The Next Day

This article is about the David Bowie album. For the album's titular song, see The Next Day (song).

The Next Day
The album cover features a black and white photograph of Bowie's face with his hands held up. A white box obscures his face and much of the photograph with a text in the center reading "The Next Day". On top, the text reading "Heroes" is crossed out.
Studio album by
David Bowie
Released8 March 2013 (2013-03-08)
RecordedMay 2011 – October 2012
Studio
  • Magic Shop (New York City)
  • Human Worldwide (New York City)
Genre
Length53:17
Label
Producer
David Bowie chronology
A Reality Tour
(2010) 		The Next Day
(2013) 		Nothing Has Changed
(2014)
Singles from The Next Day
  1. "Where Are We Now?"
    Released: 8 January 2013
  2. "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)"
    Released: 26 February 2013
  3. "The Next Day"
    Released: 17 June 2013
  4. "Valentine's Day"
    Released: 19 August 2013
  5. "Love Is Lost (Hello Steve Reich Mix by James Murphy for the DFA)"
    Released: 16 December 2013 (12")

The Next Day is the 25th studio album by the English musician David Bowie. Released in March 2013, it was Bowie's first studio release in ten years, as he had retreated from public view after undergoing a procedure to treat a blocked heart artery in 2004. Co-produced by Bowie and Tony Visconti, the album was recorded in New York City between May 2011 and October 2012. It featured contributions from session musicians, some of whom he had worked with in the past, including Gerry Leonard, Earl Slick, Gail Ann Dorsey, Steve Elson, Sterling Campbell and Zachary Alford. Recording took place in secret; all personnel involved signed non-disclosure agreements.

Primarily an art rock album, The Next Day references Bowie's earlier glam and funk releases. The generally bleak lyrics draw from his reading of English and Russian history and examine themes of tyranny and violence. The cover art is an adapted version of Bowie's 1977 album "Heroes" by designer Jonathan Barnbrook, who placed a white square with the album's title over Bowie's face and crossed out the "Heroes" title. The album was released through ISO Records in association with Columbia Records.

The lead single "Where Are We Now?" and announcement of the album were posted online on 8 January 2013, Bowie's 66th birthday, surprising fans and media who had assumed he had retired from music. Preceded by a viral marketing campaign, The Next Day topped charts worldwide and debuted at number one and two on the UK Albums Chart and US Billboard 200, respectively. It was Bowie's first UK number-one album since 1993 and his highest-charting US album to that date. Several singles with accompanying music videos were released throughout 2013. Outtakes and remixes appeared on The Next Day Extra, released in November.

The Next Day was praised by critics as Bowie's best work in decades; it was ranked amongst the best albums of 2013 by several publications. Many reviewers highlighted the vocal and musical performances, and made positive comparisons to his earlier works, though some felt the album lacked innovation and was overlong. Among the first surprise albums of the 2010s, The Next Day was included in the 2014 revised edition of the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.