A Kiss for the Whole World

A Kiss for the Whole World
A glowing pink and orange plant growing in a dark and dead forest
Studio album by
Enter Shikari
Released21 April 2023 (2023-04-21)
Genre
Length33:52
LabelSO Recordings
ProducerRou Reynolds
Enter Shikari chronology
Moratorium (Broadcasts from the Interruption)
(2021) 		A Kiss for the Whole World
(2023) 		Dancing on the Frontline
(2024)

A Kiss for the Whole World is the seventh studio album by English rock band Enter Shikari, released on 21 April 2023 through SO Recordings. It was preceded by the lead single "(Pls) Set Me on Fire" and debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, becoming Enter Shikari's first number-one album.

Recording

[edit]

The album was recorded "using only solar power in a run-down farmhouse",[3] with vocalist and producer Rou Reynolds describing it as "a collection of songs that represent an explosive reconnection with what Enter Shikari is. The beginning of our second act".[4] Reynolds also stated that he "wanted to make a high energy album of bangers".[5]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic79/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
Clash8/10[6]
Kerrang!4/5[7]
The Line of Best Fit8/10[8]
NME[9]
The Skinny[10]
Sputnikmusic2.9/5[11]

A Kiss for the Whole World received a score of 79 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on six critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception.[3] Emma Wilkes of NME wrote: "Here, on their seventh album and two decades down the line, Enter Shikari sound perhaps the most joyful they've ever been, and even when they become characteristically philosophical, it still comes from a place of positivity." Wilkes concluded that the record positions "joy as an act of resistance".[9] Dylan Tuck of The Skinny noted it "marks a resurgent and rampant follow-up to the similarly chameleonic soundscape" of the band's previous album, 2020's Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible, and one can "genuinely feel the life pouring out of the record. It's eccentric, erratic and just the sui generis of what Enter Shikari stand for."[10]

Rishi Shah of Clash described the production as "polished, yet fearless" and the album as "a mission statement of spreading love and optimism, exemplified by some of the most emotive, unified vocals we've heard from Rou to date". Shah concluded that it "carries the intricate soundscapes of The Spark and Nothing Is True... forward".[6] Sam Law of Kerrang! found there to be an "explosive exuberance at the heart" of the album, one that is "fiercely affirmative" and argues there is "still beauty out there on our troubled planet".[7]

Reviewing the album for The Line of Best Fit, Ims Taylor called Enter Shikari "a band who have consistently delivered nothing but fire, politically, socially, sonically, and ambitiously [...] and A Kiss For The Whole World proves it again", opining that they have "reinvent[ed] themselves again, [and] in perhaps the most hopeless times of all, they're seeding their commentary with hope, happiness, and community".[8] A staff writer from Sputnikmusic stated that A Kiss for the Whole World is "eminently-listenable low-calorie fun despite its intermittent slip ups. It is well worth the time of any long-term band-fan, particularly those in need of their, uh, electrosynphonicorepop fix".[11]

Commercial performance

[edit]

A Kiss for the Whole World debuted atop the UK Albums Chart dated 28 April 2023, becoming Enter Shikari's first number-one album on the chart after five top-10 albums.[12]

Track listing

[edit]

All lyrics are written by Rou Reynolds; all music is composed by Enter Shikari

A Kiss for the Whole World track listing
No.TitleLength
1."A Kiss for the Whole World x"3:31
2."(Pls) Set Me on Fire"3:04
3."It Hurts"3:18
4."Leap into the Lightning"3:04
5."Feed Your Soul"1:18
6."Dead Wood"3:50
7."Jailbreak"3:54
8."Bloodshot"3:24
9."Bloodshot (Coda)"1:17
10."Goldfish"3:20
11."Giant Pacific Octopus (I Don't Know You Anymore)"2:37
12."Giant Pacific Octopus Swirling Off into Infinity..."1:15
Total length:33:52
iTunes deluxe bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
13."The Void Stares Back" (featuring Wargasm)3:52
14."Bull" (featuring Cody Frost)3:12
Total length:40:56

Personnel

[edit]

Charts

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Chart performance for A Kiss for the Whole World
Chart (2023) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[13] 49
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[14] 13
Scottish Albums (OCC)[15] 3
UK Albums (OCC)[16] 1
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[17] 1
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[18] 1

References

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  1. ^ a b "ALBUM REVIEW: Enter Shikari – 'A Kiss For The Whole World'". The Soundboard Reviews. 17 April 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  2. ^ a b Reilly, Nick (21 April 2023). "Enter Shikari 'A Kiss For The Whole World' review: a powerful start to Shikari 2.0". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  3. ^ a b c "A Kiss for the Whole World by Enter Shikari Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  4. ^ Rogers, Jack (12 January 2023). "Enter Shikari Announce New Album A Kiss For The Whole World". Rock Sound. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  5. ^ Shutler, Ali (12 January 2023). "Enter Shikari talk "euphoric" new album A Kiss For The Whole World". NME. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  6. ^ a b Shah, Rishi (18 April 2023). "Enter Shikari – A Kiss For The Whole World | Reviews". Clash. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  7. ^ a b Law, Sam (20 April 2023). "Album review: Enter Shikari – A Kiss For The Whole World". Kerrang!. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  8. ^ a b Taylor, Ims (21 April 2023). "Enter Shikari: A Kiss For The Whole World Review – ambition and rage collide with hope | Rock". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  9. ^ a b Wilkes, Emma (20 April 2023). "Enter Shikari – A Kiss For The World review: as hopeful as they've ever sounded". NME. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  10. ^ a b Tuck, Dylan (17 April 2023). "Enter Shikari – A Kiss For The Whole World". The Skinny. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  11. ^ a b Apoplectic Apastathetic (20 April 2023). "Review: Enter Shikari – A Kiss For The Whole World". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  12. ^ Smith, Carl (28 April 2023). "Enter Shikari net first-ever Number 1 album with A Kiss for the Whole World". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  13. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 1 May 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  14. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Enter Shikari – A Kiss for the Whole World" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  15. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  16. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  17. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  18. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
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