| Twilight of the Innocents | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 2 July 2007 | |||
| Recorded | June 2006–January 2007 | |||
| Studio | Bang, Capitol | |||
| Genre | Pop, power pop | |||
| Length | 51:26 | |||
| Label | Infectious | |||
| Producer | Tim Wheeler | |||
| Ash chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Twilight of the Innocents | ||||
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Twilight of the Innocents is the fifth studio album by Northern Irish rock band Ash. It was released on 2 July 2007, through Infectious Records. Following the departure of guitarist Charlotte Hatherley in early 2006, the band began recording their next album in New York City at Bang Studios, which they had leased from a friend of a friend. Frontman Tim Wheeler produced the recordings, with bassist Mark Hamilton and drummer McMurray acting as associate producers. Described as a pop and power pop album, Twilight of the Innocents placed emphasis on Hamilton's bass parts.
Preceded by a UK tour in early 2007, "You Can't Have It All" was released as the lead single in April 2007. The second single "Polaris" appeared in mid June, prior to the album. The band promoted it with four consecutive shows at the Koko in London, before headlining the Rip Curl Boardmasters 07 festival, and appearing at the Reading and Leeds Festivals. "End of the World" was released as the third single in September, which was followed by a UK. In 2008, the band toured Japan, played a one-off show in New York, performed at Download Festival, and headlined the Ben and Jerry's Sundae festival
Twilight of the Innocents received generally positive reviews from music critics, some of whom commented highlighted the use of strings, and the band's consistent writing. The album peaked at number 26 in Ireland, and number 32 in the UK. All of the singles charted in the UK, with "You Can't Have It All" reaching the highest at number 16.