Rolling Stone: Albums are getting shorter (finally!) Thank you, Dua and Billie

[Teletubby 140,028]

Over the last few weeks, both Beyoncé and Taylor Swift unveiled projects that seemed to include every piece of music they had ever recorded for their respective albums: Cowboy Carter stretched out to 27 tracks, the complete version of The Tortured Poets Department to 31.
But while critics and some fans grapple with that overload of material, another diametrically opposed trend is shaping up.
For some modern pop artists, and a few veterans, nothing beats an album that can be digested during lunch hour.

Dua Lipa’s new Radical Optimism, the latest example, clocks in at 11 songs and joins a list of relatively concise recent releases: Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts (12 songs), veteran Sheryl Crow’s Evolution (10), and even country songwriter Tyler Childers’ Rustin’ in the Rain (7). 
Billie Eilish’s upcoming Hit Me Hard and Soft will be limited to 10 new tracks, while the new record by the Avett Brothers tops out at 9. 
One could easily listen to three of those in the same amount of time it would take to digest most of The Tortured Poets Department.

Of course, most classic albums from the Sixties through the Eighties stuck to those lengths because of the limitations of the LP format.
To this day, record executives cite Michael Jackson’s Thriller and Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going on (9 songs each) as examples of perfect records that didn’t overstay their welcomes. 

In the streaming era, the more songs there are for fans to stream, the better an artist’s chart placement and revenue. So, why are albums suddenly drawing the short end of a stick? The trend could have something to do with the ongoing revival of the LP.

Dua Lipa’s A&R executive since her debut album, says he and Dua always aim for a tighter statement, from her 12-song debut up to Radical Optimism. “With this album, she felt like she was there, conceptually and musically, really in the pocket,” he says. "She only wanted to have the songs she felt made a great record.” 
“There’s a real desire to keep creative consistency and only have the best songs,” he says . “As they say, ‘All killer, no filler.’”
“When you put music on a streaming service, there’s a lower chance they’ll be listening to it in that order,” he says. “In that environment, it makes people want shorter records. You’re trying to keep people’s attention. You own the environment of what someone is listening to, to some extent.”

The other label executive thinks that the ease with which new music can be recorded and released is also a factor: Dua Lipa and Rodrigo, for instance, rolled out expanded editions of Future Nostalgia and Guts, with additional songs. “Everyone is recording a lot of music, and they’re not calling a 10-song album ‘chapter 1,’ but it probably is,” says the executive. “You think it’s the whole meal but there’s another entrée after that.”

[ChicaSkas 22,411]

King Princess said 11 tracks for KP3. Part of me was all only 11 ?

 

[Roughhouse Dandy 9,808]

Why is less music a good thing? Like if the artist is good there won't be filler tracks even with a long album. If it's too long for you then just don't listen to it all in one sitting. 

[Ultimecia 6,025]

It's time to destroy the mainstream music business before it destroys all semblance of art that's left in it.

[nATAH 44,775]

what the f*ck even is this trash magazine? why would you be happy about paying the same price for LESS music? tiktok rotted brain ass "journalist"

[Fantina 3,293]

I never understood why some people dislike lengthy albums.

Just listen to the songs you like/want to and move on to the next, no one forces you to always listen to the entire record.

[Levine 23,170]

My god they are so out of touch it's unbelievable. 

[Illuminati 15,852]

While shorter albums tend to be better throughout I have no issue with long ones that have been released recently. An odd thing to celebrate, especially as the songs trend closer to being the length of a ringtone

Edited May 8, 2024 by Illuminati

[Anderson123 36,439]

12 minutes ago, Teletubby said:

 

Those are such great pictures of them, especially Billie. I'd have a massive crush on her if I were straight.

As for the music, I think it should be as long as they feel it works. Ariana, Dua, Olivia and Billie are going for short albums right now and it's easier to listen to, I like that. But that doesn't mean a short album is always better. It's just a flip coin at this point.

Tortured Poets has 31 songs and people will find some gems in there, stans will probably love all of it, some don't, etc. Midnights standard was 13 and I didn't really like it that much, barely listened to it.

[NewUsername 11,057]

For me, at least on paper, perfect length is 13-14 songs, with lengths between 03'30" and 04'30".

[Guest]

Rolling Stone is such a joke now.

[Lucas 24,962]

Well imo the best is an album with like 12~14 tracks and a runtime of around 50 mins. Albums with too many tracks are hard to digest and leave more room for useless fillers.

[Aga Gydal 3,158]

Tbh albums should be the length they need to be to tell a complete story. That’s why I felt like CC was complete at 27 tracks but TTPD felt bloated at 31. Similarly, Eternal Sunshine works well *because* it feels like a shorter slice of sweet music. I hope artists don’t feel pressure to force their albums to be a certain length because it should just depend on what feels right. 

[HIM820 1,770]

I don’t really understand why people here have a problem with this.

I have realized since Dua’s new album, I am more likely to listen to it start to finish on repeat listens. Same with eternal sunshine. Whereas I am only listening to a few specific songs on Tortured Poets and Cowboy Carter. I know there are other songs I generally liked, but would only catch them if listening to it again and they are so long it’s just not as likely. I can listen to full new projects of Dua or Ariana just on my morning commute. With pop music, that conciseness is an important part to the recipe sometimes. Excited for Billie now!

[TheSine 6,137]

1 hour ago, NATAH said:

what the f*ck even is this trash magazine? why would you be happy about paying the same price for LESS music? tiktok rotted brain ass "journalist"