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True North (A-ha album)

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True North
Studio album by
A-ha
Released21 October 2022 (2022-10-21)
RecordedNovember 2021
StudioBodø, Norway
Length51:26
Label
ProducerMagne Furuholmen, Paul Waaktaar-Savoy
A-ha chronology
MTV Unplugged: Summer Solstice
(2017) 		True North
(2022)
Singles from True North
  1. "I'm In"
    Released: 8 July 2022
  2. "You Have What It Takes"
    Released: 16 September 2022

True North is the eleventh studio album by Norwegian band A-ha. It was released on 21 October 2022 by RCA and Sony Music.[1][2] The album's opening track "I'm In" was released as the first single on 8 July 2022.[1]

True North is accompanied by a film with the same title featuring a-ha recording the album during November 2021 in Bodø, Norway. Paul Waaktaar-Savoy has said of the project: "First, we had the idea to record a studio session live. Then, to film a studio session. That grew into more of a production with the Norwegian orchestra, the Arctic Philharmonic, who we have collaborated with."[1]

The album artwork shows an image from a legendary remote surfing bay in Lofoten, an island group close to and accessed by ferry from Bodø, where the album was recorded. The location of the bay is called Unstad, where surfers and tourists visit year round for the surf and observing the northern lights in a picturesque landscape typical of Norway.[3]

Background and recording

[edit]

A documentary titled a-ha: The Movie was released in 2021 and tells the story of the band and deals with both their success and the problems, such as personal rifts between members.[4]

In January 2022, it was announced that a-ha had signed a recording contract with Sony Music imprint RCA Records in Germany to release the True North album.[2] The concept of recording an album and an accompanying film was inspired by Bruce Springsteen's Western Stars (2019). Furuholmen wanted to create a Norwegian version of Western Stars and has called the project a "musical letter from our home country" and described the album's themes as "nature and the environment".[5][6]

Commercial performance

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The album debuted at number 12 on the UK Albums Chart, selling 5,109 copies in its first week. It is a-ha's 17th top 75 album on the chart.[7]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
Hymn[9]
laut.de[10]
musicOMH[11]
Retropop[12]
Rolling Stone Germany[13]
Under the Radar[14]
The Times[15]
Albumism[16]
maxazine.nl[17]

The album has had a positive reception from numerous publications, including Rolling Stone, musicOMH, laut.de, Hymn and Retropop.[18]

Track listing

[edit]
True North track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I'm In"Magne Furuholmen5:05
2."Hunter in the Hills"Paul Waaktaar-Savoy4:11
3."As If"Waaktaar-Savoy4:56
4."Between the Halo and the Horn"Furuholmen4:11
5."True North"Furuholmen4:55
6."Bumblebee"Waaktaar-Savoy4:07
7."Forest for the Trees"Waaktaar-Savoy3:53
8."Bluest of Blue"Furuholmen4:34
9."Make Me Understand"Waaktaar-Savoy3:59
10."You Have What It Takes"Furuholmen4:22
11."Summer Rain"Furuholmen4:15
12."Oh My Word"Waaktaar-Savoy3:58
Total length:51:26
Japanese edition bonus track
No.TitleLength
13."I'm In" (Instrumental)5:06

Personnel

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a-ha

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  • Morten Harket – lead vocals (1–12)
  • Magne Furuholmen – keyboards (1, 4, 5, 8, 11), piano (1–6, 11), synth (9), acoustic guitar (1, 4, 7, 8, 10–12), backing vocals (1, 4, 5, 8, 10, 11), programming (1, 4, 5, 8, 10–11)
  • Pål Waaktaar-Savoy – guitars (2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 12), backing vocals (2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 12), acoustic guitars (1, 4, 10, 11), electric guitar (5, 8), keyboards (2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 12)

Additional musicians

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  • Kjetil Bjerkestrand – keyboards (tracks 1–12)
  • Even Ormestad – bass (tracks 1–12)
  • Karl Oluf Wennerberg – drums (tracks 1, 3–5, 7, 8, 11), percussion (tracks 2, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12)
  • Per Hillestad – drums (tracks 1, 2, 6, 7, 9, 12), percussion (tracks 3, 4, 8)
  • Piero Perrelli – percussion (track 2)
  • Thom Hell – backing vocals (tracks 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11)
  • Erik Ljunggren – programming (track 5)
  • Morten Qvenild – piano (tracks 6 and 12)
  • Madeleine Ossum – violin (track 8)
  • Kjetil Bjerkestrand – orchestral arrangements (tracks 1, 4, 5, 8, 10, 11)
  • Joe Mardin – orchestral arrangements (tracks 2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 12)
  • Brynjar Lien Schulerud – concertmaster: Norwegian Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra
  • Anders Eljas – conductor Svømmehallen
  • Lars Erik Gudim – conductor Store Studio

Charts

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "New a-ha single "I'm In" drops on 8 July!". A-ha.com. 4 July 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  2. ^ a b Kiß, Jonas (21 January 2022). "RCA Germany gewinnt a-ha für weltweiten Album- und Film-Release". Musik Woche (in German). Mediabiz. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  3. ^ "Short days, Endless possibilities". Instagram. 3 October 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  4. ^ Mitchell, Wendy (11 June 2021). "Director Thomas Robsahm talks 'A-ha the Movie' ahead of Tribeca premiere". Screen Daily. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Superstjernene har store planer når de kommer til Bodø i høst". an.no (in Swedish). Avisa Nordland. 20 September 2021. Archived from the original on 16 October 2021. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  6. ^ "A-ha's Magne Furuholmen on why the band decided to make new music: 'We have a newfound freedom'". Virgin Radio. 14 September 2022. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  7. ^ Jones, Alan (28 October 2022). "Charts analysis: Taylor Swift scores ninth consecutive No.1 with huge sales for Midnights". Music Week. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  8. ^ "a-ha – True North". AllMusic (Review). 21 October 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  9. ^ Mikael Lundin (20 October 2022). "Ah-a – True North". Hymn (Review) (in Swedish).
  10. ^ Sven Kabelitz (21 October 2022). "A-HA "True North"". Laut (Review) (in German). Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  11. ^ Hubbard, Michael (21 October 2022). "a-ha - True North | Album Reviews". musicOMH. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  12. ^ "a-ha – True North". Retropop (Review). 21 October 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  13. ^ Frank Lähnemann (21 October 2022). "A-ha "True North"". Rolling Stone (Review) (in German). Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  14. ^ Hall, Michael James. "True North". Under the Radar. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  15. ^ Maher, Kevin (16 September 2022). "A-ha: True North review — a sweetly engaging look at a band renewed". The Times. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  16. ^ Harrison, Quentin (21 October 2022). "a-ha Find 'True North' on Engaging Eleventh Studio Affair". albumism. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  17. ^ Vraniken, Jan (26 October 2022). "CD Recensie: a-ha True North". maxazine.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  18. ^ Gotto, Connor (21 October 2022). "a-ha – True North". Retro Pop. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  19. ^ "Austriancharts.at – a-ha – True North" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  20. ^ "Ultratop.be – a-ha – True North" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  21. ^ "Ultratop.be – a-ha – True North" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  22. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – a-ha – True North" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  23. ^ "Top Albums (Week 43, 2022)". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  24. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – a-ha – True North" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  25. ^ "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  26. ^ "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 43 (dal 21.10.2022 al 27.10.2022)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  27. ^ "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2022-11-07/p/4" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  28. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot Albums – Week of November 2, 2022". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  29. ^ "Album 2022 uke 43". VG-lista. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  30. ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  31. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – a-ha – True North". Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  32. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  33. ^ "Top 100 Albums Weekly". El portal de Música. PROMUSICAE. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  34. ^ "Swisscharts.com – a-ha – True North". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  35. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  36. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts 2022" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
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