U is the debut studio album by English electronic music producer Tourist, released on 6 May 2016 through Monday Records. The album received positive reviews from critics and reached the top 40 of the albums chart in Australia.

U
Studio album by
Released6 May 2016 (2016-05-06)
GenreElectronic[1]
Length43:26
LabelMonday
ProducerTourist
Tourist chronology
Patterns
(2014)
U
(2016)
Everyday
(2019)

Background

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The album was inspired by the end of a four-year relationship that Tourist had been in.[2]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic78/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [2]
The Line of Best Fit7/10[1]
Mixmag8/10[4]

U received a score of 78 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on four critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception.[3] Paul Simpson of AllMusic found that Tourist "sticks with chopped-up vocal samples, resisting the straightforward pop route that Disclosure traveled on their full-lengths", and remarked that there is "certainly no shortage of gloomy British post-dubstep, but Phillips' work seems to have more of a purpose than just being mopey. His tracks are detailed and subtle, but also kind of perky".[2] Q opined that "the mix is full of voices, all snipped up in fragments or rendered as blurred tones. The results lends his exquisite productions a haunting emotional resonance".[3]

Grant Rindner of The Line of Best Fit called U "an intricate, melancholic and exceptionally well made LP" and felt that Tourist "has a deft touch and gift for melody, making U one of the more engaging electronic debuts we've seen this year".[1] Mixmag's Ben Jolley concluded that the album "pieces together a narrative that reflects on a past relationship; sculpting electronica, garage and piano together effortlessly".[4]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by William Phillips.

U track listing
No.TitleLength
1."U"3:57
2."To Have You Back"4:34
3."Run"5:59
4."Wait"5:02
5."My Love (Interlude)"2:19
6."Waves"6:11
7."Too Late"4:27
8."Foolish"4:03
9."Separate Ways"3:09
10."For Sarah"3:45
Total length:43:26

Personnel

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Charts

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Chart performance for Tourist
Chart (2016) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[5] 39
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[6] 148
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[7] 51
UK Dance Albums (OCC)[8] 10
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[9] 28

References

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  1. ^ a b c Rindner, Grant (6 May 2016). "Tourist, we like U". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Simpson, Paul. "Tourist – U Album Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  3. ^ a b c "U by Tourist Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  4. ^ a b Jolley, Ben (6 May 2016). "Tourist – Reviews". Mixmag. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  5. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Tourist – U". Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  6. ^ "Ultratop.be – Tourist – U" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  7. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  8. ^ "Official Dance Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  9. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 October 2023.