Sonder (Dermot Kennedy album)

Sonder is the second studio album by Irish singer-songwriter Dermot Kennedy, released on 18 November 2022 through Riggins Recording, Interscope Records and Island Records. Originally scheduled to be released on 23 September 2022,[7] its release was delayed twice: first to 4 November, then 18 November, with the latter due to the UK postal strike.[8] The album was preceded by the singles "Better Days", "Something to Someone" and "Kiss Me",[7][9] with "Innocence and Sadness" and "Dreamer" also released prior to the album.[10] Kennedy will tour Europe, the UK and North America in 2023 in support of the record.[11]

Sonder
A portrait of Kennedy with a buzz cut and purple hair, wearing a white jacket
Studio album by
Dermot Kennedy
Released18 November 2022 (2022-11-18)
GenrePop[1][2]
Length36:11
Label
Producer
Dermot Kennedy chronology
Without Fear
(2019)		 Sonder
(2022)
Singles from Sonder
  1. "Better Days"
    Released: 28 July 2021
  2. "Something to Someone"
    Released: 5 May 2022[3]
  3. "Kiss Me"
    Released: 2 September 2022[4]
  4. "One Life"
    Released: 25 November 2022[5]
  5. "Don't Forget Me"
    Released: 7 June 2023[6]

Background and recording

Kennedy worked on the album in New York City. The title is a neologism referring to the "realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own".[7] The ballad "Innocence and Sadness" was recorded in one take.[10]

Singles

The single "Better Days" was released on 28 July 2021 and reached number four on the Irish Singles Chart and the top 20 on the UK Singles Chart.[12][13] "Something to Someone" was promoted as the lead single[14] and released on 5 May 2022, reaching number two in Ireland.[12] "Kiss Me" was released on 2 September 2022 and peaked at number four on the Irish Singles Chart.[4][12] The tracks "Dreamer" and "Innocence and Sadness" were also issued prior to the album and both reached the top 20 in Ireland.[12]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[15]
The Arts Desk[2]
Evening Standard[16]
Hot Press7.5/10[17]
The Irish Times[1]
The Upcoming[18]

Barney Harsent of The Arts Desk called the album "crowd-pleasing, high-polish pop" with "sparse accompaniments hiding in the wings giving Kennedy's voice the spotlight and space to fire up the feels", but felt "none of it screams raw emotion. [...] It's music almost completely devoid of edge, almost impressively so". Harsent concluded that while it "does exactly what you'd expect", he found himself "wishing it did something else".[2] Lauren Murphy of The Irish Times described Sonder as "another record of solid emotional pop songs that run the gamut from heartache to cautious optimism" although neither Kennedy's "musical nor his lyrical themes have developed in any groundbreaking manner since his 2018 debut Without Fear". While Murphy felt that it will "matter little to Kennedy's established fan base", "it comes across as a missed opportunity to prove his worth as a songwriter with original ideas rather than a one-trick pony".[1]

Track listing
Sonder track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Any Love"
  • Harris
  • Jonah Shy
2:13
2."Something to Someone"
  • Harris
  • Shy
3:18
3."Kiss Me"
3:49
4."Dreamer"
  • Harris
  • Nigro
  • Ryan Linvill[a]
3:01
5."Innocence and Sadness"Kennedy
  • Harris
  • Shy
4:12
6."Divide"
  • Harris
  • Nigro
  • Linvill[c]
3:23
7."Homeward"
  • Kennedy
  • Harris
  • Rawitz
3:38
8."One Life"
4:00
9."Better Days"
3:18
10."Already Gone"
  • Kennedy
  • Scott
  • Rawitz
  • Harris
  • Shy
2:41
11."Blossom"
2:39
Total length:36:16
2023 reissue
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
8."Don't Forget Me"
  • Kennedy
  • Lowe
  • Harris
  • Lowe
  • Haynie[a]
3:10
9."One Life"
  • Kennedy
  • Lowe
  • Lowe
  • Haynie
3:57
10."Better Days"
  • Kennedy
  • Romans
  • Harris
  • Nigro
  • Willetts
3:18
11."Already Gone"
  • Kennedy
  • Scott
  • Rawitz
  • Harris
  • Shy
2:41
12."Blossom"
  • Kennedy
  • Hodges
  • Solomon
2:39
Total length:39:26

Notes

  • ^[c] signifies a co-producer
  • ^[a] signifies an additional producer
  • ^[v] signifies a vocal producer

Personnel

Musicians

  • Dermot Kennedy – vocals (all tracks), piano (tracks 1, 2, 5, 7, 10, 11), guitar (3, 11)
  • Jonah Shy – synthesizer (1, 2, 7, 10, 11); guitar, programming (1, 2, 10, 11); drum programming (1, 7, 10, 11), Rhodes (1), drums (2), piano (2, 10)
  • Scott Harris – bass, guitar (2); piano (4), synthesizer (7)
  • Todd Clark – background vocals (3)
  • Chris Laws – drum programming (3)
  • Stephen Kozmeniuk – drums, guitar, keyboards (3)
  • Mark Schick – guitar (3)
  • Dave Cohen – Hammond B3, piano (3)
  • Steve Mac – keyboards (3)
  • Dan Pursey – percussion (3)
  • Ryan Linvill – drum programming, saxophone (4, 5, 9); synthesizer (4, 5), acoustic guitar (4), guitar (5), synthesizer programming (9)
  • Daniel Nigro – drum programming, piano (4, 5, 9); acoustic guitar, Mellotron (4); background vocals, bass (5, 9); percussion, synthesizer (5); keyboards (9)
  • Kenny Beats – drum programming, synthesizer (7)
  • Cass Lowe – background vocals, drums, guitar, piano, programming, synthesizer (8)
  • Emile Haynie – drums, programming, synthesizer (8)
  • Chappell Roan – background vocals (9)
  • Steve Solomon –drum programming, guitar, piano, programming, synthesizer (11)
  • David Hodges – drum programming, guitar, piano, programming, synthesizer (11)

Technical

  • Randy Merrill – mastering
  • Matty Green – mixing (1, 2, 4, 9, 11), engineering (9)
  • Mark "Spike" Stent – mixing (3, 8)
  • Jamie Snell – mixing (5–7, 10)
  • Mitch McCarthy – mixing (9)
  • Matt Wolach – mix engineering (3)
  • Kyle Haas – engineering (1, 10)
  • Jonah Shy – engineering (2, 7, 11)
  • Chris Laws – engineering (3)
  • Dan Pursey – engineering (3)
  • Ryan Linvill – engineering (4, 5, 9)
  • Jake Libassi – engineering (5)
  • Ed McEntee – engineering (11)
  • Carey Willetts – vocal engineering (9)

Charts
Chart performance for Sonder
Chart (2022) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[19] 37
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[20] 28
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[21] 29
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[22] 90
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[23] 19
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[24] 89
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[25] 22
Irish Albums (IRMA)[26] 1
Scottish Albums (OCC)[27] 1
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[28] 18
UK Albums (OCC)[29] 1
US Billboard 200[30] 74

Certifications
Certifications for Sonder
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[31] Silver 60,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Murphy, Lauren (4 November 2022). "Dermot Kennedy - Sonder review". The Irish Times. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  2. Harsent, Barney (12 November 2022). "Album: Dermot Kennedy – Sonder". The Arts Desk. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  3. Brimstin, Chelsea (5 May 2022). "Dermot Kennedy returns with new single 'Something To Someone'". Indie 88. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  4. "Dermot Kennedy Shares New Single & Music Video 'Kiss Me'". Umusic. 2 September 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  5. "Dermot Kennedy 'One Life'" (in Italian). Universal Music Italy. Retrieved 28 February 2023 – via Radio Airplay SRL.
  6. Zwick, Hannah (7 June 2023). "Dermot Kennedy Drops Powerful New Ballad 'Don't Forget Me'". UDiscoverMusic. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  7. Ewens, Hannah (5 July 2022). "Dermot Kennedy: a universal truth". Rolling Stone UK. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  8. "New Dermot Kennedy album delayed due to UK postal strike". Joe. 30 October 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  9. Lonsdale, Jon (6 September 2022). "'I Just Want to Bring People Together': Dermot Kennedy Talks His New Album and Loving the Unpredictability of Playing Live". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  10. Peacock, Tim (25 October 2022). "Dermot Kennedy Announces 'Sonder' Tour Of North America". UDiscoverMusic. Retrieved 2 November 2022 – via Yahoo!.
  11. Kress, Bryan (23 October 2022). "How to Get Tickets to Dermot Kennedy's 2023 Tour". Consequence. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  12. "Discography Dermot Kennedy". irish-charts.com. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  13. "Dermot Kennedy | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  14. Brayden, Kayte (29 June 2022). "Dermot Kennedy announces new album Sonder with powerful video for 'Dreamer'". Hot Press. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  15. Sonder at AllMusic. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  16. Smyth, David (18 November 2022). "Dermot Kennedy: Sonder review - polished, well-crafted fare but could have been riskier". Evening Standard. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  17. Brayden, Kate (18 November 2022). "Album Review: Dermot Kennedy, Sonder". Hot Press. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  18. Lung, Bev (18 November 2022). "Dermot Kennedy - Sonder Album Review". The Upcoming. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  19. "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 28 November 2022. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  20. "Austriancharts.at – Dermot Kennedy – Sonder" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  21. "Ultratop.be – Dermot Kennedy – Sonder" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  22. "Ultratop.be – Dermot Kennedy – Sonder" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  23. "Billboard Canadian Albums: Week of December 3, 2022". Billboard. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  24. "Dutchcharts.nl – Dermot Kennedy – Sonder" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  25. "Offiziellecharts.de – Dermot Kennedy – Sonder" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  26. "Irish-charts.com – Discography {{{artist}}}". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  27. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  28. "Swisscharts.com – Dermot Kennedy – Sonder". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  29. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  30. "Billboard 200: Week of December 3, 2022". Billboard. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  31. "British album certifications – Dermot Kennedy – Sonder". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
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