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60-530: On 15 October 2018, the band announced on Twitter that the last three North American dates were canceled due to "unforeseen scheduling issues", stating they hope to return again at another time. On 15 February 2019, the band once again cancelled 4 shows in Asia due to unforeseen circumstances. Years & Years released their second studio album Palo Santo on 6 July 2018. A week before the album release, Years & Years embarked on Palo Santo Parties in three cities in

120-445: A 12-hour long 'Houseparty Against Hunger' on 8 August, to raise money for the charity to help fight poverty-related hunger. The event consisted of one hour-long sets from DJs around the world. Clean Bandit hosted the event and played at the start and end of proceedings, with their set-up the same as that used in their original house parties. Kirsten Joy, one of the band's singers, performed along with Becky Hill , Joel Corry , MNEK and

180-615: A Human", as well as a graphic novel that could be accessed through the band's Instagram Story . "Sanctify", its lead single , preceded the album's release on 7 March 2018. It attained a position inside the top forty of the UK Singles Chart . The follow-up single, "If You're Over Me", issued on 10 May 2018, became a top ten hit on both the UK Singles Chart and the Irish Singles Chart . Two promotional singles were released:

240-588: A collaboration with Jess Glynne . It reached number one on the UK singles chart, topped the national singles charts of six other countries, and peaked at number ten on the US Billboard Hot 100 . The song's accolades include a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording and two Ivor Novello Awards for Jack Patterson. These three singles were included on the group's debut album New Eyes , released in June 2014, which received

300-399: A deeper emotional resonance than Communion , which blurred its high emotional stakes beneath a breezy whirl." Describing the album as "astute, and convincingly ambitious", she stated that the "empathetic outlook and refusal to embrace reductive ideas of good and bad is a tonic during an era in which moral didactic-ism has worryingly infiltrated pop culture. It's probably not what anyone expects

360-515: A gold certification from the BPI . Clean Bandit's 2016 single " Rockabye ", which features Sean Paul and Anne-Marie , became their second number-one song in the UK and that year's UK Christmas number-one single . It peaked at number one in seven other markets and charted at number nine in the United States. In 2017, " Symphony ", featuring Zara Larsson , became the group's third UK number-one song; this

420-527: A guest appearance from Sean Paul . On 17 August, Clean Bandit announced they would be releasing a new single, titled " Tick Tock " with singer Mabel and rapper 24kGoldn . It was released on 21 August 2020. On 26 January 2021, Clean Bandit announced their new single "Higher" featuring American rapper Iann Dior . The song was released on 29 January 2021. On 30 July 2021, Clean Bandit released their new single " Drive " with German DJ Topic featuring Wes Nelson. On 24 September 2021, Clean Bandit released

480-409: A magical album." Alim Kheraj of DIY awarded the album a similar rating, noting that what Palo Santo has that Communion lacks is an "inventive ballad", and described it as an "overwhelmingly intimate record that makes you wonder just what Years & Years could be capable of next". Reviewing for The Guardian , Laura Snapes gave the record a four-star rating, writing that " Palo Santo packs

540-448: A male pop star to do in 2018." The Independent music correspondent Roisin O'Connor gave the album the same rating, discerning sexuality as being "at the heart" of the album, and praising Alexander's courage to put a vibrant, dynamic character who asserts themselves and their sexuality on full display. Giving the record a 6.5 rating, Pitchfork contributor Cameron Cook described it as a "promising second album because it evolves past

600-568: A neon colourscape, a dance breakdown, and a narration by Dench as the "Mother of Palo Santo". Directed by Fred Rowson and filmed in Thailand over four days at the beginning of 2018, the 15-minute short stars Alexander, Ben Whishaw , Vithaya Pansringarm , and is narrated by Judi Dench . It marked the second time Alexander, Winshaw, and Dench have worked together, after starring in the West End production of Peter and Alice in 2013. It also contains

660-508: A normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 81 based on 16 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". NME contributor El Hunt gave the album five stars, the highest possible rating for the magazine, observing that the album "links the intense escapism of pop music with the sanctuary the queer community seek in their own special, sacred spaces," before concluding that "Filthy, sexy, thoroughly debauched pop at its finest; Palo Santo feels like

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720-483: A remix of the famous 80s hit song How Will I Know in collaboration with Whitney Houston . On 18 February 2022, Clean Bandit released a new dance/electronic song featuring A7S called "Everything but You". On 9 September 2022, Clean Bandit released a new single "Sad Girls" with rapper French the Kid featuring Rema . On 21 October 2022, Clean Bandit released another single, "Don't Leave Me Lonely" in collaboration with

780-511: A short film of the same name. Its promotional campaign features a single aesthetic of a dystopian future in Palo Santo, both of which were prominently used for the album and its accompanying film. Upon its release, Palo Santo received widespread praise from music critics, some of whom lauded its deeper emotional resonance compared to its predecessor, Alexander's refusal to embrace moral didacticism and his vibrant display of character. Commercially,

840-540: A space filled with dancing, thrashing bodies, and filthy, sexy pop". Following his breakup, Alexander read the novel Dancer from the Dance by Andrew Holleran , which portrayed "the club...like a church; a church for gay people to go and dance." This idea inspired the album. He later chose the album's title upon discovering the meaning of "palo santo", which he considered apt as he had met "a lot of guys who think they have some holy wood "; he remarked, "thinking that your dick

900-476: A translation of a Russian phrase; the meaning is similar to the English phrase "complete bastard", though Patterson later stated that it is actually a more affectionate term similar to "utter rascal". In December 2012, Clean Bandit released their debut single "A+E", which peaked at number 100 on the UK Singles Chart . In March 2013, they released their second single " Mozart's House ". The song peaked at number 17 on

960-425: Is holy? I've known guys like that." "I wanted to create this kind of fantasy world that music would go alongside – pop music is always about fantasy and escapism to me, so we should just create our own world that all of the music videos we make and our live show, the visuals and the artwork, the merchandise – everything can be consistent from this one unique world, and that world is called Palo Santo ." Palo Santo

1020-561: Is intended as a concept album . Based around the concept of "post-human failure", it is set in the world of Palo Santo , a futuristic dystopian society populated by human-hunting androids. Alexander opined that he saw that it was his chance to flip society's normal social rules on their head and begin to question ideas such as "What is an android's sexuality?", "What is an android's gender?", and "How would an android experience love?". Pundits also noted its lyrical themes have mainly dealt with "the murky, complicated side" of desire, as well as

1080-414: Is really powerful. All the ritualism and symbolism and I'm just really drawn by all of that stuff." He further observed that "traditionally, the church has like very much shut out gay people" and he has tried to subvert it "a little bit". Viewing songwriting as a cathartic and mysterious healing ritual, he noticed "odd parallels between a church's sense of belonging, and the celebratory freedom that exists in

1140-545: The Billboard 200 chart at number 75 with 9,000 units, including 4,000 pure album sales. It also topped the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart, the band's second album to do so after Communion debuted at the top in 2015. Notes Years & Years Additional musicians Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. To promote the album, Years & Years embarked upon

1200-616: The 2014 Ebola crisis in West Africa . In February 2015, "Rather Be" won the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards . The group recorded a 30-piece orchestral version of "Rather Be" at Abbey Road Studios for Marks & Spencer 's Christmas 2015 advertising campaign. In May 2016, the band released the single " Tears " featuring The X Factor 2015 winner Louisa Johnson , which later appeared in their second studio album. The song peaked at number five in

1260-502: The 2018 Summertime Ball . On 29 November 2018, the album was re-released digitally, with the addition of " Play ", a collaborative single with English DJ Jax Jones . The release of Palo Santo was accompanied by a short film of same name. The short film is a futuristic sci-fi musical, set in the world of Palo Santo, where androids have taken over and crave the feeling of true emotion. The remaining humans, like Alexander, are recruited to perform for The Showman (Pansringarm). It features

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1320-474: The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra at MediaCityUK . In November, the band collaborated again with Jess Glynne, on their single " Real Love ". It reached number two on the UK Singles Chart. The same month, the band performed as part of the charity group Band Aid 30 alongside other British and Irish pop acts, recording the latest version of the track " Do They Know It's Christmas? " to raise money for

1380-728: The Labour Party and Jeremy Corbyn in the 2017 UK general election . In June, the band supported a Labour Party rally in Birmingham. In June 2018, they headlined the Labour Live festival in London. In November 2019, they endorsed the Labour Party in the 2019 UK general election . In December 2019, along with 42 other leading cultural figures, they signed a letter stating that "Labour's election manifesto under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership offers

1440-720: The Palo Santo Tour which began in New York City on 24 June 2018 and concludes in Lembang on 16 March 2019. The tour included shows in nineteen countries, including the band's first UK arena shows. Clean Bandit Clean Bandit are an English electronic music group formed in Cambridge in 2008. They have achieved four number-one singles and six additional top-ten songs on the UK Official Singles Chart . Since 2016,

1500-653: The UK Singles Chart . Their third single " Dust Clears " charted at number 43 in the UK. The band's fourth single " Rather Be " featuring Jess Glynne was released in January 2014 and topped the UK Singles Chart . It was the fastest-selling song released in January since 1996 and ended 2014 as the year's second best-selling song in the UK (behind " Happy " by Pharrell Williams ), selling over 1.13 million copies. "Rather Be" also reached number one in Austria, Finland, Germany, Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, whilst charting at number ten on

1560-537: The United States . On 18 June, Years & Years announced the tour via Twitter along with the European tour dates. Rina Sawayama Palo Santo (Years %26 Years album) Palo Santo is the second studio album by the English electronic trio Years & Years , released by Polydor Records on 6 July 2018. Executive produced by the band, it is the follow-up to their debut album Communion (2015). After

1620-753: The "Palo Santo Parties", hosted by the trio in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Berlin and London, where they performed various selections from Communion and Palo Santo . The Palo Santo Tour , in support of the album, began in North America in October 2018, and will conclude in 2019. In addition, the trio also made various televised appearances to promote the album: they performed "Sanctify" on Sounds Like Friday Night , "If You're Over Me" on Late Night with Seth Meyers , BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend , and The Graham Norton Show They also performed both singles at

1680-527: The Dance , Alexander wrote the song about his past relationships with straight-identifying men, whose conflicted feelings he discusses in evocative lyrics about obscuring masks and sinful confessions, as he reassures them that what they are doing is not wrong. The following track, "Hallelujah", was co-written with Goldsworthy, Kurstin, Michaels, and Tranter. Its lyrics talk of getting onto the dancefloor and letting loose, dancing with strangers "until our bodies are singing ' Hallelujah '". Kurstin and Ralph co-wrote

1740-509: The South American " palo santo " (Spanish for "holy wood"), which was commonly used to fend off bad spirits, though Alexander used its name as a dick joke referring to men he knew, it is the group's last album as a trio. Palo Santo is a concept album , set in the titular fictional world, where traditional rules regarding gender and sexuality are nonexistent. Its lyrical content deals with "the murky, complicated side" of desire, as well as

1800-413: The UK, following a performance on Britain's Got Talent . In October 2016, it was announced that violinist and pianist Neil Amin-Smith had decided to leave Clean Bandit. Two days later, the group released their first song as a three-piece without Amin-Smith: " Rockabye ", which features rapper Sean Paul and singer Anne-Marie . "Rockabye" became their second number one hit in the UK, and remained at

1860-533: The US Billboard Hot 100 . In April 2014, the band made their TV debut on BBC's Later... with Jools Holland . The following month, they announced a 14-date headline tour of the UK kicking off in Lancaster Library as part of the Get It Loud In Libraries campaign. The band's debut studio album New Eyes , was released in June 2014 by Atlantic Records UK . In September 2014, they performed with

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1920-450: The United States, it was released by Polydor's sister label Interscope Records . On 6 March 2018, Polydor released a PSEN Messenger bot to formally launch the album's promotional campaign, which included cryptic clues and video clips. The campaign also posted various billboards displaying QR codes , and involved having an android internet bot taking over the trio's Twitter account, and publishing an instruction manual on "How to Treat

1980-573: The album debuted at number three the UK Albums Chart and became the band's second album to top the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart. Five singles were released from the album: " Sanctify ", " If You're Over Me ", " All for You ", " Play " and " Valentino with "Sanctify", "If You're Over Me" and "Play" making the top forty on the UK Singles Chart , and "If You're Over Me" and "Play" became top ten hits. The trio supported

2040-473: The album with the Palo Santo Tour , which commenced in October 2018 in North America and ended in June 2019 in England. After the release of their debut studio album Communion (2015), the trio ( Olly Alexander , Michael Goldsworthy, Emre Türkmen) were under pressure to duplicate its success in making their next record. Complications arose when Alexander had a highly publicised breakup with Neil Amin-Smith, who

2100-538: The album's deluxe edition: "Howl", written by the trio with Ralph and Alex Hope ; "Don't Panic", written with Kid Harpoon; and "Up in Flames", which was co-written with Kurstin. The Japanese release of the album includes "Coyote", written with Ralph; and a remix version of "If You're Over Me" featuring South Korean singer Key from the boy group Shinee as its closing track. Palo Santo was released by Polydor and its parent company Universal Music Group on 6 July 2018. In

2160-536: The backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic , the band produced a 'House Party' event fortnightly in place of the live shows which they would've performed if the pandemic had not happened. Clean Bandit produced six of these house parties in total, from April to July, many featuring vocals from their singer Yasmin Green. In early August 2020, as their live home music performances gained credit, the band agreed with Global Citizen to host

2220-491: The band's profile, and play the Spotify game", but the trio focused on producing the album instead. Alexander also reflected that immediately following the conclusion of their tour supporting Communion , they only had 18 months to finish the next album. He recalled of the limited time frame, "it went by so fast. I definitely felt it was quite overwhelming thinking, 'Oh, we're never going to be able to pull this off,' and at times it

2280-410: The connection between religion and carnality , using religious iconography in dealing with themes of sexuality, queerness and guilt. Its visual imagery took inspirations from science fiction and technology where androids yearn to experience emotion. Sonically, the album is a dance-pop and electropop record influenced by 1990s pop and R&B music . Palo Santo ' s release was accompanied by

2340-416: The connection between religion and carnality , using religious iconography in dealing with themes of sexuality, queerness and guilt. Critics noted the record as primarily consisting of dance-pop and electropop beats influenced by 1990s pop and R&B . All tracks on Palo Santo were co-written by Alexander. The album opens with " Sanctify ", produced by Kid Harpoon . Inspired by Dancer from

2400-467: The group have been a trio comprising founding members Grace Chatto and brothers Jack and Luke Patterson. Jack serves as the principal songwriter. The group are known for blending elements of classical music and contemporary dance music . Clean Bandit's debut single, " A+E ", was released in 2012; their second, " Mozart's House " (2013), peaked at number 17 on the UK singles chart. In 2014, they attained mainstream success with their single " Rather Be ",

2460-472: The group's third number one single in the country. They gave their first live performance of the song on The Voice UK . " Rockabye " was recorded at The Crypt Studio in London. In June, the band released the studio version of " Disconnect " with Marina Diamandis . The track was previously performed at the 2015 Coachella Festival . In October 2017, the band announced the single " I Miss You ", featuring renowned songwriter Julia Michaels . It charted within

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2520-619: The lead single an "expected perversity". Palo Santo debuted on the UK Albums Chart at number three with 20,297 copies. In the rest of Europe, the album opened at the top ten in Ireland and the Flemish region of Belgium, and attained a top forty position in the national charts of Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the Wallonia region of Belgium. In the United States, Palo Santo debuted on

2580-442: The more unlikable aspects of our own emotions. Following this is the titular song "Palo Santo". Written with Hudson, the song was inspired by someone Alexander was caught in a love triangle with who uses the "palo santo"-infused incense sticks to cleanse and purify his personal space. The interlude "Here" closes the standard version of the album, which features a stripped-down performance from Alexander. Three bonus tracks appear on

2640-520: The music videos for "Sanctify", "All for You" and "If You're Over Me", with the short film expanding on the story introduced therein. Following the same storyline, on the band's YouTube channel other clips and live performances have been uploaded. Dancing direction and choreography, for the whole project, were provided by Aaron Sillis with dancers all coming from the "Sillis Movement", Sillis's official dance crew. Palo Santo has received critical acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic , which assigns

2700-421: The relationship often ends up ruined." Written with Steve Mac , Alexander added that the song "is about the emotional torture that ensues —– meeting up and making out, then breaking up all over again, then making out some more". The eighth track, "Preacher", written with Jesse Shatkin , is a song about unlearning guilt and embracing one's self. Alexander wrote the ninth song "Lucky Escape" by himself to confront

2760-539: The songwriter Elley Duhé . Between 2022 and 2024, Clean Bandit parted ways with their label Atlantic Records and signed with B1 Recordings. On 23 July 2024, Clean Bandit announced their song with English singer-songwriter Anne-Marie and French DJ David Guetta called " Cry Baby ". It was released on 9 August 2024. Clean Bandit are an electronic, electropop and dance-pop band. The band mixes electronic music with classical pieces by composers such as Mozart and Shostakovich . In May 2017, Clean Bandit endorsed

2820-422: The sound of the band's debut." Cook opined that "at its low points, the record lacks the bite to drive home the razor's-edge duality of sacred and profane that Alexander seems to thrive on", further observing that "At their best, Years & Years are capable of godlike sublimity. To take up permanent residence in the heavens, all they need to do is exorcise a few colorless spirits." Alfred Soto of Spin , however,

2880-487: The success of their Communion , the trio felt pressured in making their sophomore record. Influenced by religion and spirituality, lead singer and principal songwriter Olly Alexander wanted to connect religious transcendence to pop music after perceiving parallels between a church's sense of belonging and gay nightclubs . The trio met with frequent and new collaborators such as Mark Ralph , Greg Kurstin , Steve Mac and Jesse Shatkin to produce most its tracks. Named after

2940-408: The third track, "All for You", as "one to get deep on the dance floor and release your inner demons", referring to the feeling of relief after leaving a toxic lover. The fourth song, "Karma", written with Daniel Traynor , Sarah Hudson , Clarence Coffee Jr. , talks about trying good fortune on for size, navigating the game-play that happens within a budding romance. A short version of "Hypnotised"

3000-426: The time, Amin-Smith, who attended Westminster School was leading a string quartet together with Chatto, who attended The Latymer School . The original vocalist, Ssegawa-Ssekintu Kiwanuka, left to undertake a PhD in laser analytics. In 2011, Chatto and Jack Patterson formed their own film production company, Cleanfilm, to make music videos for themselves and other artists. The band's name, Clean Bandit, comes from

3060-409: The titular track "Palo Santo" on 22 June 2018; and "All for You", on 27 June 2018. On the eve of the album's street date , a PSEN Televisual music video for "All for You" was released featuring phone numbers for UK and US viewers to call. Those numbers contained a pre-recorded message from Alexander sharing his robotic expertise on "feelings and emotions". The release of the album was prefaced by

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3120-613: The top five of the UK and has been certified platinum. In May 2018, the band released the second album's fifth single, " Solo ", featuring vocals from Demi Lovato . It topped the charts in the UK the following month and has received a platinum certification in the country. In November 2018, sixth single " Baby " was released, featuring Marina and Luis Fonsi . Clean Bandit released their second album What Is Love? in November 2018. The album features collaborations with Rita Ora, Ellie Goulding, Craig David, Anne-Marie, and Charli XCX. Against

3180-474: The top spot for nine weeks. It went on to become the Christmas number one single for 2016 . The song also reached number one in Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland. It additionally charted at number nine on the US Billboard Hot 100 . In March 2017, the trio released " Symphony ", a collaboration with Swedish singer Zara Larsson . The song topped the UK Singles Chart, becoming

3240-498: Was a "sacred experience" to Alexander, its principal songwriter. Alexander, who grew up next door to a church, was intrigued by the rituals performed there, such as a decoration of oranges for the Christingle and reciting the Lord's Prayer , despite not believing in organised religion himself. He remarked, "I was so yearning to be a part of something, I think that's why, obviously, religion

3300-559: Was a real struggle." He met with various songwriters, such as Julia Michaels and Justin Tranter , as well as Greg Kurstin and Mark Ralph , who had previously contributed to Communion . Palo Santo draws influence from images of spirituality and religion, also prominent themes in the band's previous work. It was named after the South American-endemic wood palo santo ( Bursera graveolens , Spanish for "holy wood"), which

3360-447: Was followed by their fourth, " Solo ", featuring Demi Lovato , in 2018. Their second album, What Is Love? , was released in November 2018 and contains all three singles. As of 2016 , Clean Bandit had sold over 13 million singles and 1.6 million albums worldwide. Original band members Grace Chatto , Jack Patterson, Luke Patterson and Neil Amin-Smith met while studying as undergraduates at Jesus College , University of Cambridge . At

3420-492: Was formerly a violinist in the British band Clean Bandit . Alexander reflected that it was a completely different situation from recording Communion , explaining that "Because on your first album, you basically have your entire life to make that record because, you know, you've got so much time and so many experiences and you've never made one before." Executives at Polydor Records recommended him to "guest on some dance hits, buoy

3480-431: Was unsatisfied with the album as their follow-up record, pointing out Goldsworthy and Türkmen's lack of input, and writing that Alexander is "a serious dude—intoxication he limns well, but euphoria gives him trouble, as if it were a foreign language."' Despite praising "Up in Flames" as Alexander's "most confident" performance, he lamented that it was not on the standard edition of the album and called its not being chosen as

3540-509: Was used as an incense by the Incas to cast off bad spirits. Pitchfork contributor Cameron Cook suggested it may have been influenced by the fact that dancing is considered the " devil's work " in most Western theologies, and that there was a thrill in shaking one's "blasphemous hips while invoking the Lord". He also pointed out that to the band's impulse to connect pop music with religious transcendence

3600-487: Was used for a promotional campaign by the fashion company H&M , for their collection with Turkish-Canadian fashion designer Erdem . Following "Hypnotised" is "Rendezvous", written by the whole trio. In the song, Alexander sings of being disappointed to discover that a relationship is merely physical. He described the seventh song, " If You're Over Me ", as about being friends with an ex-lover, lamenting that "spoiler alert—it doesn't often work. In fact, in my experience,

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