# The Big Decider

The Big Decider is the fourth studio album by English rock band the Zutons, released on 26 April 2024 through Icepop. It is the band's first album in 16 years, following You Can Do Anything (2008), their disbandment the following year, and reformation in 2018. The album was produced by Ian Broudie, Nile Rodgers, and band member Sean Payne; further, it was promoted with a tour of the UK in early 2024. It received generally positive reviews from critics.

## Critical reception

Professional ratings :
| Aggregate scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 80/100 |
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| Clash | 8/10 |
| Classic Rock | 7/10 |
| Mojo | |
| MusicOMH | |
The Big Decider received a score of 80 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on four critics' reviews, which the website categorised as "generally favorable" reception. Classic Rock felt that the album "sees the Zutons back to their happy clapping playful best", while Mojo called it "uplifting, rueful and expertly crafted".
Emma Harrison of Clash described it as "a real statement of intent" as well as "an absolute suckerpunch of an album which reflects the love and chemistry the band and the collaborators have for each other". Ben Hogwood of MusicOMH wrote that the nine songs display "the band's leaner approach, but they show that McCabe's eye for a memorable song remains", but "their songs are not – yet – quite as memorable as those from the band's first iteration".

## Track listing

All tracks are written by Dave McCabe, Abi Harding, and Sean Payne; "In Your Arms" written with Ian Broudie; "Disappear", "The Big Decider", and "Rise" written with Neil Bradley.
Note
* signifies an additional producer

## Personnel

* Dave McCabe – vocals, acoustic guitars, electric guitars (all tracks); synthesizer (track 5), screwdriver guitars (6, 8), slide guitar (9)
* Abi Harding – backing vocals (all tracks), saxophone (tracks 2–9)
* Sean Payne – drums, percussion (all tracks); backing vocals (tracks 1–5, 7–9), additional recording (2, 3, 7–9), bass guitar (5, 9), additional keyboards (5), additional engineering (6), acoustic guitar (8, 9)
* Neil Bradley – keyboards (tracks 1–5, 7–9), piano (1, 5, 9), backing vocals (1), electric piano (6)
* Jay Lewis – bass guitar (tracks 1, 6, 8), backing vocals (1), lead guitar (2–8), claps (7)
* Boyan Chowdhury – guitar, backing vocals (track 1)
* Tim Cunningham – bass guitar (tracks 2–4, 7)
* Ian Broudie – backing vocals (tracks 4, 7)
* Ben Truman – strings (tracks 4, 7)
* Russell Graham – additional keyboards (tracks 5, 6)
* Nile Rodgers – speech (track 5)
Technical
* Nick Watson – mastering
* Mike Crossey – mixing (track 1)
* Stephen Harris – mixing (tracks 2–9), recording (2–4, 7)
* Leon Pearce – mixing (tracks 10–19)
* Russell Graham – recording (tracks 1, 5, 6, 9)
* Joe Rubel – recording (track 9)
* Tom Roach – additional recording (tracks 5, 6)
* John Barrett – additional engineering (tracks 5, 6)
* Andy Maxwell – recording assistance (tracks 1, 5, 6, 9)
* Jack Boston – recording assistance (tracks 2–4, 7)
Visuals
* Scott Jones Studio – art direction, design
* Graham Blackburn – live photography

## Charts

Chart performance for The Big Decider :
| Chart (2024) | Peak position |
| Scottish Albums (OCC) | 8 |
| UK Albums (OCC) | 7 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC) | 1 |