Rebels Never Die
Rebels Never Die (stylized in all caps) is the second studio album by Dutch DJ and record producer Hardwell. It was released on 9 September 2022 by his own record label, Revealed Recordings.[1]
| Rebels Never Die | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 9 September 2022 | |||
| Recorded | 2019–2022 | |||
| Genre | Future rave, techno | |||
| Length | 54:56 | |||
| Label | Revealed | |||
| Producer | Hardwell | |||
| Hardwell chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Rebels Never Die | ||||
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History
On 7 September 2018, Hardwell had announced his indefinite hiatus from touring, stating that he wanted to focus more on his personal life. On March 27, 2022, he made his return to the dance scene by closing out the Ultra Miami 2022 festival as the rumored special guest.[2] During his set, he played 13 IDs that introduced his new bigroom-techno style and would be released as part of his upcoming album. Additionally, he played a 10-year anniversary remix of his song "Spaceman".[3]
On 1 April, Hardwell released the first two singles from the album, "Broken Mirror" and "Into the Unknown". "Broken Mirror" features a monologue from Hardwell, saying "...your opinion of me does not define who I am. Cause I know what you want me to be. Now, I'm gonna show you who I truly am." "Into the Unknown" was the first of the singles to introduce the bigroom-techno style of his album.[4]
Hardwell released the IDs as singles from the album every two weeks. However, on 15 July, he released "Zero Gravity" a week after the album's previous single to generate excitement for his four-year return to Tomorrowland.[5]
On 9 September, he released the Rebels Never Die album, featuring the last unreleased ID from his set, the titular song.[1] Rebels Never Die appeared in Dancing Astronaut's Top Dance Albums of 2022.[6]
On 23 December, the deluxe version of Rebels Never Die was released. It features a new original, "Oh Gosh", three reworks of previous Hardwell songs, and a mashup of "F*cking Society" and Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters".[7]
Album description
Hardwell used his hiatus as an opportunity to explore creative freedom. He was inspired to create Rebels Never Die from a vinyl collection he listened to in his childhood.[8]
The bigroom-techno sound of Rebels Never Die has been described as "future techno" and "future rave".[9][10] It is a bold switch-up from Hardwell's euphoric big room house style, replacing anthemic vocals with cerebral, spine-chilling samples.[11]
Hardwell described the style of his album with:
"I hate to be caught up in one particular genre. I always try to make music I love to play out. I don't consider myself a mainstream artist, techno, or big room artist, I consider myself Hardwell, and this is what Hardwell is. If it's not a genre, then it's not a genre; it's just me."[12]
Track listing
All tracks are stylized in all caps.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Broken Mirror" | Robbert van de Corput | Hardwell | 2:22 |
| 2. | "Into the Unknown" | Corput | Hardwell | 3:19 |
| 3. | "F*cking Society" |
| Hardwell | 4:39 |
| 4. | "Black Magic" |
| Hardwell | 4:05 |
| 5. | "Dopamine" |
| Hardwell | 3:45 |
| 6. | "Godd" |
| Hardwell | 4:31 |
| 7. | "Pacman" | Corput | Hardwell | 3:52 |
| 8. | "Mind Control" | Corput | Hardwell | 4:08 |
| 9. | "Reminisce" (featuring Lee Grant) |
| Hardwell | 4:01 |
| 10. | "Zero Gravity" | Corput | Hardwell | 4:32 |
| 11. | "Laser" | Corput | Hardwell | 2:54 |
| 12. | "I Feel Like Dancing" | Corput | Hardwell | 3:45 |
| 13. | "Self Destruct" | Corput | Hardwell | 4:02 |
| 14. | "Rebels Never Die" | Corput | Hardwell | 4:15 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 15. | "Oh Gosh" | 4:29 |
| 16. | "Spaceman (Rebels Never Die Rework)" | 6:20 |
| 17. | "Bigroom Never Dies (Rebels Never Die Rework)" (with Blasterjaxx featuring Mitch Crown) | 3:39 |
| 18. | "Retrograde (Rebels Never Die Rework)" | 5:49 |
| 19. | "Nothing Else Matters vs F*cking Society (Hardwell Mashup)" (with Metallica) | 3:09 |
Charts
| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[13] | 146 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[14] | 29 |
References
- Goldenberg, Ross (September 9, 2022). "Hardwell's comeback is finalized—stream the Rebels Never Die album title number". Dancing Astronaut.
- Goldenberg, Ross (March 31, 2022). "Relive Ultra's awaited Bayfront Park reunion with 70-plus sets: Hardwell, Martin Garrix, ILLENIUM, and more". Dancing Astronaut.
- Narozniak, Rachel (March 29, 2022). "The king reclaims his throne: Hardwell announces album, world tour". Dancing Astronaut.
- Goldenberg, Ross (April 1, 2022). "Hardwell is back: Ultra intro IDs become first pair of Rebels Never Die singles". Dancing Astronaut.
- Goldenberg, Ross (July 15, 2022). "Hardwell takes a 'ZERO GRAVITY' ride on surprise release of tenth album single". Dancing Astronaut.
- Staff, Dancing Astronaut (December 22, 2022). "Dancing Astronaut presents the Top Dance Albums of 2022". Dancing Astronaut.
- Goldenberg, Ross (December 23, 2022). "Hardwell strengthens Dancing Astronaut's 2022 Album of the Year with deluxe edition of Rebels Never Die". Dancing Astronaut.
- Bhanawat, Akshay (September 9, 2022). "After Months of Single Drops, Hardwell Releases His Full Rebels Never Die Album". T.H.E - Music Essentials.
- Kraljevic, Nina (September 10, 2022). "Hardwell finalizes the release of his new album Rebels Never Die: Listen".
- Vance, Will. "What Exactly Is 'Future Rave?'". Magnetic Magazine.
- Sunkel, Jason Heffler and Cameron. "Hardwell Opens Up About His Soul-Stirring Road to Reinvention: "It Feels Way More Like Freedom"". EDM.com - The Latest Electronic Dance Music News, Reviews & Artists.
- Cartel, Groove (September 10, 2022). "Hardwell releases full Rebels Never Die album".
- "Ultratop.be – Hardwell – Rebels Never Die" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
- "Dutchcharts.nl – Hardwell – Rebels Never Die" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 December 2022.