Open Up Your Head

Open Up Your Head is the debut studio album by English indie rock band Sea Girls. It was released on 14 August 2020 under Polydor and produced by Larry Hibbitt. The album debuted at number three on the UK Albums Chart.

Open Up Your Head
Studio album by
Sea Girls
Released14 August 2020
Studio
  • Snap!
  • Octagon
  • Assault & Battery
  • The Pool Studios (London)
Length49:40
LabelPolydor
ProducerLarry Hibbitt
Sea Girls chronology
Under Exit Lights
(2020)		 Open Up Your Head
(2020)		 Homesick
(2022)
Singles from Open Up Your Head
  1. "Call Me Out"
    Released: 1 June 2017
  2. "All I Want to Hear You Say"
    Released: 11 September 2018
  3. "Damage Done"
    Released: 7 May 2019
  4. "Closer"
    Released: 12 July 2019
  5. "Violet"
    Released: 20 August 2019
  6. "Ready for More"
    Released: 15 January 2020
  7. "Do You Really Wanna Know?"
    Released: 29 April 2020
  8. "Forever"
    Released: 6 August 2020

Composition

The themes of the album revolve mainly around frontman Henry Camamile's struggles after his head injury accident when he worked at a pub and how it affected his mental health and love life. During this time, writing songs was his only way to express his true feelings, "I guess that's why the album's called Open Up Your Head," he said to Apple Music. "It was the first place I put into the world what might be going on with me."[1]

Release and promotion

In April 2020, Sea Girls announced that they would release their debut album in August 2020.[2] The album was released on 14 August 2020 and includes their debut single "Call Me Out" (2017), "All I Want to Hear You Say" (2018), "Damage Done" (2019) and three singles that previously appeared on the Under Exit Lights EP (2020), "Closer", "Ready for More" and "Violet". Their two singles, "Do You Really Wanna Know?" and "Forever" supported the album as well.

A series of intimate album launch shows across the UK were set for November 2020 and January 2021, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the album tour was rescheduled several times and finally done in August and September 2021.[3] The shows were then followed by a UK headline tour in October 2021.

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?6.9/10[4]
Metacritic77/100[5]
Review scores
SourceRating
Clash8/10[6]
The Guardian[7]
The Line of Best Fit7.5/10[8]
musicOMH[9]
NME[10]
PopMatters8/10[11]

Open Up Your Head received mostly positive reviews from contemporary music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 77, based on 6 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[5] Most of the critics praised the album for its catchy tunes and big pop hooks, as well as personal yet relatable lyrics to the modern youth.[9][10][11]

Track listing
Open Up Your Head track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Transplant"
  • Henry Camamile
  • Jonathan Green
3:31
2."All I Want to Hear You Say"
  • Camamile
  • Max Wolfgang
3:08
3."Do You Really Wanna Know?"
2:58
4."Lie To Me"
3:19
5."Call Me Out"Camamile3:52
6."Closer"Rory Young3:21
7."Forever"Young4:00
8."Weight In Gold"
3:20
9."Ready For More"
  • Camamile
  • Wolfgang
3:27
10."Violet"
  • Camamile
  • Hayward-Young
  • Wolfgang
3:30
11."Shake"Young3:28
12."Damage Done"
  • Camamile
  • Hayward-Young
  • William Bloomfield
3:46
13."You Over Anyone"
  • Camamile
  • Frank Callucci
3:50
14."Moving On"
4:10
Total length:49:40

Personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic.[12]

Sea Girls
  • Henry Camamile – vocals, guitars
  • Rory Young – guitars, backing vocals
  • Andrew Dawson – bass, backing vocals
  • Oli Khan – drums, keyboards
Production
  • Larry Hibbitt – production
  • James Mottershead – engineer
  • Alex O'Donovan – editing, engineer
  • Cenzo Townshend – mixing
  • Nick Watson – mastering
  • Jonny Breakwell – assistant engineer
  • Billy Foster – assistant engineer
  • Richie Kennedy – assistant engineer
  • Xander Wright – assistant engineer
  • Camden Clarke – mixing assistant
  • Robert Sellens – mixing assistant
Artwork
  • Richard Andrews – design
  • Andrew Cooper – photography
  • Harris Thomlinson Spence – photography
  • Matthew Parri Thomas – photography

Charts
Chart performance for Open Up Your Head
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Scottish Albums (OCC)[13] 2
UK Albums (OCC)[14] 3

References
  1. "Open Up Your Head by Sea Girls on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  2. "SEA GIRLS ≅ on Twitter". 30 April 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2022 – via Twitter.
  3. "SEA GIRLS ≅ on Twitter". 4 August 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2022 – via Twitter.
  4. "Open Up Your Head by Sea Girls reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  5. "Open Up Your Head by Sea Girls Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  6. Walder, Megan (11 August 2020). "Sea Girls – Open Up Your Head". Clash. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  7. Aroesti, Rachel (13 August 2020). "Sea Girls: Open Up Your Head review – yearning for the moshpit's return". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  8. Scanlon, Kelly (12 August 2020). "Sea Girls - Open Up Your Head Album Review". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  9. Johnson, Chloe (14 August 2020). "Sea Girls – Open Up Your Head". musicOMH. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  10. Shutler, Ali (13 August 2020). "Sea Girls – 'Open Up Your Head' review: introspective indie anthems for anxious times". NME. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  11. Conaton, Chris (14 August 2020). "Sea Girls: Open Up Your Head (Album Review)". PopMatters. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  12. "Sea Girls - Open Up Your Head". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  13. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  14. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
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