The Human Demands
The Human Demands is the fifth studio album by Scottish singer-songwriter Amy Macdonald, and was released on 30 October 2020. The album includes the singles "The Hudson", "Crazy Shade of Blue" and "Fire". That same day, Macdonald's official website and official Instagram profile confirmed the album for release.[1]
| The Human Demands | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 30 October 2020 | |||
| Recorded | February 2020 — August 2020 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 38:59 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Jim Abbiss | |||
| Amy Macdonald chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Amy Macdonald studio album chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from The Human Demands | ||||
| ||||
Background
In an interview with Wonderland, Macdonald said, "It's an album about life and the ups and downs that come with it. It's never easy for anyone and I don't think we give ourselves enough credit sometimes. We're just expected to constantly be going 100mph all the time and that can be demanding for anyone. I wanted the album title to reflect the reality of life for the majority of people. [...] Myself, my producer Jim and all the wonderful musicians were just excited to be making music again. We felt genuinely lucky to be in the position that we could have a bit of normality back in our lives."[2] After the release of the album, Macdonald said on her Instagram account, "I hope this album can be a comfort in these turbulent times. I am extremely proud of it. It feels like a special record coming out at an important time. Thank you so much for all your support over the past 15 years. I wouldn't be anything without you."[3]
Promotion
Singles
"The Hudson" was released as the lead single from the album on 27 August 2020. The song has peaked to number 12 on the Scottish Singles Chart. The song also charted in Belgium. "Crazy Shade of Blue" was released as the second single off the album on 25 September 2020. The title track, "The Human Demands", was released as a promotional single on 27 October 2020. "Fire" was released as the third single off the album on 4 December 2020.
Tour
On 7 September 2020, Macdonald announced her UK and Europe tour on her social media profiles.[4]
| UK and Europe Tour | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | City | Country | Venue | ||
| 22 April 2021 | Brussels | Belgium | Ancienne Belgique | ||
| 23 April 2021 | Zurich | Switzerland | Samsung Hall | ||
| 26 April 2021 | Frankfurt | Germany | Jahrhunderthalle | ||
| 27 April 2021 | Esch-sur-Alzette | Luxembourg | Rockhal | ||
| 29 April 2021 | Munich | Germany | Zenith | ||
| 30 April 2021 | Berlin | Germany | Max-Schmeling-Halle | ||
| 2 May 2021 | Oberhausen | Germany | König Pilsener Arena | ||
| 3 May 2021 | Tilburg | Netherlands | 013 | ||
| 4 May 2021 | Hamburg | Germany | Barclaycard Arena | ||
| 6 May 2021 | London | England | Roundhouse | ||
| 11 July 2021 | Glasgow | Scotland | TRNSMT | ||
Track listing
Credits adapted from Tidal.[5]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Fire" |
| Jim Abbiss | 4:15 |
| 2. | "Statues" |
| Abbiss | 3:46 |
| 3. | "Crazy Shade of Blue" |
| Abbiss | 4:13 |
| 4. | "The Hudson" |
| Abbiss | 5:00 |
| 5. | "The Human Demands" |
| Abbiss | 3:53 |
| 6. | "We Could Be So Much More" |
| Abbiss | 3:57 |
| 7. | "Young Fire, Old Flame" |
| Abbiss | 3:44 |
| 8. | "Bridges" |
| Abbiss | 3:59 |
| 9. | "Strong Again" |
| Abbiss | 4:08 |
| 10. | "Something in Nothing" |
| Abbiss | 3:39 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Bridges" (Acoustic) | |
| 12. | "The Hudson" (Acoustic) | |
| 13. | "Fire" (Acoustic) | |
| 14. | "Statues" (Acoustic) | |
| 15. | "We Could Be So Much More" (Acoustic) | |
| 16. | "The Human Demands" (Acoustic) |
Personnel
Credits adapted from Tidal.[5]
- Eddd Hartwell – Engineer
- Ruadhri Cushnab – Engineer
- Barry Barnicott – Engineer
- Alex Di Camillo – Engineer
- Dick Beetham – Engineer
- Giovanni Giagu – Engineer
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart (2020) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[7] | 7 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[8] | 44 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[9] | 47 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[10] | 42 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[11] | 4 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[12] | 2 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[13] | 2 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[14] | 10 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2020) | Position |
|---|---|
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[15] | 58 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Various | 30 October 2020 | Infectious |
References
- Macdonald, Amy. "The Human Demands announcement". Amy Macdonald's Instagram. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
- "Scottish Singer-songwriter Amy Macdonald On The Human Demands". Wonderland. 27 August 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
- "𝗔𝗠𝗬 𝗠𝗔𝗖𝗗𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟𝗗 on Instagram: "'The Human Demands' is out! ❤️ I'm so pleased to finally share it with you all. It's been a very difficult year for all of us, we're not all…"". Instagram. 30 October 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
- "𝗔𝗠𝗬 𝗠𝗔𝗖𝗗𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟𝗗 on Instagram: "⚡️LIVE NEWS!⚡️ Very excited to announce that I will be heading back out on the road, playing actual live concerts across the UK and Europe in…"". Instagram. 7 September 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
- "Credits / The Human Demands / Amy MacDonald – TIDAL". Tidal. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
- Macdoland, Amy. "Amy Macdonald - The Human Demands - TM Store". Amy Macdonald Official Online Store : Merch, Music, Downloads & Clothings. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
- "Austriancharts.at – Amy Macdonald – The Human Demands" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
- "Ultratop.be – Amy Macdonald – The Human Demands" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
- "Ultratop.be – Amy Macdonald – The Human Demands" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
- "Dutchcharts.nl – Amy Macdonald – The Human Demands" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
- "Offiziellecharts.de – Amy Macdonald – The Human Demands" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
- "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
- "Swisscharts.com – Amy Macdonald – The Human Demands". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
- "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
- "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2020". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 28 December 2020.