – production (track 6)
- Gitty – production (tracks 7 and 11)
- Mike Will Made It – production (track 8)
Technical
- Dale Becker, Chloe x Halle – mastering (all tracks)
- Tony Maserati – mixing (tracks 1-7, 10, 11, and 13)
- Chloe x Halle – mixing (all tracks)
- Chloe x Halle – engineering (all tracks)
- Chloe x Halle – recording (all tracks)
- Andrea Roberts – engineering assistance (tracks 1, 2, and 12)
Charts
Chart (2020) | Peak position |
---|---|
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[14] | 160 |
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[15] | 71 |
French Albums (SNEP)[16] | 200 |
UK Albums (OCC)[17] | 80 |
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[18] | 11 |
US Billboard 200[19] | 16 |
US Top R&B Albums (Billboard)[20] | 2 |
References
- "Chloe x Halle Are Ready To 'Do It' & Prep New Album 'Ungodly Hour'". SoulBounce.com. May 14, 2020.
- "Chloe x Halle Announce Sophomore Album 'Ungodly Hour'". ThatGrapeJuice.com. May 14, 2020.
- "Chloe x Halle Announce The Release Of New Album, Ungodly Hour". SoulBounce. 2020-05-14. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
- "Chloe x Halle - Ungodly Hour - Reviews". Album of the Year. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
- "Critic Reviews for Ungodly Hour by Chloe x Halle". Metacritic. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
- Hussain, Shahzaib (June 12, 2020). "Chloe x Halle – The Ungodly Hour". Clash. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
- Greenblatt, Leah. "Beyoncé proteges Chloe x Halle step up on the soul-sweetened Ungodly Hour: Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
- Aroesti, Rachel (June 12, 2020). "Chloe x Halle: Ungodly Hour review – classy R&B from precocious all-rounders". The Guardian. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
- Pappis, Konstantinos (June 18, 2020). "Album Review: Chloe x Halle, 'Ungodly Hour'". Our Culture Mag. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
- Dolan, Jon. "Chloe x Halle Shine Together on Ungodly Hour". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
- Schwartz, Danny (June 17, 2020). "50 Best Albums of 2020 – So Far". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
- "Ungodly Hour [Explicit] by Chloe x Halle". Amazon Music. Amazon.com. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
- "Try the TIDAL Web Player". listen.tidal.com. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
- "Ultratop.be – Chloe x Halle – Ungodly Hour" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
- "Chloe x Halle Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
- "Top Albums (Week 25, 2020)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
- 19, 2020/115/ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
- "Chloe x Halle Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
- "Chloe X Halle – Chart History: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Retrieved June 23, 2020.