The Night the Sun Came Up
Encyclopedia
The Night the Sun Came Up is the debut studio album
by United States recording artist Dev
. It was released on September 2, 2011 by Universal Republic
in association with Island Records
. Dev worked exclusively with American alternative hip hop
production duo The Cataracs
, who helmed the production of the entire album along with co-writing songs with Dev. The production process of the album took place mainly in January 2011 and is currently continuing as the North American release date for the album was delayed from September 20, 2011 to January 10, 2012 as per Dev's request to add more songs to the album.
The album received mixed to positive reviews, with critics commending the production of many of the songs while comparing the music on the set to the electropop stylings of American recording artist Ke$ha
and Swedish dance
recording artist Robyn
. The songs are mostly inspired by Dev's life stories over the past few years. The Night the Sun Came Up is mainly an electropop and dance
album, which incorporates elements of several musical genres such as dubstep
, urban
, Eurodance
and rock
. The themes of the album range from sex, partying, introspection, love and life. The album failed to chart in Ireland and Australia, where the album is currently available but peaked within the top 100 of the UK album charts at number seventy-eight.
The first two singles from The Night the Sun Came Up, "Bass Down Low
" and "In the Dark
", were both moderate international hits, with "Bass Down Low" peaking within the top ten position of the UK Singles (The Official Chart Company)
in the United Kingdom. "In the Dark" was more successful in North America, peaking at number eleven on the Billboard Hot 100
in the United States and at number thirteen on the Canadian Hot 100
in Canada. It charted in more commercial markets, reaching the summit of the IFPI
chart in Slovakia.
cover in response to her ex-boyfriend's new girlfriend, calling it a "diss track". The song was placed on MySpace
and discovered by production team The Cataracs
. She was then signed by the Los Angeles based record label and management team, Indie-Pop, who also discovered The Cataracs. Months later, their song "2Nite" began to gain exposure on the radio, the television channel MTVU
and the Billboard Hot Dance Airplay
chart. In 2009, Dev moved to Los Angeles
to produce music with the Cataracs and work directly with Indie-Pop. During that time, songs like "Fireball" and "Booty Bounce" were made.
The latter track was produced in the same summer as the The Cataracs produced "Like a G6
" , at the time where Dev and the Cataracs "were grinding it out in the studio pretty tough together," making a couple of "simplistic random tracks." "Like a G6", which features the Cataracs and Dev, was released in April 2010, and reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100
chart in October of that year, prompting Universal Republic
to sign her on as an artist in the same month.
Dev moved in with The Cataracs to produce the album. She claimed the experience to be "beautiful" and felt like being in a movie. She also claimed the experience gave the album "an amazing vibe." On interview with Alex Kazemi of FashionIndie, Dev stated that their sessions are very different and complicated, further commenting "It really depends, some times the boys will come to me and say “I’ve been wanting to do this song but this is more of a DEV track” and from there Niles will show me the beat and me and David will come up with lyrics or some times I go to them when I have written some sort of idea and they will help me elaborate on it to the point where we can have a song." During the time they were in Costa Rica, they recorded thirteen to fourteen songs for the album. The song, "Take Her From You", was composed while in Costa Rica recording the album. The song was originally written by one of The Cataracs for himself and while reading some of the lyrics, Dev expressed her interest in recording the song.
and British singer-songwriter Uffie
. She noted that the comparisons helped motivate her to take the music to a new level and sing on the majority of the album. She further explains that the material on the album has more diversity, bringing together different sounds and conveying more depth in the songwriting. She described that the songs are influenced by hip hop and electro music. The album, according to Dev, will bring together "my [Dev] intricate influences and The Cataracs simple influences." While on interview with KiSS 92.5, she commented that the music on the set will contain music stylized toward club and dance music and hip-hop influenced tracks where she will rap the entire song.
album, which incorporates elements of several different genres such as dubstep
, hip hop
, Eurodance
, urban
, rock
and club
influenced-pop music
Dev said that her mission with the album was to make it diversified, incorporating different elements of music to make an eclectic set. She also said that the album has two sides to it, sassy and pretty. The sassy songs are based on the themes of sex, partying and different forms of debauchery while the pretty songs are contemplative ballads that are based more on introspection and love. Much of the album's lyrics are influenced by her life and her experiences. The album opens with "Getaway", a hip hop track with influences of soul music. The song starts out with the use of a piano, transitions into hip-hop styled music and features a breakdown in which she raps and rhymes. The next song "In My Trunk" runs through an electronic
tinged hip hop
beat and features vehicle metaphors in its lyrics. The third track of the album, "Me", contains influences of adult contemporary music.
The fourth song "Breathe" is an electronic dance
song that contains influences of Middle Eastern and club music
. It is written about sex and the effects of love on Dev and features the use of an accordion throughout. The album's fifth track, "Take Her From You", differs completely from the electronic
soundscape of the album,as it is inspired by rock and roll music
. When Dev heard the song, she responded "'Oh, I really like that. It could almost be a flip of me singing about myself.' ... [We considered] maybe we should change around the perspective, but I was like, 'No. Let's keep it like that.'" The sixth track, "Lightspeed", is an electronic pop
song that in its production draws inspiration from house and club music. It makes use of kickdrums, synth arrangements, Auto-Tune and numerous noises like a cough. Its synth riff and beat structure resembles those in the music made by Dutch disc jockey Afrojack
. The seventh track, "Dancing Shoes" is built upon synthesizers and drums while making use of pianos and guitars to produce an uptempo electronic rock ballad about performing onstage. The song's "pretty" sound is inspired by teen pop music
After "Dancing Shoes" is the eighth track, "Perfect Match", a guitar driven ballad that features a string section reminiscent of that featured in "Clocks" by British alternative rock
group Coldplay
. In "Bass Down Low
", the ninth song and first single, Dev speaks of taking shots and various forms of debauchery. It is an electro
song with skittering synths and a pulsating electropop groove in which Dev utilizes her sing-talk vocal style throughout the song, but also uses her singing voice near the end. The Night the Sun Came Ups tenth track "Kiss My Lips", the thrid single from the album in the United States, contains a guitar that blends synthesizers prominent in dance music with a hip hop styled drum beat. In the song, she sings to a lover "Get you hand off my hip/And kiss my lips, kiss my lips, kiss me all over/ Are you gonna take that risk, take that risk, 'cause only getting older." "In the Dark
" has a house
rhythm and a prominent saxophone
riff that serves as the song's instrumentation. while featuring Eurodance
beats and synths, mixed with influences of Latin
music. The twelfth track is "Shadows", a song that draws from influences of folk music
gave the album three and one-half stars, praised the album as "engaging", noting the ranges of music influences, including dance, rock and folk, and noted that it was not boring. Music rating website Musicovered gave the album three out of ten stars, stating the album comes short of expectations and that the production was sloppy, with many of the album's tracks sounding the same. Sal Cinquemani shares the same feeling on his review of the album for Slant Magazine
, rating the album two and a half stars out of five. He adds that the album fails to distinguish her from electro-pop artist Kesha
while praising her rapping style, comparing it to that of Swedish recording artist Robyn
, and the song "In the Dark" for blending European dance music with flourishes of Latin and Mediterranean music. Neil Miller, Jr. of UR Chicago rated the album two out of five stars (on the site, they use meatballs), calling it "one of the most unbalanced pop records" ever released. Chanun Poomsawai of Bangkok Post reviewed the album positively, praising its diversity and mixture of "fierce and mellow" and further commented that "this is a solid electro-edged pop album best played while you're getting dressed up before heading out for a night on the town." Idolator however claims that to peg Dev as a Kesha clone is dangerous as she has a greater air of mystery than Kesha and the positive review ends with "for those out there who like the soundtrack to their late-night fiesta to come with a bit more subtlety".
", which was produced by and features The Cataracs
. The song was released to iTunes
for digital download on December 7, 2010. The UK mix of the song, which features the Cataracs and British
rapper Tinie Tempah
was released on May 23, 2011. The song peaked at 61 on the US Billboard Hot 100
. It peaked at the highest of the Heatseekers Songs at number 2.
The second single off the album "In the Dark
", was also produced by the Cataracs. It was released digitally via iTunes on April 26, 2011. It currently peaks at the Billboard Hot 100 at 11. It also topped the Heatseekers chart and has fared better than "Bass Down Low."
Dev stated in an interview that her third single will be called Naked and will feature latin american singer Enrique Iglesias
. It will be released on early January 2012.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by United States recording artist Dev
Dev (singer)
Devin Star Tailes , better known by her stage name Dev, is an American singer. She was discovered by The Cataracs via MySpace after her friend Shane Crislip, posted her singing to some beats...
. It was released on September 2, 2011 by Universal Republic
Universal Republic
Universal Republic Records is a record label, owned by Universal Music Group. It is based on the now-defunct Republic Records label founded by brothers Monte and Avery Lipman...
in association with Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
. Dev worked exclusively with American alternative hip hop
Alternative hip hop
Alternative hip hop is a sub-genre of hip hop music. Allmusic defines it as follows: -Origin:...
production duo The Cataracs
The Cataracs
The Cataracs are an American hip hop indie-pop duo formed in Berkeley, California, consisting of David “Campa” Benjamin Singer-Vine, a songwriter and vocalist and Niles “Cyrano” Hollowell-Dhar, a songwriter, vocalist, and producer. The duo started out as an independent group, during their years at...
, who helmed the production of the entire album along with co-writing songs with Dev. The production process of the album took place mainly in January 2011 and is currently continuing as the North American release date for the album was delayed from September 20, 2011 to January 10, 2012 as per Dev's request to add more songs to the album.
The album received mixed to positive reviews, with critics commending the production of many of the songs while comparing the music on the set to the electropop stylings of American recording artist Ke$ha
Kesha
Kesha village is a small village nestled in the mountains of Yongshun County, northwestern Hunan province, China, located at latitude 29 05' 50", longitude 109 57' 9". The name is pronounced in Standard Chinese. The official language is Manderin Chinese....
and Swedish dance
Electronic dance music
Electronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...
recording artist Robyn
Robyn
Robin Miriam Carlsson , better known by her stage name Robyn, is a Swedish recording artist, singer, and songwriter. Robyn became known in the late nineties for her worldwide dance-pop hit "Do You Know " from her debut album Robyn Is Here . She co-wrote the song "Du gör mig hel igen" for...
. The songs are mostly inspired by Dev's life stories over the past few years. The Night the Sun Came Up is mainly an electropop and dance
Electronic dance music
Electronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...
album, which incorporates elements of several musical genres such as dubstep
Dubstep
Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in south London, England. Its overall sound has been described as "tightly coiled productions with overwhelming bass lines and reverberant drum patterns, clipped samples, and occasional vocals"....
, urban
Urban contemporary
Urban contemporary is a music radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap, contemporary R&B, pop, electronica such as dubstep and drum and bass and Caribbean music...
, Eurodance
Eurodance
Eurodance is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s or early 1990s primarily in Europe. It combines many elements from House, Techno, Hi-NRG and especially Italo-Disco...
and rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
. The themes of the album range from sex, partying, introspection, love and life. The album failed to chart in Ireland and Australia, where the album is currently available but peaked within the top 100 of the UK album charts at number seventy-eight.
The first two singles from The Night the Sun Came Up, "Bass Down Low
Bass Down Low
"Bass Down Low" is the debut single by American recording artist Dev. It was written by Dev alongside its producers, The Cataracs, who are also featured on the track. The song was released on December 6, 2010, through Universal Republic as the lead single for Dev's debut studio album, The Night the...
" and "In the Dark
In the Dark (Dev song)
"In the Dark" is a song performed by American recording artist Dev. It was written by Dev alongside The Cataracs, who produced it for Dev's debut studio album, The Night the Sun Came Up . The song was released as the album's second single on April 25, 2011, through Universal Republic...
", were both moderate international hits, with "Bass Down Low" peaking within the top ten position of the UK Singles (The Official Chart Company)
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in the United Kingdom. "In the Dark" was more successful in North America, peaking at number eleven on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in the United States and at number thirteen on the Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
in Canada. It charted in more commercial markets, reaching the summit of the IFPI
IFPI
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland...
chart in Slovakia.
Background
Devin Tailes recorded a cover of a Amy Winehouse Back to BlackBack to Black
Back to Black is the second studio album by English recording artist Amy Winehouse, released on 27 October 2006 by Island Records. It is the last album released in her lifetime. The album incorporates 1960s soul music styles and modern R&B production, with subjective lyrics that concern...
cover in response to her ex-boyfriend's new girlfriend, calling it a "diss track". The song was placed on MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
and discovered by production team The Cataracs
The Cataracs
The Cataracs are an American hip hop indie-pop duo formed in Berkeley, California, consisting of David “Campa” Benjamin Singer-Vine, a songwriter and vocalist and Niles “Cyrano” Hollowell-Dhar, a songwriter, vocalist, and producer. The duo started out as an independent group, during their years at...
. She was then signed by the Los Angeles based record label and management team, Indie-Pop, who also discovered The Cataracs. Months later, their song "2Nite" began to gain exposure on the radio, the television channel MTVU
MtvU
mtvU is a division of Viacom's MTV Networks which produces a 24-hour television channel that is available on more than 750 college and university campuses across the United States, as well as several digital cable packages...
and the Billboard Hot Dance Airplay
Hot Dance Airplay
Dance/Mix Show Airplay is a monitored electronic dance music radio chart that is featured weekly in Billboard magazine. The chart came about as a result of the small but influential impact of electronic dance music on the radio in the United States and the stations that program it...
chart. In 2009, Dev moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to produce music with the Cataracs and work directly with Indie-Pop. During that time, songs like "Fireball" and "Booty Bounce" were made.
The latter track was produced in the same summer as the The Cataracs produced "Like a G6
Like a G6
"Like a G6" is a song from Far East Movement's 2010 album Free Wired. The track features female vocals by Dev and male vocals by Far East Movement. It was written and produced by The Cataracs. It was number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks ending November 6, 2010, and then again for...
" , at the time where Dev and the Cataracs "were grinding it out in the studio pretty tough together," making a couple of "simplistic random tracks." "Like a G6", which features the Cataracs and Dev, was released in April 2010, and reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart in October of that year, prompting Universal Republic
Universal Republic
Universal Republic Records is a record label, owned by Universal Music Group. It is based on the now-defunct Republic Records label founded by brothers Monte and Avery Lipman...
to sign her on as an artist in the same month.
Recording and development
The album's production process began in January 2011 in Costa Rica. The Cataracs, who helmed the entire album's production, worked with Dev on the songwriting for the album, helping her with the themes to help diversify the content. She said that they were perfect producers for her, noting that "they made really fun songs for kids on the radio and at the same time they were normal boys, eating burritos, chilling in Berkeley," which is what she felt connected her with them. She hinted early on in the interview that she had an interest in working with other people for the album, noting that other producers and writers have contacted her. She later came back stating "I think me and The Cataracs are on a really good streak right now and it’s not intentional."Dev moved in with The Cataracs to produce the album. She claimed the experience to be "beautiful" and felt like being in a movie. She also claimed the experience gave the album "an amazing vibe." On interview with Alex Kazemi of FashionIndie, Dev stated that their sessions are very different and complicated, further commenting "It really depends, some times the boys will come to me and say “I’ve been wanting to do this song but this is more of a DEV track” and from there Niles will show me the beat and me and David will come up with lyrics or some times I go to them when I have written some sort of idea and they will help me elaborate on it to the point where we can have a song." During the time they were in Costa Rica, they recorded thirteen to fourteen songs for the album. The song, "Take Her From You", was composed while in Costa Rica recording the album. The song was originally written by one of The Cataracs for himself and while reading some of the lyrics, Dev expressed her interest in recording the song.
Concept and themes
According to Dev, the album is an attempt to escape the comparisons to other artists in the electropop genre, including American recording artist KeshaKesha
Kesha village is a small village nestled in the mountains of Yongshun County, northwestern Hunan province, China, located at latitude 29 05' 50", longitude 109 57' 9". The name is pronounced in Standard Chinese. The official language is Manderin Chinese....
and British singer-songwriter Uffie
Uffie
Anna-Catherine Hartley , better known by her stage name Uffie , is a Paris-based underground electronic musician, rapper, fashion designer and socialite signed to French electronic music record label Ed Banger Records. She has been described as a muse for French DJs, and is known for working with...
. She noted that the comparisons helped motivate her to take the music to a new level and sing on the majority of the album. She further explains that the material on the album has more diversity, bringing together different sounds and conveying more depth in the songwriting. She described that the songs are influenced by hip hop and electro music. The album, according to Dev, will bring together "my [Dev] intricate influences and The Cataracs simple influences." While on interview with KiSS 92.5, she commented that the music on the set will contain music stylized toward club and dance music and hip-hop influenced tracks where she will rap the entire song.
Composition
The Night the Sun Came Up is primary an electropop and danceDance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
album, which incorporates elements of several different genres such as dubstep
Dubstep
Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in south London, England. Its overall sound has been described as "tightly coiled productions with overwhelming bass lines and reverberant drum patterns, clipped samples, and occasional vocals"....
, hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
, Eurodance
Eurodance
Eurodance is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s or early 1990s primarily in Europe. It combines many elements from House, Techno, Hi-NRG and especially Italo-Disco...
, urban
Urban contemporary
Urban contemporary is a music radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap, contemporary R&B, pop, electronica such as dubstep and drum and bass and Caribbean music...
, rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
and club
Electronic dance music
Electronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...
influenced-pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
Dev said that her mission with the album was to make it diversified, incorporating different elements of music to make an eclectic set. She also said that the album has two sides to it, sassy and pretty. The sassy songs are based on the themes of sex, partying and different forms of debauchery while the pretty songs are contemplative ballads that are based more on introspection and love. Much of the album's lyrics are influenced by her life and her experiences. The album opens with "Getaway", a hip hop track with influences of soul music. The song starts out with the use of a piano, transitions into hip-hop styled music and features a breakdown in which she raps and rhymes. The next song "In My Trunk" runs through an electronic
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
tinged hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
beat and features vehicle metaphors in its lyrics. The third track of the album, "Me", contains influences of adult contemporary music.
The fourth song "Breathe" is an electronic dance
Electronic dance music
Electronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...
song that contains influences of Middle Eastern and club music
Electronic dance music
Electronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...
. It is written about sex and the effects of love on Dev and features the use of an accordion throughout. The album's fifth track, "Take Her From You", differs completely from the electronic
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
soundscape of the album,as it is inspired by rock and roll music
Rock and Roll Music
"Rock and Roll Music" is a song written and recorded by rock and roll icon Chuck Berry which became a hit single in 1957 and has been covered by many artists....
. When Dev heard the song, she responded "'Oh, I really like that. It could almost be a flip of me singing about myself.' ... [We considered] maybe we should change around the perspective, but I was like, 'No. Let's keep it like that.'" The sixth track, "Lightspeed", is an electronic pop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
song that in its production draws inspiration from house and club music. It makes use of kickdrums, synth arrangements, Auto-Tune and numerous noises like a cough. Its synth riff and beat structure resembles those in the music made by Dutch disc jockey Afrojack
Afrojack
Nick van de Wall, born 9 September 1987, commonly known by his stage name Afrojack, is a Grammy Award winning Dutch music producer and DJ. Born and raised in Spijkenisse, Netherlands, He was listed as number 7 on DJ Mags top 100 DJs of 2011...
. The seventh track, "Dancing Shoes" is built upon synthesizers and drums while making use of pianos and guitars to produce an uptempo electronic rock ballad about performing onstage. The song's "pretty" sound is inspired by teen pop music
After "Dancing Shoes" is the eighth track, "Perfect Match", a guitar driven ballad that features a string section reminiscent of that featured in "Clocks" by British alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
group Coldplay
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...
. In "Bass Down Low
Bass Down Low
"Bass Down Low" is the debut single by American recording artist Dev. It was written by Dev alongside its producers, The Cataracs, who are also featured on the track. The song was released on December 6, 2010, through Universal Republic as the lead single for Dev's debut studio album, The Night the...
", the ninth song and first single, Dev speaks of taking shots and various forms of debauchery. It is an electro
Electro (music)
Electro is a genre of electronic dance music directly influenced by the use of TR-808 drum machines, Moog keytar synthesizers and funk sampling...
song with skittering synths and a pulsating electropop groove in which Dev utilizes her sing-talk vocal style throughout the song, but also uses her singing voice near the end. The Night the Sun Came Ups tenth track "Kiss My Lips", the thrid single from the album in the United States, contains a guitar that blends synthesizers prominent in dance music with a hip hop styled drum beat. In the song, she sings to a lover "Get you hand off my hip/And kiss my lips, kiss my lips, kiss me all over/ Are you gonna take that risk, take that risk, 'cause only getting older." "In the Dark
In the Dark (Dev song)
"In the Dark" is a song performed by American recording artist Dev. It was written by Dev alongside The Cataracs, who produced it for Dev's debut studio album, The Night the Sun Came Up . The song was released as the album's second single on April 25, 2011, through Universal Republic...
" has a house
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
rhythm and a prominent saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
riff that serves as the song's instrumentation. while featuring Eurodance
Eurodance
Eurodance is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s or early 1990s primarily in Europe. It combines many elements from House, Techno, Hi-NRG and especially Italo-Disco...
beats and synths, mixed with influences of Latin
Latin pop
Latin pop generally refers to pop music that has what may be perceived a Latin American influence...
music. The twelfth track is "Shadows", a song that draws from influences of folk music
Critical reception
Jamie Horne of The Border MailThe Border Mail
The Border Mail is a daily newspaper published in Albury-Wodonga, Australia, serving the twin cities and the surrounding region.The first edition was printed on 24 October 1903 by editor Hamilton Mott and his brother Decimus...
gave the album three and one-half stars, praised the album as "engaging", noting the ranges of music influences, including dance, rock and folk, and noted that it was not boring. Music rating website Musicovered gave the album three out of ten stars, stating the album comes short of expectations and that the production was sloppy, with many of the album's tracks sounding the same. Sal Cinquemani shares the same feeling on his review of the album for Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
, rating the album two and a half stars out of five. He adds that the album fails to distinguish her from electro-pop artist Kesha
Kesha
Kesha village is a small village nestled in the mountains of Yongshun County, northwestern Hunan province, China, located at latitude 29 05' 50", longitude 109 57' 9". The name is pronounced in Standard Chinese. The official language is Manderin Chinese....
while praising her rapping style, comparing it to that of Swedish recording artist Robyn
Robyn
Robin Miriam Carlsson , better known by her stage name Robyn, is a Swedish recording artist, singer, and songwriter. Robyn became known in the late nineties for her worldwide dance-pop hit "Do You Know " from her debut album Robyn Is Here . She co-wrote the song "Du gör mig hel igen" for...
, and the song "In the Dark" for blending European dance music with flourishes of Latin and Mediterranean music. Neil Miller, Jr. of UR Chicago rated the album two out of five stars (on the site, they use meatballs), calling it "one of the most unbalanced pop records" ever released. Chanun Poomsawai of Bangkok Post reviewed the album positively, praising its diversity and mixture of "fierce and mellow" and further commented that "this is a solid electro-edged pop album best played while you're getting dressed up before heading out for a night on the town." Idolator however claims that to peg Dev as a Kesha clone is dangerous as she has a greater air of mystery than Kesha and the positive review ends with "for those out there who like the soundtrack to their late-night fiesta to come with a bit more subtlety".
Singles
The debut single off the album is "Bass Down LowBass Down Low
"Bass Down Low" is the debut single by American recording artist Dev. It was written by Dev alongside its producers, The Cataracs, who are also featured on the track. The song was released on December 6, 2010, through Universal Republic as the lead single for Dev's debut studio album, The Night the...
", which was produced by and features The Cataracs
The Cataracs
The Cataracs are an American hip hop indie-pop duo formed in Berkeley, California, consisting of David “Campa” Benjamin Singer-Vine, a songwriter and vocalist and Niles “Cyrano” Hollowell-Dhar, a songwriter, vocalist, and producer. The duo started out as an independent group, during their years at...
. The song was released to iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
for digital download on December 7, 2010. The UK mix of the song, which features the Cataracs and British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
rapper Tinie Tempah
Tinie Tempah
Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu , better known by his stage name Tinie Tempah, is a British rapper. He made his first mixtape in 2007 with 28 songs, freestyles and remixes, the album features Mz Bratt, Chipmunk and G-Unit...
was released on May 23, 2011. The song peaked at 61 on the US Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. It peaked at the highest of the Heatseekers Songs at number 2.
The second single off the album "In the Dark
In the Dark (Dev song)
"In the Dark" is a song performed by American recording artist Dev. It was written by Dev alongside The Cataracs, who produced it for Dev's debut studio album, The Night the Sun Came Up . The song was released as the album's second single on April 25, 2011, through Universal Republic...
", was also produced by the Cataracs. It was released digitally via iTunes on April 26, 2011. It currently peaks at the Billboard Hot 100 at 11. It also topped the Heatseekers chart and has fared better than "Bass Down Low."
Dev stated in an interview that her third single will be called Naked and will feature latin american singer Enrique Iglesias
Enrique Iglesias
Enrique Iglesias is a Spanish pop music singer, a son of singer Julio Iglesias.Enrique started his musical career on Mexican label Fonovisa...
. It will be released on early January 2012.
Track listing
Release history
| Region | Date | Edition (Format) | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | September 2, 2011 | (CD Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... , download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... ) |
Universal Republic Universal Republic Universal Republic Records is a record label, owned by Universal Music Group. It is based on the now-defunct Republic Records label founded by brothers Monte and Avery Lipman... , Island Records Island Records Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group... |
| United Kingdom & Ireland | September 5, 2011 | ||
| United States | January 10, 2012 |