Thirty One (Jarryd James album)

Thirty One
Studio album by
Released11 September 2015
Recorded2014–2015
Auckland, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Sydney
GenreIndie pop, alternative R&B
LabelDryden Street, Universal Music Australia
ProducerJoel Little
Jarryd James chronology
Jarryd James
(2015)
Thirty One
(2015)
High
(2016)
Singles from Thirty One
  1. "Do You Remember"
    Released: 30 January 2015
  2. "Give Me Something"
    Released: 18 May 2015
  3. "Regardless"
    Released: 4 August 2015
  4. "Sure Love"
    Released: 4 August 2015

Thirty One is the debut studio album by Australian singer-songwriter, Jarryd James. It debuted at number 2 on the Australian ARIA Chart in September 2015.

At the J Awards of 2015, the album was nominated for Australian Album of the Year.[1]

Background

[edit]

Throughout 2014, James was working as a full time youth worker.[2] James supported New Zealand group Broods on their late 2014 Australian tour and Angus & Julia Stone on their February 2015 tour.[3] His breakthrough came early in 2015 when his debut solo single “Do You Remember” climbed the charts, eventually peaking at number 2. James signed a record deal with Universal Music Australia.[4]

The album was announced on 23 July 2015.[5] Thirty One was recorded in Auckland, L.A., Melbourne and Sydney and was co-written by Joel Little, Malay, Pip Norman and (his longtime friend) Matt Corby.[6]

Reviews

[edit]

Roshan Clerke from The Music gave the album 4 out of 5, saying; “The bittersweet themes of 'Do You Remember' permeate the rest of this album" adding, “The songs here are made to reflect the kind of seminal tracks that inspired James himself."[7]

Jessica Thomas from Renowned for Sound gave the album 4.5 out of 5, saying: "His new record is all about minimalism; you won't find exaggerated or elaborate structures. Rather, it's all about simple rhythms centered around a message." She added: "Ultimately James has delivered a beautiful blend of soulful pop and subtle EDM that makes Thirty One a refined, fresh collection of inspired tracks."[8]

Anabelle Ross from Rolling Stone Australia was more critical, giving the album 3 out of 5. Ross said: "Despite having two star producers on board [...] the Brisbanite falls shy of expectations with his debut LP. In fact, perhaps the biggest disappointment is that the record meets our expectations almost exactly – there are no surprises and nothing half as immediate as 'Do You Remember' [...] and so we have tracks that are not awful but indistinct, and tending to bleed into one another, turning the album into one long, rather sooky lament".[9]

Claudia D'Amore from Sticky Trigger was also critical giving the album 4.5 out of 10. D'Amore commended first single "Do You Remember" but said the album reveals a common theme of "familiar drumbeat, clicks and snaps" and "the record overall becomes easily forgettable."[10]

Track listing

[edit]
  1. "Sell It to Me" – 4:30
  2. "Underneath" – 5:17
  3. "Sure Love" – 3:37
  4. "Do You Remember" – 3:54
  5. "Undone" – 4:44
  6. "Regardless" (featuring Julia Stone) – 4:33
  7. "Interlude" – 1:56
  8. "This Time (Serious Symptoms, Simple Solutions)" – 4:18
  9. "Giving It Up" – 4:41
  10. "The Way You Like It" – 4:09
  11. "Give Me Something" – 3:11
  12. "High" – 4:41

Charts

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Thirty One debuted and peaked at number 2 in Australia, behind Bring Me the Horizon's album, That's the Spirit.[11]

Chart (2015) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[12] 2
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[13] 28

Release history

[edit]
Country Date Format Label Catalogue
Australia[14][15] 11 September 2015 CD, digital download Dryden Street / Universal Music Australia 4745533

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "The J Award 2015". Triple J. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2015. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  2. ^ "Jarryd James - Thirty One". Roshan Clerke. 8 September 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  3. ^ "Jarryd James debut single Do You Remember is pretty Okay". www.projectu.tv. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  4. ^ "Brisbane singer songwriter Jarryd James music signs with Universal Music's Interscope Records for USA". Twitter. 26 April 2015. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  5. ^ "Jarryd James announced debut album Thirty One". www.abc.net.au. 23 July 2015. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  6. ^ "Jarryd James Announces His Debut Album 'Thirty One'". Nastassia Baroni. musicfeeds.com.au. 23 July 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  7. ^ "Jarryd James - Thirty One". Roshan Clerke. themusic.com.au. 8 September 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  8. ^ "Album Review: Jarryd James – Thirty One". Jessica Thomas. renownedforsound.com. 21 September 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  9. ^ "Jarryd James – Thirty One". Anabelle Ross. rollingstoneaus.com. 10 September 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  10. ^ "Thirty One – Jarryd James". Claudia D'Amore. www.stickytrigger.com. 7 October 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  11. ^ "ARIA Albums: Bring Me The Horizon 'That's The Spirit' Debut At One In Australia". Gavin Ryan. www.noise11.com. 19 September 2015. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  12. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Jarryd James – Thirty One". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  13. ^ "Charts.nz – Jarryd James – Thirty One". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  14. ^ "Thirty One by Jarryd James". Sanity (Australia). Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  15. ^ "Thirty One by Jarryd James". iTunes Australia. September 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2015.