Islands (Ash album)

Islands
Top half of the image shows stars in the sky, while the bottom half features an upside-down island against a white background
Studio album by
Ash
Released18 May 2018
StudioAtom Heart, New York City
GenrePower pop
Length50:00
LabelInfectious, BMG
Producer
  • Tim Wheeler
  • Mark Hamilton
  • Rick McMurray
  • Claudius Mittendorfer
Ash chronology
Kablammo!
(2015) 		Islands
(2018) 		Race the Night
(2023)
Singles from Islands
  1. "Buzzkill"
    Released: 8 February 2018
  2. "Annabel"
    Released: 10 April 2018
  3. "Confessions in the Pool"
    Released: 11 May 2018

Islands is the seventh studio album by Northern Irish rock band Ash. It was released on 18 May 2018, through Infectious Music and BMG. Following the touring cycle for their previous album Kablammo! (2015), frontman Tim Wheeler was going through a break-up, and travelled around the world in attempt to isolate himself. While traveling, he wrote multiple songs in each location. Ash reconvened and began recording their next album at Atom Heart Studios in New York City, with Wheeler acting as the main producer. Described as a power pop album, Islands drew comparison to the Beach Boys, the Ramones, and the Undertones.

"Buzzkill" was released as the lead single in February 2018, followed by the second and third singles "Annabel" and "Confessions in the Pool" in April and May, respectively. In the first few months of the album's release, the band appeared at a few festivals, toured the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Ireland. They performed at two festivals in 2019. Islands received generally positive reviews from music critics, some of whom commented on its catchy nature, and others commenting on Wheeler's lyricism. The album peaked at number 12 in Scotland, number 18 in the UK, and number 34 in Ireland.