The Kick (album)

"*The record was written during lockdown, from a place of wanting to escape the walls of my own apartment, I wrote it imagining freedom and dancing and people being able to hold each other again. I spent so much time on zoom day and night just writing words and melodies and before I knew it I’d written an album’s worth of material. I felt a wild and animalistic feeling of needing and wanting to socialise again come out whilst writing and the feelings just didn’t stop. I felt like being in my apartment and being so isolated made me really dig deep into my mind and my imagination just ran wild. Most of the music is a celebration but some of the music comes from a painful place, of loss and heartbreak. I felt trapped and almost like my insides were dancing but I couldn’t express it, but in writing it allowed me to feel free again. This record feels like a new start and the ability to come back to life after such a strange time of us all being alone*." - Foxes on "The Kick"

***The Kick*** is the third studio album released by English singer-songwriter Foxes.

Foxes initially confirmed that the album would be released in early 2021 at the earliest however this was switched with the release of her EP, *Friends in the Corner*, which was released on 1 April 2021 however Foxes confirmed that the album would be released in the latter part of 2021 and feature completely new material. This is also the first studio album Foxes has released since *All I Need* in 2016.

It was revealed on 16 September 2021 that the album was called "The Kick" and that it would be released on 11 February 2022.

In January 2022, it was announced that the physical release of the album would be delayed until 25 February 2022 however this didn't affect the digital release which was released as originally scheduled. On 18 February 2022, it was announced that the physical release of the album would be delayed further to 22 April 2022.

## Background

During an Instagram Live session on 31 July 2020, Foxes confirmed the album was finished and that it would release in early 2021 and confirmed that there would be a few singles released before the album itself would be released. She stated that her third album would be 'authentic as possible' and all about life experiences and "not all about break-ups".

In an interview with Q Radio on 7 October 2020, Foxes confirmed that the album would have two sides, as in the likes of her previous albums.

### Announcement and release

On 16 September 2021, it was announced that the title of the album would be called "The Kick" and that it would release on 11 February 2022. On 2 November, Foxes revealed the cover of the album which featured nine pictures of her in boxes which made up the covers for the songs on the album. It was also announced that along with the release of the album, a special edition 2 CD album would be released which includes te Friends in the Corner EP.

#### Song title and cover reveals

From 25 October 2021, Foxes started revealing some of the song titles and cover pictures for the album on her social media with altered small lettering next to the words: Chapter 3.

 26 October 2021
 27 October 2021
 28 October 2021
 29 October 2021
 30 October 2021
 31 October 2021
 1 November 2021
 2 November 2021

Forgive YourselfTwo Kinds of SilenceGrowing on MeToo Much ColourSister RayPotentialGentleman
## Promotional events

### Tour

*Main article: The Kick Tour*

On 22 November 2021, Foxes announced that she would embark on a tour from 11 February 2022, The Kick Tour, which was scheduled to begin on the same day of the album's release date however the opening show in Glasgow was cancelled along with two other shows due to unforeseen circumstances relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. The remaining dates of the tour were cancelled and rescheduled until late February, early March as Foxes contracted coronavirus. The Kick Tour was the first tour Foxes embarked on since the Foxes UK Tour 2016 in 2016.

### Private showcase

*Main article: The Kick Private Showcase*

On 7 February 2022, Foxes announced that she would be hosting a launch party for the album in London which would be an invite-only event. She stated that it would stream on YouTube shortly afterwards. Two days later, Foxes cancelled the launch party after contracting COVID-19. The event was later rescheduled and renamed to The Kick Private Showcase, due to be held on 30 March 2022 at the same venue that was scheduled to host the launch party.

### The Kick Live x Deezer

*Main article: The Kick Live x Deezer*

On 4 April 2022, Foxes announced on her social media channels that she would be doing a special live event on YouTube in promotion of the album which would be held on 7 April 2022. The event was pre-recorded and was from the Private Showcase. On 9 May 2022, the songs from the event were reuploaded onto Foxes' YouTube account as part of a Deezer live session.

## Track listing

Foxes initially confirmed that there would be 14 to 15 total tracks on the album, it is unclear however if this would include additional songs which would feature on a deluxe edition if once were announced. She has described the songs on the album as songs of 'Chapter 3'

*The Kick* is the longest running album by Foxes in terms of length with the inclusion of the tracks from *Friends in the Corner EP* however *Glorious*, her debut studio album is the longest running album on the standard version which lasts 44 minutes compared to 40 minutes in the standard version of *The Kick*.

On 3 November 2021, Foxes revealed the running order of the album.

### Special Edition

The deluxe version of the album includes the tracks from *Friends in the Corner EP* which were included on a second disc.

## Singles released

Ahead of the album's release, several of the songs featured were released as singles, they included "Sister Ray" which was released on 15 September 2021 and "Dance Magic" which was released on 13 October 2021. "Sky Love" was the third single released on 3 November 2021. "Absolute" became the fourth single to be released on 7 January 2022. "Body Suit" became the fifth and final single to be released on 26 January 2022.

## Critical reception

*The Kick* received critical acclaim from fans and critics alike upon it's release. Critics had praised Foxes' way of making the album and the new style of music she embarked on in the album compared to her previous two.

David Coobald from the Line of Best Fit reviewed the album and gave it a rating of 8/10. Reviewing the album, he writes: "Lockdown albums in 2022 are teetering on the cliff edge of innovation, gazing down, at risk of falling into the expanse of tiresomeness. Saying that though, The Kick from Foxes (her first album in over five years, written entirely over Zoom) encapsulates the world’s collective need to get back on a dancefloor through a joyous attitude, and some pop-tastic gems."

Elosie Bulmer from DIY gave the album four stars and wrote: "It’s been five years since we had a Foxes album. In contrast to the Zoom collaborations that bore it, ‘The Kick’ is a celebration of everything that brings people together, in which is found a deep dive into the fun textures and irresistible melodies that fill up dance floors and incite communal singalongs."

Phillip Logan from Gigwise rated the album nine stars out of ten and wrote: "After being catapulted to the forefront of the pop stratosphere following the release and subsequent success of her Grammy-winning collaboration 'Clarity' with EDM giant Zedd, British singer-songwriter Foxes (real name Louisa Rose Allen) enjoyed a whirlwind five years of non-stop touring and recording, before taking a self-imposed time out from the fast-paced world of pop in 2017 to reconnect with essence of the artist she once dreamed she’d be."

The Perfect Tempo, Dork and RYM all rated the album four stars. Deezer featured the album as the best pop album of the week and featured "Growing on Me" in the top 50 Best New Releases.

This is the highest rated album by Foxes among various reviewers - both by Metacritic who scored the album 80/100 compared with 61 for *Glorious* and 67 for *All I Need* - and Album of the Year who had the album at 80% as a critic score, with a user score of 77% based on 156 reviews.

The album peaked at number 28 on the UK Digital Album Releases Chart.

## Trivia

* This is the third instance where Foxes has named her album after a song released in the album, following "Glorious" and "All I Need" from their respective albums of the same name
* Foxes stated that The Kick would have 14 to 15 tracks
	+ Although 12 tracks were confirmed when the album was officially revealed, it is unclear whether there will be bonus tracks if there is deluxe editions released of the album
* Foxes also stated that there will be a vinyl of The Kick
* Foxes describes this album as 'chapter 3' of her music
* On the cover announcement which was released on 2 November, an error was spotted on the cover photos shared on Foxes' social media accounts which placed the release date as "11.02.21" instead of "11.02.22"
* The Kick is the fifth piece of material Johnny "Ghostwriter" Harris has collabrated with Foxes on
* This is the first album since *Glorious* which features songs from an extended play by Foxes
* On 1 February 2022, Foxes jokingly tweeted that 'she could just leak the album'
* A launch party was due to be hosted on 11 February however it was cancelled after Foxes contracted COVID-19
* On 9 July 2023, Foxes announced that she was looking to explore the possibility of releasing music from *The Kick* which never made the final cut whilst in the process of writing new music.

**EPs**:
**Other**: