Happiness Not Included
2022 studio album by Soft Cell
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*Happiness Not Included is the fifth studio album by British synth-pop duo Soft Cell, released on 6 May 2022 through BMG Rights Management. It is their first studio album in 20 years, following Cruelty Without Beauty (2002).[1] It was preceded by the release of the single "Bruises on All My Illusions" in 2021 as well as "Purple Zone" in 2022, the latter a collaboration with fellow British synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys.[2]
| *Happiness Not Included | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 6 May 2022 | |||
| Recorded | January 2020 – March 2021 | |||
| Studio | Dean Street, London | |||
| Genre | Synth-pop | |||
| Length | 55:04 | |||
| Label | BMG | |||
| Producer |
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| Soft Cell chronology | ||||
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| Singles from *Happiness Not Included | ||||
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In 2023 two companion albums were released to accompany the album. 'Happiness now completed' features additional tracks and remixes recorded during the album sessions & 'Happiness now extended' features extended versions of all the original album tracks.[3]
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 78/100[4] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| The Guardian |   [5] |
| The Independent | [6] |
| The Line of Best Fit | 7/10[7] |
| Mojo | [8] |
| musicOMH |  [9] |
| The Telegraph | [10] |
| Uncut | 8/10[11] |
On review aggregator Metacritic, *Happiness Not Included received a score of 78 out of 100 based on nine reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception.[4] Dave Simpson of The Guardian called it a "wryly hopeful record" with "some trademark electro bangers".[5] Writing for The Line of Best Fit, Chris Todd summarised the "flavour" of the album as "one of world weariness peppered with salacious reflections of tales of past".[7] Roisin O'Connor of The Independent remarked on the downbeat nature of the lyrics, writing that while Soft Cell "were hardly upbeat to begin with, [...] this is downright miserable" although acknowledging that they "have good reason to be" and concluding that "it's not all hopeless – at least the music is good".[6]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Marc Almond and David Ball except where noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Happy Happy Happy" | 4:46 |
| 2. | "Polaroid" | 4:41 |
| 3. | "Bruises on All My Illusions" | 4:45 |
| 4. | "Purple Zone" (with Pet Shop Boys) | 3:11 |
| 5. | "Heart Like Chernobyl" | 3:24 |
| 6. | "Light Sleepers" | 4:41 |
| 7. | "*Happiness Not Included" | 4:55 |
| 8. | "Nostalgia Machine" | 4:34 |
| 9. | "Nighthawks" | 5:14 |
| 10. | "I'm Not a Friend of God" | 4:34 |
| 11. | "Tranquiliser" | 3:50 |
| 12. | "New Eden" | 6:29 |
| Total length: | 55:04 | |
Charts
| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[12] | 51 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[13] | 175 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[14] | 55 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[15] | 12 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[16] | 5 |
| Spanish Albums (Promusicae)[17] | 37 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[18] | 86 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[19] | 7 |
| UK Dance Albums (OCC)[20] | 1 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[21] | 2 |
