Open Up Your Head
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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.
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."
Release and promotion
In April 2020, Sea Girls announced that they would release their debut album in August 2020. 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. The shows were then followed by a UK headline tour in October 2021.
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 6.9/10 |
| Metacritic | 77/100 |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Clash | 8/10 |
| The Guardian | |
| The Line of Best Fit | 7.5/10 |
| musicOMH | |
| NME | |
| PopMatters | 8/10 |
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". 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.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(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?" | Camamile Justin Hayward-Young Wolfgang | 2:58 |
| 4. | "Lie To Me" | Camamile Jennifer Decilveo | 3:19 |
| 5. | "Call Me Out" | Camamile | 3:52 |
| 6. | "Closer" | Rory Young | 3:21 |
| 7. | "Forever" | Young | 4:00 |
| 8. | "Weight In Gold" | Camamile Iain Archer | 3:20 |
| 9. | "Ready For More" | Camamile Wolfgang | 3:27 |
| 10. | "Violet" | Camamile Hayward-Young Wolfgang | 3:30 |
| 11. | "Shake" | Young | 3:28 |
| 12. | "Damage Done" | Camamile Hayward-Young William Bloomfield | 3:46 |
| 13. | "You Over Anyone" | Camamile Frank Callucci | 3:50 |
| 14. | "Moving On" | Camamile Francis Anthony White | 4:10 |
| Total length: | 49:40 |
Personnel
Credits adapted from AllMusic.
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 (2020) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Scottish Albums (OCC) | 2 |
| UK Albums (OCC) | 3 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI) | Silver | 60,000‡ |
| ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |