| Artificial Paradise | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | OneRepublic |
| Cover: | OneRepublic - Artificial Paradise.png |
| Recorded: | - |
| Genre: | Pop |
| Producer: | OneRepublic |
| Chronology: | OneRepublic studio album |
| Prev Title: | Human |
| Prev Year: | 2021 |
Artificial Paradise is the sixth studio album by American pop rock band OneRepublic, released on July 12, 2024, through Mosley Music Group and Interscope Records.[1] It follows their fifth studio album Human (2021), and includes the singles "Sunshine", "West Coast", "I Ain't Worried", "Runaway", "Mirage" with Mishaal Tamer (for Assassin's Creed Mirage), "I Don't Wanna Wait" with David Guetta, "Nobody", and "Fire (Official UEFA Euro 2024 Song)" with Meduza and Leony. The latter three were only included on the deluxe edition of the album. "Hurt" was released following the album's announcement. The album is the last of the band's contract with Interscope.[2]
In a social media post announcing Artificial Paradise, lead singer Ryan Tedder explained that the album began with their single "West Coast", which was written in 2016 in a New Orleans hotel room, and followed by further standalone singles in the subsequent eight years that the band felt "didn't quite make sense together" but were kept as more songs were written and recorded "in different hotel rooms and studios dotted around the world".[3] [4] Tedder said the rest of the album was then completed "in the last couple years" as they "navigated a world, full of artificial stories and constructs". He described the album title as "all too resonant with the world we currently live in, and the aspiration of so many people, for better or worse".[1] [5] The announcement was accompanied by a clip of the album's title track.[1]
The tracklist for the digital version of the album was changed by Tedder two weeks before its release because it didn't "flow" and would not "feel new" for fans of the band. The digital tracklist is arranged in that all new songs, except "I Ain't Worried", would be at the front of the album while all the previously released standalone singles would be at the back. The physical editions of the album reflect the original tracklist.[6]
Eight singles released from 2021 to 2024 are included on the album: "Sunshine", "West Coast", "I Ain't Worried", "Runaway", "Mirage" with Mishaal Tamer (for Assassin's Creed Mirage), "I Don't Wanna Wait" with David Guetta, "Nobody", and "Fire (Official UEFA Euro 2024 Song)" with Meduza and Leony. The latter three were only included on the deluxe edition of the album. "Hurt" followed as the ninth single on July 5, 2024, making it the first to be released after the album's announcement.[7] A remix of the song with Jelly Roll was released on November 22.[8] "Sink or Swim" was released as the tenth single on August 29 alongside a music video.
Carla Feric of The Independent wrote that the album has a "selection of catchy anthems" and "lively, light and summery tracks", and felt that OneRepublic "have created a musically progressive blend which is easy-listening, and has enough tracks for anyone to find at least one song they'll enjoy". Writing for Grammy.com, Taylor Weatherby called it "a seamless blend of songs that will resonate with longtime and newer fans alike. From the layered production of 'Hurt,' to the feel-good vibes of 'Serotonin,' to the evocative lyrics of 'Last Holiday,' Artificial Paradise shows that OneRepublic's sound is as dialed-in as it is ever-evolving."[2] Neil Z. Yeung of AllMusic concluded that "Tedder knows what he's doing and, like contemporary output by Imagine Dragons and Coldplay, can pump out crowd-pleasing optimism as if he was on autopilot...for better or worse."
Notes
OneRepublic
Additional musicians
Design
| Peak position | |
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[9] | 61 |
|---|---|
| Italian Albums (FIMI)[10] | 36 |
| Japanese Digital Albums (Oricon)[11] | 19 |
| Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[12] | 40 |
| Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)[13] | 54 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[14] | 25 |