All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade

All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade
Studio album by
the Libertines
Released5 April 2024 (2024-04-05)
RecordedFebruary–March 2023
StudioAlbion Rooms (Margate)
Length38:29
LabelEMI
ProducerDimitri Tikovoï
The Libertines chronology
Anthems for Doomed Youth
(2015)		 All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade
(2024)
Singles from All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade
  1. "Run Run Run"
    Released: 13 October 2023
  2. "Night of the Hunter"
    Released: 6 December 2023
  3. "Shiver"
    Released: 19 January 2024

All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade is the fourth studio album by English garage rock band the Libertines, released on 5 April 2024 through EMI. It is also their first studio album release in over eight years, following Anthems for Doomed Youth (2015).

Background

On 14 October 2023, the band shared the lead single "Run Run Run" and announced the accompanying album. The song was seen as a "classic yet subtly raucous Libs indie dancefloor anthem". Frontman Carl Barât described it as the "lifelong project of a life on the lash" and drew comparisons to the 1971 novel Post Office.[1]

About the album, Pete Doherty revealed that the band "really came together" and found a "moment of rare peace" creating the project comprising 11 tracks.[2] Doherty and Barât first started working on the record in September 2022 at a studio in Geejam in Port Antonio, Jamaica before reuniting with John Hassall and Gary Powell.[3] All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade was recorded over a four-week period in February and March 2023 at the Albion Rooms in Margate,[4] a location owned by the band members.[5] Produced by Dimitri Tikovoï, the recording process felt like them being all "in the same place, at the same speed" and connected for once, according to Barât.[6] All four band members share songwriting credits on every track.[7]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic72/100[8]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarHalf star[9]
Classic Rock8/10[10]
MojoStarStarStarStar[11]
NMEStarStarStarStar[12]
Pitchfork6.3/10[13]
Uncut7/10[10]

All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade received generally favourable reviews from critics. On Metacritic, which assigns a normalised score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album holds a weighted average score of 72 based on 14 reviews.[8]

Several critics framed the album as evidence of a newly stable band. Writing for NME, Max Pilley awarded the album four out of five stars, arguing that the volatility that once defined the group had given way to a steadier, safer incarnation, and that the record succeeded without chasing the highs of their early material. The review singled out "Man With the Melody", on which all four members share lead vocals, and the revenge narrative "Night of the Hunter" as highlights.[12] Rolling Stone UK similarly described the record as classic Libertines material reframed through the perspective of four men in their forties, calling the result "a complete riot".[14]

Reviewers also noted a broadening of the band's sound and subject matter. Mojo observed that the album largely set aside the group's habitual nostalgia for old Albion in favour of songs about contemporary Britain, and judged that Doherty's songwriting rose to the occasion.[11] Classic Rock called it the band's most expansive and ambitious record, citing its excursions into fado, blues and orchestral arrangements.[10] Uncut credited producers Dimitri Tikovoï and Dan Grech-Marguerat with adding polish and unexpectedly stately arrangements to the band's familiar clatter.[10]

Other assessments were more reserved. Pitchfork's Ben Cardew rated the album 6.3 out of 10, describing the reunited group as settling into "the congenial sound of a pretty good band" and suggesting they were short on new ideas even as they remained capable of strong individual songs.[13] AllMusic's Heather Phares felt the band had not fully redefined themselves as veterans, but praised "Merry Old England" and "Night of the Hunter" and concluded that the album sounded more like the work of a functioning band than its predecessor Anthems for Doomed Youth (2015), with enough strong material to sustain fans' faith.[9]

Commercial performance

All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade debuted atop the UK Albums Chart selling 21,706 units.[15]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Carl Barât, Pete Doherty, John Hassall and Gary Powell, with additional writers noted.

All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Run Run Run" (Danny Connors)2:53
2."Mustangs" (Connors)3:27
3."I Have a Friend"2:58
4."Merry Old England"4:49
5."Man with the Melody" (Oliver Rhys, Jamie Treays)3:56
6."Oh Shit"3:01
7."Night of the Hunter"4:08
8."Baron's Claw" (Mike Moore)3:37
9."Shiver"3:00
10."Be Young"2:33
11."Songs They Never Play on the Radio"4:07
Total length:38:29

Personnel

The Libertines

  • Carl Barât – vocals, guitar (all tracks); piano (tracks 5, 8, 11), background vocals (9, 11)
  • Pete Doherty – guitar (all tracks), background vocals (tracks 1, 2, 6, 11), vocals (5, 7, 10, 11)
  • John Hassall – background vocals (tracks 1, 2, 6, 10, 11), drums (1), bass (2–11); synthesizer programming, vocals (5); piano (8)
  • Gary Powell – background vocals (tracks 1, 2, 6, 10, 11), drums (2–11), string arrangement (5, 7), vocals (5), percussion (7)

Additional musicians

  • Richie Kennedy – programming (all tracks), percussion (track 1), piano (2), background vocals (6), clapping (9)
  • Dimitri Tikovoï – percussion (tracks 1–10), Wurlitzer electric piano (1), piano (2, 4, 7, 9, 11), organ (2), keyboards (4, 7, 9–11), background vocals (6)
  • Dan Grech-Marguerat – programming
  • Julie Gay – background vocals (tracks 2, 3, 11)
  • Pascale Mason – background vocals (2, 3, 11)
  • Alice Allen – cello (tracks 4, 5, 7, 11)
  • Liam Brolly – viola (tracks 4, 5, 7, 11)
  • Fiona Brice – violin (tracks 4, 5, 7, 11)
  • Katrina Lee – violin (tracks 4, 5, 7, 11)
  • Claude Samuel Levine – theremin (track 7)
  • Atholl Ransome – saxophone (track 8)
  • Malcolm Strachan – trombone, trumpet (track 8)

Technical

  • Dimitri Tikovoï – production
  • Matt Colton – mastering
  • Dan Grech-Marguerat – mixing
  • Richie Kennedy – engineering
  • Matthew Boyle – engineering (tracks 4, 5, 7, 11)
  • Ben Barker – engineering (track 8)
  • Fiona Brice – string arrangement (tracks 4, 5, 7, 11)
  • The Haggis Horns – recording arrangement (8)
  • Charles Haydon Hicks – mixing assistance
  • Luke Burgoyne – mixing assistance
  • Eliaz Le Floch – engineering assistance
  • Jason Stafford – engineering assistance

Charts

Chart performance for All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[16]4
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[17]40
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[18]8
French Albums (SNEP)[19]21
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[20]7
Irish Albums (IRMA)[21]51
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[22]31
Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[23] 41
Scottish Albums (Official Charts)[24]1
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[25]8
UK Albums (Official Charts)[26]1
UK Independent Albums (Official Charts)[27]6

References

  1. ↑ Trendell, Andrew (13 October 2023). "The Libertines return with 'Run Run Run' and announce new album 'All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade'". NME. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  2. ↑ Monroe, Jazz (13 October 2023). "The Libertines Return With First Album Since 2015, Share New Song: Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  3. ↑ Taysom, Joe (13 October 2023). "The Libertines announce new album 'All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanad". Far Out. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  4. ↑ Pearis, Bill (13 October 2023). "The Libertines announce first album in 9 years, share "Run Run Run"". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  5. ↑ Lewis, Isobel (13 October 2023). "The Libertines announce first album in nine years, All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade". The Independent. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  6. ↑ Anderson, Carys (13 October 2023). "The Libertines Announce Comeback Album All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade, Share New Song: Stream". Consequence. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  7. ↑ Breihan, Tom (13 October 2023). "The Libertines Announce First New Album In Nine Years All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade". Stereogum. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  8. 1 2 "All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade by The Libertines Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
  9. 1 2 Phares, Heather. "All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade – The Libertines". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Critic Reviews for All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade". Metacritic. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
  11. 1 2 "The Libertines All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade Review: Pete Doherty and Carl Barât land on remarkably firm ground". Mojo. April 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
  12. 1 2 Pilley, Max (4 April 2024). "The Libertines – 'All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade' review: they've found their voice again". NME. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
  13. 1 2 Cardew, Ben (8 April 2024). "The Libertines: All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade". Pitchfork. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
  14. ↑ "The Libertines 'All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade' review". Rolling Stone UK. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
  15. ↑ Jones, Alan (12 April 2024). "Charts analysis: The Libertines land first No.1 album in 20 years". Music Week. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  16. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – The Libertines – All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  17. ↑ "Ultratop.be – The Libertines – All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  18. ↑ "Ultratop.be – The Libertines – All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  19. ↑ "Top Albums (Week 15, 2024)". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  20. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Libertines – All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  21. ↑ "Irish Albums Chart: 12 April 2024". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  22. ↑ "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2024-04-15" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  23. ↑ "Billboard Japan Hot Albums – Week of April 10, 2024". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  24. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart on 12/4/2024 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  25. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – The Libertines – All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  26. ↑ "Official Albums Chart on 12/4/2024 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  27. ↑ "Official Independent Albums Chart on 12/4/2024 – Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
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