I Thought I Was Better Than You
2023 studio album by Baxter Dury
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I Thought I Was Better Than You is the seventh studio album by English musician Baxter Dury. It was produced by Paul White together with Dury and was released through Heavenly Recordings on 2 June 2023. It was Dury's first album since his 2021 memoir Chaise Longue.[3]
| I Thought I Was Better Than You | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 2 June 2023 | |||
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| Genre | Hip-hop[1][2] | |||
| Length | 27:27 | |||
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| Singles from I Thought I Was Better Than You | ||||
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Promotion and singles
Alongside the announcement for the album, the lead single, "Aylesbury Boy", was released on 7 March 2023. Featuring the vocalist JGrrey, the song was also accompanied by a music video directed by Noel Paul.[4] The second single "Leon", which also features JGrrey,[5] was released on 5 April 2023, and according to Dury, the song is a semi-autobiographical story about himself and a former classmate.[6] He revealed the album's third and final single "Celebrate Me" on 2 May 2023.[5]
Release
I Thought I Was Better Than You was released on 2 June 2023 through Heavenly Recordings.[7][8] The album debuted and peaked at no. 41 on the UK Albums Chart, Dury's highest position to date.[9]
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 81/100[10] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| The Arts Desk | [11] |
| Buzz | [12] |
| Classic Rock | 8/10[13] |
| DIY | [7] |
| Hot Press | 7/10[14] |
| The Line of Best Fit | 8/10[15] |
| Loud and Quiet | 8/10[8] |
| Mojo | [2] |
| Uncut | 8/10[16] |
I Thought I Was Better Than You received a score of 81/100 on the review aggregator website Metacritic based on 7 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[10]
In a five star review for The Arts Desk, Kathryn Reilly said that despite the relatively short running time of the album, it does not lack "in emotional insight. ... Here we have the characteristic all-consuming melancholy that oozes from Baxter Dury but without the menace of Prince of Tears.[11] Reviewing the album for Mojo, Andrew Perry lauded I Thought... as "Baxter's third cracking album in a row, a consistency which eluded even papa Ian."[2] Tim Sendra, in a review for AllMusic, praised Dury's stylistic shift towards "hip-hop and R&B" while noting that "he and White make it work without lapsing into rip-off territory."[1]
Zara Hedderman of Loud and Quiet said in a four star review that I Thought... "serves as a companion piece to his 2021 memoir, Chaise Longue; the two share characters, and musically it complements the text very well."[8] In The Line of Best Fit, Janne Oinonen came to a similar conclusion, adding "Dury's talents require no piggybacking on anyone else's fame: this is the real deal."[15]
Year-end lists
| Publication | List | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rough Trade UK | Albums of the Year 2023 | 7 | [17] |
| Under the Radar | Top 100 Albums of 2023 | 96 | [18] |
Track listing
All tracks are written by Baxter and Kosmo Dury, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "So Much Money" | 2:37 | |
| 2. | "Aylesbury Boy" (feat. JGrrey) | 3:31 | |
| 3. | "Celebrate Me" | 3:17 | |
| 4. | "Leon" (feat. JGrrey) | 2:48 | |
| 5. | "Crashes" | Baxter Dury | 3:08 |
| 6. | "Sincere" | Baxter Dury | 1:03 |
| 7. | "Pale White Nissan" (feat. JGrrey) | 2:56 | |
| 8. | "Shadow" |
| 2:06 |
| 9. | "Crowded Rooms" | 3:09 | |
| 10. | "Glows" | 2:52 | |
| Total length: | 27:27 | ||
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the I Thought I Was Better Than You LP.[19]
Musicians
- Baxter Dury – vocals (except track 6), synths (except 3, 9), piano (1, 6, 9), strings (4, 9), bass (5, 7), drum programming (6)
- Madelaine Hart – vocals (1, 3–7, 10)
- Paul White – drum programming (1–2, 4–5, 7), synths (4, 7, 9), backing track (8)
- Kosmo Dury – bass (3–4, 6), guitars (3–4, 10), strings (1, 3), piano (2), synths (3), vocals (3), flute (10)
- Billy Fuller – bass (1–2, 4, 9)
- JGrrey – vocals (2, 4, 9)
- Marley Mackie – bass (1)
- Eska – vocals (8)
- Psymun – backing track (8)
Technical and design
- Paul White, Baxter Dury – production
- Jimmy Hogarth – extra production on "So Much Money"
- David Wrench – mixing
- Matt Colton – mastering
- Tom Beard – photography
- Louise Mason – design
Charts
Notes
- "Pale White Nissan" contains piano and guitar samples from Long Season by Fishmans.[19]