B.E.D (album)

Dury previously collaborated with de Crécy on the song "Family" for the latter's album Super Discount 3 (2015).^[1] After Dury recorded Prince of Tears (2017) in 2016^[2] and spent time in Paris, the prospect of making a record together became more feasible. Eventually, the pair sought to enlist a second vocalist for the project. When Dury was shooting the cover for Prince of Tears, his photographer Tom Beard, aware that they were looking for a singer, recommended Delilah Holliday of the band Skinny Girl Diet.^[3] Delilah and her sister Ursula Holliday were subsequently invited to Paris via Eurostar on a three-day trip.^[1]

B.E.D, an acronym for the member's first initials,^[4] was recorded from 2017 to early 2018 in de Crécy's Paris studio.^[3] De Crécy produced most of the record, with Dury producing the remainder.^[1] As a side project, Dury did not think to release it until he listened to the recordings later and his PR agent Matt Fogg convinced him otherwise.^[5] In Record Collector, years later, Dury spoke of the experience of being in a band, as opposed to working as a solo artist:

It was fine at first, gentle and easy – we worked very quickly. Once it became real and there was pressure, we turned into a band. Instantly, it fell apart, and I realised why I've never been in a band with anyone else because we all had our own opinions and you really need a pre-nup ... I'm quite bossy, and that's fine on my records but it's a different dynamic in a group.^[6]

In comparison to Dury's previous album Prince of Tears, B.E.D is a departure from the guitar, bass, and drums combination, favouring an electronic approach,^[7] consisting of de Crécy's minimalistic^[4][8] beats, basslines,^[9] and synthesisers.^[10][11] Meanwhile, the vocals consist of Dury's intoned narration and Holliday's sung choruses, with a few exceptions.^[8] On "Fly Away" and "But I Think", Holliday takes the lead vocals.^[12]

Lyrical themes revolve around betrayal,^[9] disdain,^[8] and self-loathing.^[11] According to Dury, whom wrote most of the lyrics,^[13] much of the inspiration came from "an experience I had in Paris that I can't talk about in detail because there are various parties involved".^[4] The album opens with "Tais Toi" (French for "Shut Your Mouth"), a phrase told to the narrator by his lover.^[12] On "Only My Honesty Matters", Dury laments about aspects of modern society.^[11]

On 10 September 2018, the trio announced the album and led it with the single "White Coats". B.E.D was released on 26 October on Heavenly Recordings^[14] and on PIAS Le Label.^[15] While considered an album,^[4][9] B.E.D is considerably short, totalling nineteen minutes^[12] with tracks around two minutes long.^[9]

In Dury and Holliday's native UK, the album did not place on the main UK Albums Chart, but it peaked on the UK Independent Albums Chart at no. 21.^[16] In de Crécy's native France, the album was a minor hit on the SNEP album chart, peaking at no. 153.^[17]

More information Aggregate scores, Source ...

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	81/100[18]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[8]
The Arts Desk	[9]
DIY	[10]
Loud and Quiet	7/10[4]
Mojo	[19]
Q	[11]
Uncut	7/10[20]

Close

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, B.E.D received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 81 out of 100 from 5 critic scores.^[18]

In a pair of four-star reviews, Victoria Segal of Q called the album a "Short, sharp menace-a-trois",^[11] and Lisa Wright of DIY thought that the three musicians' differing approaches to the music "combine to an unexpectedly cohesive whole ... that's more than the sum of their parts."^[10] Similarly, AllMusic's Tim Sendra said that the overall premise for the collaboration "seems like it wouldn't work", but they manage "to fit their individual skills into a cohesive unit"; their sole point of criticism was that it was not long enough.^[8]

Rating B.E.D five stars for The Arts Desk, Joe Muggs lauded the trio's "consistency" and "absolute dedication" in not deviating "from the sheer dead-eyed sleaze sonically, lyrically and vocally" and concluded their review by calling it "A sticky, tarry, grubby work of magic".^[9] Greg Cochrane, in a 7 out of 10 review for the magazine Loud and Quiet, described de Crécy's electronic backing tracks as "crisp and unfussy", comparing them to Metronomy in their earlier period.^[4] In a relatively negative review in the Hot Press, Pat Carty said the record was a "slight step backwards" in comparison to Dury's previous album Prince of Tears, citing the "fairly predictable" accompaniments.^[7]

• Étienne de Crécy – programming,^[8] synthesisers,^[10] production, mixing,^[13] artwork^[21]
• Baxter Dury – vocals,^[8] production^[13]
• Delilah Holliday – vocals^[8]