| The Back Room | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 25 July 2005 | |||
| Recorded | Early 2005 | |||
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| Length | 43:48 | |||
| Label | Kitchenware | |||
| Producer | Jim Abbiss, Gavin Monaghan | |||
| Editors chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Back Room | ||||
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The Back Room is the debut studio album of British rock band Editors; it was released on 25 July 2005 through Kitchenware Records. The Editors formed while attending university and later moved to Birmingham, where they played club shows and made demos. After signing to Kitchenware in late 2004, the band recorded their debut album at studios in Lincolnshire, London and Wolverhampton. Jim Abbiss produced all but one of the tracks; the exception was produced by Gavin Monaghan. The Back Room is a post-punk revival, gothic rock and indie pop album that has been compared to the works of Echo & the Bunnymen, Elbow and Interpol.
"Bullets" was released as the album's lead single in January 2005; it was followed by a tour of the UK. "Munich" and "Blood" were released as the album's second and third singles in April and June 2005, respectively. The album's release was promoted with a UK tour throughout July 2005; "Bullets" was re-released following their debut US show in September 2005. Editors then supported Franz Ferdinand on their UK tour, leading to Editors' headlining tour at the end of 2005. In early 2006, "Munich" was re-released; they promoted it with tours in the US and the UK. The album's fourth single "All Sparks" was released in March 2006; it was followed by a co-headlining US tour with Stellastarr. Following a short UK tour, "Blood" was re-released in June 2006, and was promoted with another US tour.
The Back Room received generally positive reviews from music critics; opinions on the Editors' influences and the lyrics were divided but frontman Tom Smith's vocals were well-received. The album reached number two in the UK and Scotland, and charted in Ireland, the Netherlands and the United States. All of the album's singles performed well in the UK: "Bullets" peaked at number 27, "Munich" peaked at number 10, "Blood" peaked at number 18 and "All Sparks" peaked at number 21. The Back Room was nominated for the 2006 Mercury Prize, and was later certified platinum in the UK, and gold in Belgium, Ireland and the Netherlands. It appeared on several album of the year lists by Drowned in Sound, NME and PopMatters and others, and appeared on best of the decade lists by laut.de and OOR.