If this story were a badass detective novel, the title could be The case of the mysteriously shrunken album.
Over the past few weeks, Beyoncé and Taylor Swift revealed projects that appeared to include every piece of music they had recorded for their respective albums: Cowboy Carter spread over 27 titles, the complete version of The Department of Tortured Poets at 31. But while critics and some fans grapple with this overload of material, another diametrically opposed trend is emerging. For some modern pop artists, and some veterans, there’s nothing like an album that can be digested at lunchtime.
The new one from Dua Lipa Radical optimismthe last example, has 11 songs and joins a list of relatively concise recent releases: Olivia Rodrigo’s Gut (12 songs), Maggie Rogers Do not forget me (10), the debut of 4batz you made me st4r (11), veteran Sheryl Crow’s Evolution (10), and even country composer Tyler Childers’ Rust in the rain (7). The next Billie Eilish Hit me hard and soft, out next week, will be limited to 10 new tracks, while the new Avett Brothers record will cap at nine. One could easily listen to three in the same time it would take to digest most of the tracks. The Department of Tortured Poets.
Of course, most classic albums from the 60s to the 80s stuck to these lengths due to the limitations of the LP format. To this day, record executives quote Michael Jackson Thriller and that of Marvin Gaye What is going on (nine songs each) as examples of perfect records that didn’t overstay their welcome. These restrictions disappeared from studios when the compact disc arrived in the 1980s. With a runtime of up to 80 minutes, twice the length of a typical vinyl album, the CD allowed artists to record as many songs they wanted on a new album. If these artists wrote or co-wrote their own material, it could also lead to a windfall in publishing revenue, which would only encourage self-indulgence. And in the age of streaming, the more songs there are for fans to stream, the better an artist’s chart placement and earnings.
So why are albums suddenly drawing the short end of a stick? This trend might have something to do with the current renaissance of the LP, a physical format that typically can’t hold more than a half-dozen or more songs per side; Last year, 43 million vinyl records were sold, an increase of 14 percent from the previous year.
Joe Kentish, head of Warner Brothers UK and Dua Lipa’s A&R director since her debut album, says he and Dua have always aimed for a stricter statement, from her 12-song debut to Radical optimism. “With this album, she felt like she was there, conceptually and musically, really in the pocket,” he says. “She only wanted the songs that she thought would make a good record.”
Holding listeners’ attention — with so many other distractions competing for time — may also play a role in the trend, according to a senior A&R executive at a major record label. “For this generation, the album experience is very different,” the executive says. “In the past, you put The dark side of the moon, turn off the lights and listen. It was an immersive experience. Now albums are just part of their menu.
Kentish agrees that more succinct albums are a way to combat the behavior of some music listeners who turn to streaming services from one artist or album to the next. “When you put music out on a streaming service, they’re less likely to listen to it in that order,” he says. “In this environment, people want shorter records. You’re trying to keep people’s attention. To some extent, you own the environment of what someone is listening to.
The other label executive thinks the ease with which new music can be recorded and released is also a factor: Dua Lipa and Rodrigo, for example, have released expanded editions of Nostalgia for the future And Gut, respectively, with additional songs. “Everyone records a lot of music, and they don’t call a 10-song album ‘chapter 1,’ but it probably is,” the director explains. “You think that’s the whole meal but there’s another starter after that. I don’t know if that’s cynical, but it’s the reality.
This decision carries some risks. When Gut arrived last summer, some Rodrigo fans, used to long records, complained online about how little they were getting: “They really call anything an ‘album’ these days,” wrote one of them. “So basically an EP,” posted another.
But fans may just have to adapt. “There’s a real desire to keep creative consistency and have only the best songs,” Kentish explains. “As they say: ‘Everything kills, no fillers.'”
