2016 studio album by the Kills
Ash & Ice
Released June 3, 2016 (2016-06-03 ) Studio
Key Club Recording Co. Mobile (Los Angeles)
Electric Lady (New York City)
Length 50 :42
Label
Domino
Producer
Jamie Hince
"Doing It to Death" Released: March 1, 2016
"Heart of a Dog" Released: April 18, 2016
"Siberian Nights" Released: May 24, 2016
"Impossible Tracks" Released: September 13, 2016
Ash & Ice is the fifth studio album by
indie rock band
the Kills , released on June 3, 2016, through
Domino .
[1]
[2]
The album was recorded in a rented house in Los Angeles and at
Electric Lady Studios in New York City. It was produced by
Jamie Hince and co-produced by John O'Mahoney.
[3]
[4] It was promoted by the singles "Doing It to Death" and "Heart of a Dog".
Formats and packaging
The album was made available as a
CD – with a 20-page booklet with lyrics and album artwork – and as
digital download .
[5]
A limited-edition double
LP was also made available. The LPs are coloured in blue and pink and packaged into a wide spine jacket with a gold foil imprint. The release also includes two fold-out posters, two printed inner sleeves and an exclusive
lyric
zine , with the first 250 orders signed by the band.
[6]
Promotion
The
lead single from the album, "Doing It to Death", was released on March 1, 2016.
[1] It was accompanied by a music video directed by Wendy Morgan.
[7]
The second single from the album, "Heart of a Dog", and an accompanying music video directed by
Sophie Muller , were released on April 18, 2016.
[8]
"Siberian Nights" was released as the third single on May 24, 2016. A music video promoting the song was directed by American actor
Giovanni Ribisi .
[9]
[10]
[11]
[12]
In support of the album, the band toured the United States from March to June 2016. The Kills also performed in
Mexico City on March 16, in
Amsterdam ,
Paris ,
London ,
Toronto and
Vancouver in May 2016, and at the
Isle of Wight Festival in June. In July, played at the U-Park Festival in
Kyiv , Ukraine, and at the
Park Live Festival in
Moscow , Russia, as well as the
Off Festival in
Katowice , Poland, in August before returning to the U.S. in September and then back to Europe through October and November.
[4] They performed "Whirling Eye" on
The Late Late Show with James Corden on the October 21, 2016, episode.
[13]
Critical reception
Ash & Ice received generally positive reviews from music critics. At
Metacritic , which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 68, based on 21 reviews.
[14] Writing for
Exclaim! , Laura Sciarpelletti praised the band's "bare bones power technique".
[18]
Track listing
All tracks are written by
the Kills , except where noted
Ash & Ice track listingTitle Writer(s) 1. "Doing It to Death" 4:07 2. "Heart of a Dog" 3:46 3. "Hard Habit to Break" 3:52 4. "Bitter Fruit" 4:14 5. "Days of Why and How" 4:32 6. "Let It Drop" 3:15 7. "Hum for Your Buzz" 3:17 8. "Siberian Nights" 4:53 9. "That Love" 2:33 10. "Impossible Tracks" 3:41 11. "Black Tar" 3:52 12. "Echo Home" 5:06 13. "Whirling Eye" 3:34
Sample credits
"Heart of a Dog" contains a sample of "Wildfire" performed by
Sbtrkt featuring
Little Dragon
"Days of Why and How" contains a sample of "Is There Any Love" performed by
Trevor Dandy
"Let It Drop" contains a sample from "IMC" performed by
Spank Rock
"Siberian Nights" uses elements from "UFO" written by Renee Scroggins
"Impossible Tracks" contains a sample of "I Thank the Lord" performed by the Mighty Voices of Wonder
[24]
Personnel
The Kills
Additional musicians
Technical
Jamie Hince – production
John O'Mahoney – co-production
Tom Elmhirst – mixing
[a] (tracks 2, 4–9, 11–13)
Joe Visciano – engineering for mix (tracks 2, 4–9, 11–13)
Brandon Bost – mixing assistance (tracks 2, 4–9, 11–13)
Tchad Blake – mixing
[b] (tracks 1, 3, 10)
Phil Joly – engineering
Barry McCready – recording assistance
Bill Skibbe – engineering
Vanessa Silberman – recording assistance
Jon Gilbert – recording assistance
Kurt Uenala – drum editing, additional production
Brian Lucey – mastering
[c]
Artwork
Alison Mosshart – interior artwork, photographs
Jamie Hince – photographs
Brian Roettinger – design
Charts
Notes
References
^
a
b Carley, Brennan (March 1, 2016).
"The Kills Announce New Album, 'Ash & Ice,' With the Snarling 'Doing It To Death' " .
Spin . Retrieved March 1, 2016 .
^ Mansfield, Mollie (March 1, 2016).
"The Kills return with fifth album 'Ash & Ice' – watch 'Doing It To Death' video" .
NME . Retrieved March 1, 2016 .
^ Minsker, Evan (March 1, 2016).
"The Kills Announce New Album Ash & Ice, Share "Doing It to Death" Video" .
Pitchfork . Retrieved March 1, 2016 .
^
a
b
"The Kills announce new album 'Ash & Ice', offer up 'Doing It To Death' " .
DIY . March 1, 2016. Retrieved March 1, 2016 .
^
"CD" .
Domino Recording Company . Retrieved March 1, 2016 .
^
"Deluxe LP and zine" . Domino Recording Company. Retrieved March 1, 2016 .
^
"The Kills – Doing It To Death (Official Video)" . March 1, 2016. Retrieved March 1, 2016 – via
YouTube .
^ Carley, Brennan (April 18, 2016).
"The Kills Prep for 'Ash & Ice' With New Single, 'Heart Of A Dog' " . Spin . Retrieved May 13, 2016 .
^ Havenson, Lyndsey (May 24, 2016).
"The Kills share new song/video for "Siberian Nights" — watch" .
Consequence of Sound . Retrieved June 3, 2016 .
^
Spanos, Brittany (May 24, 2016).
"Watch the Kills' Chilling 'Siberian Nights' Video" .
Rolling Stone . Archived from
the original on July 24, 2017. Retrieved June 3, 2016 .
^ Minsker, Evan (May 25, 2016).
"Watch the Kills' "Siberian Nights" Video" .
Pitchfork . Retrieved June 3, 2016 .
^ Carley, Brennan (May 24, 2016).
"Wolves Dash Through the Darkness in the Kills' New 'Siberian Nights' Video" .
Spin . Retrieved June 3, 2016 .
^
The Late Late Show with James Corden (October 21, 2016).
"The Kills: Whirling Eye" . Retrieved October 23, 2016 – via YouTube.
^
a
b
"Reviews for Ash & Ice by The Kills" .
Metacritic . Retrieved June 3, 2016 .
^ Phares, Heather.
"Ash & Ice – The Kills" .
AllMusic . Retrieved July 18, 2016 .
^ Mayo, Amanda Roscoe (May 31, 2016).
"The Kills – Ash & Ice" .
Consequence of Sound . Retrieved June 3, 2016 .
^ Brown, Eric Renner (June 3, 2016).
"The Kills' Ash & Ice" .
Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved June 16, 2016 .
^
a
b Sciarpelletti, Laura (June 1, 2016).
"The Kills – Ash and Ice" .
Exclaim! . Retrieved August 24, 2016 .
^
Jonze, Tim (June 2, 2016).
"The Kills: Ash & Ice review – the same old riffs, but a spark remains" .
The Guardian . Retrieved June 3, 2016 .
^ Baber, Andy (June 13, 2016).
"The Kills – Ash & Ice" .
musicOMH . Retrieved June 16, 2016 .
^ Daly, Rhian (June 1, 2016).
"The Kills – 'Ash & Ice' Review" . NME . Retrieved June 3, 2016 .
^ Berman, Stuart (June 7, 2016).
"The Kills: Ash & Ice Album Review" . Pitchfork . Retrieved June 16, 2016 .
^ Gaca, Anna (June 14, 2016).
"Review: The Kills' 'Ash & Ice' Has Too Much Ballast to Weather the Storm" . Spin . Retrieved June 16, 2016 .
^ Ash & Ice (liner notes).
The Kills .
Domino Recording Company . 2016. WIGCD289.{{
cite AV media notes }}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (
link )
^
"Australiancharts.com – The Kills – Ash & Ice" . Hung Medien. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
^
"Austriancharts.at – The Kills – Ash & Ice" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
^
"Ultratop.be – The Kills – Ash & Ice" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
^
"Ultratop.be – The Kills – Ash & Ice" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
^
"The Kills Chart History (Canadian Albums)" .
Billboard . Retrieved April 2, 2020.
^
"Dutchcharts.nl – The Kills – Ash & Ice" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
^
"Lescharts.com – The Kills – Ash & Ice" . Hung Medien. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
^
"Offiziellecharts.de – The Kills – Ash & Ice" (in German).
GfK Entertainment Charts . Retrieved June 10, 2016.
^
"GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 23, 2016" .
Chart-Track .
IRMA . Retrieved June 10, 2016.
^
"Charts.nz – The Kills – Ash & Ice" . Hung Medien. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
^
"Portuguesecharts.com – The Kills – Ash & Ice" . Hung Medien. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
^
"Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100" .
Official Charts Company . Retrieved March 17, 2022.
^
"Swisscharts.com – The Kills – Ash & Ice" . Hung Medien. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
^
"Official Albums Chart Top 100" .
Official Charts Company . Retrieved June 11, 2016.
^
"Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50" .
Official Charts Company . Retrieved March 17, 2022.
^
"The Kills Chart History (Billboard 200)" .
Billboard . Retrieved June 14, 2016.
^
"The Kills Chart History (Independent Albums)" .
Billboard . Retrieved March 17, 2022.
^
"The Kills Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)" .
Billboard . Retrieved March 17, 2022.
^
"The Kills Chart History (Top Rock Albums)" .
Billboard . Retrieved March 17, 2022.
Studio albums EPs Singles Related