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Angry Cyclist is the eleventh[1] studio album by Scottish folk rock duo The Proclaimers. The album was released on 10 August 2018 on the label Cooking Vinyl.[1] The album spawned the titular single "Angry Cyclist",[2] accompanied by a music video. Charting at No. 2 in Scotland, as well as at No. 17 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 3 on the Indie Charts,[3] the release of Angry Cyclist was followed by a promotional tour of the United Kingdom, Canada, Iceland, Asia and Australia.[4]

Angry Cyclist
Studio album by The Proclaimers
Released	10 August 2018
Studio	Rockfield Studios, Wales
Genre	Rock
Length	37:26
Label	Cooking Vinyl
Producer	Dave Eringa
The Proclaimers chronology
Let's Hear It for the Dogs (2015) Angry Cyclist (2018) Dentures Out (2022)
Singles from Angry Cyclist
"Angry Cyclist" Released: 14 June 2018 "Streets of Edinburgh" Released: 2018 "Sometimes It's The Fools" Released: 2019

Receiving a generally favourable reception,[5] AllMusic praising the record an example of the band's best work,[6] Angry Cyclist included politically angled songs reflecting Brexit and Donald Trump,[2] and absorbed a variegation of influences including country,[6] jangle pop and soul.[4]

Production

The album was produced by Dave Eringa[1] who produced The Proclaimers' previous album Let's Hear It for the Dogs, and was likewise recorded in Wales at Rockfield Studios.[7]

Release

Angry Cyclist was released on 10 August 2018.[6] Released through Cooking Vinyl,[8] the album saw Europe-wide release on CD, as well as vinyl and cassette releases in the UK.[8]

Style and content

Lyrical themes

The lyrics of Angry Cyclist included political themes. The title-track "Angry Cyclist" reflected dismay at a societal shift to the political right following Brexit and the election of Donald Trump,[2] band member Craig Reid metaphorically likening "sweating, angry cyclists “hemmed in” by city traffic with the polarisation of political discourse", the song was hailed "a metaphor for our times".[2] "Classy" was a wry insight into the "ludicrous strata" of the British class system.[9] The sentimental ballad "Streets of Edinburgh" looked backwards and forwards at the city where the band spend their formative years.[10]

Musical style

AllMusic opined that The Proclaimers "present a mix of style influences" on Angry Cyclist,[6] ordaining "The Battle of the Booze" as "countrified" and entailing "Information"'s R&B infusions.[6] "Sometimes It's the Fools" rang out with what The Scotsman described as a "pithy and pacey jangle",[4] remindful of R.E.M., declaring "You Make Me Happy" to be a "direct and driving Celtic soul stormer" and "A Way with Words" a "twanging country rock’n’roller".[4]

Reception

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	77/100[5]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[6]
The Scotsman	[4]
The Skinny	[1]
The Spill Magazine	[10]

According to Metacritic, Angry Cyclist received a score of 77/100 based in 5 reviews, suggesting "generally positive reviews".[5] Marcy Donelson of AllMusic described the record as "one of [the band's] best" and "the type of album that would be fun see performed live in full".[6] In an eight-out-of-ten review, Bryan Willitson of Toronto-based publication The Spill Magazine opined that the album had "many moments to enjoy" and that it "grows on the listener with each successive spin".[10] The Skinny, in a four out-of five-star review by Alan O'Hare, while acknowledging the album to offer "a little less gravitas than usual", stated that " the taut Telecasters that dominate The Proclaimers' eleventh studio album provide a tension that seems to sit well within [...] these prescient compositions",[1] and further alluded to the track "Classy" as "lyrical genius".[1] The Scotsman complimented Angry Cyclist as one of the band's "most cutting collections" and that "every track brims with confidence".[4]

Accolades

Angry Cyclist ranked at No. 64 on 100 Best Albums of 2018 by UK music retailer Fopp.[11]

Touring

The Proclaimers embarked on a worldwide tour following the release of Angry Cyclist. The 2018 leg of the Angry Cyclist tour saw the band perform 43 shows and 5 festivals in the United Kingdom, as well as 13 concerts in Canada supported by the English indie folk artist Siobhan Wilson.[12][13] The 2019 portion included performances that April in Reykjavik, Dubai and Singapore,[14][15] as well as a 10-date tour of Australia that May.[16] The tour concluded with a performance on 14 September 2019 at The Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland.[17] The Angry Cyclist tour saw the duo perform to over 400,000 people across 111 performances.[17]

Track listing

Personnel

Chart performance

Charts (2018)	Peak position
Scottish Albums (OCC)[19]	2
UK Albums (OCC)[20]	17
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[21]	3

References

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