Ball Park Music is the eponymous sixth studio album by Australian indie rock band Ball Park Music, released on 23 October 2020 through Prawn Records and Inertia Music.
Ball Park Music | ||||
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Studio album by Ball Park Music | ||||
Released | 23 October 2020 | |||
Recorded | 2019–2020 | |||
Length | 38:59 | |||
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Ball Park Music chronology | ||||
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Singles from Ball Park Music | ||||
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The Newcastle Herald | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Primarily written and recorded in Stafford, Brisbane, Ball Park Music originated at the beginning of the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season.
Preceded by three singles—"Spark Up!", "Day & Age" and "Cherub"—Ball Park Music achieved commercial success, debuting and peaking at number 2 on the ARIA Albums Chart. The album additionally received multiple award nominations, including Australian Album of the Year at the 2020 J Awards and Album of the Year at the 2021 Queensland Music Awards, winning the latter.
At the 2021 ARIA Music Awards, the album was nominated for Best Independent Release and Best Rock Album.[2]
A week prior to the announcement of the album, the band's 2011 single "It's Nice to Be Alive" placed at number 17 in Triple J's Hottest 100 of the 2010s.[3] The band's guitarist Dean Hanson discussed the result whilst premiering lead single "Spark Up!" on the station's breakfast program, Breakfast with Sally and Erica, stating:
"[It's] so good. We could not be happier to see the company that our little song is in, with some big hitters of the decade. I think we all know we're in a simulation at the moment but that solidifies it for us."[3]
The album was initially titled Mostly Sunny, but was retitled in April after the band decided the initial title did not match the overall theme of the album.[4] In an interview with Triple J, keyboardist Paul Furness elaborated on the decision to change the title:
"[It became] clear before our eyes all of a sudden. Mostly Sunny didn't feel right for a number of reasons. We always did like the title – it had a similar rhythm to it as Good Mood and felt like a continuation. As we've finished this album we've realised, it's really not a continuation of Good Mood. It is its own thing with a different emotional palette."[4]
The band began recording the album in October 2019 at the beginning of the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season.[5] The album was primarily recorded in Stafford, Brisbane.[6]
Main recording locations
Additional recording locations
The band announced the album with the title Mostly Sunny on 19 March 2020, alongside the release of lead single "Spark Up!".[3] On 23 April, however, they announced that they were retitling the album eponymously.[6]
Ball Park Music was released on 23 October 2020 through Prawn Records and Inertia Music,[7] on CD,[8] LP,[9] digital download,[10] and streaming formats.[11]
Ball Park Music was preceded by three singles: "Spark Up!", released on 19 March 2020,[3] "Day & Age", released on 5 June 2020,[12] and "Cherub", released on 28 August 2020.[13] All singles were premiered on Triple J prior to their official release.[3][12][13]
On 3 August 2020, the band posted a link on their Twitter account to face masks merchandise, intended for use during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[14] The tweet included a parody of "Spark Up!"'s chorus, with the lyrics "Life is short/The doors are shut/I say we mask up" written in place of the original chorus.[14] The masks feature the band's name in small text and the smiling moon featured on the album's cover artwork.[14]
On 16 August 2020, Ball Park Music performed "Day & Age" live from the Black Bear Lodge bar in Brisbane, Queensland for Australian live music program The Sound.[15]
On 11 September 2020, the band performed "Cherub" live from "Prawn Records HQ", which NME Australia premiered exclusively.[16]
On 23 October 2020, the band performed live on Triple J's Like a Version segment, performing a cover of Radiohead's "Paranoid Android" alongside their "original" track "Cherub".[17]
The cover art depicts a smiling yellow moon in the centre, with a light blue background surrounding it.[18] The artwork and design were created by Polly Bass Boost and the band's own Dean Hanson, with Hanson additionally credited for the album's photography.[19]
On 28 October 2020, Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) announced in their mid-week report that the album was in contention to debut within the top 10 on the ARIA Albums Chart.[20] On 31 October 2020, Ball Park Music debuted and peaked at number 2 on the ARIA Albums Chart for the chart dated 2 November 2020, tying with Puddinghead (2014) as their highest peak in the region.[21]
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
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2021 | Ball Park Music | Independent Album of the Year | Nominated | [22][23] |
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
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2020 | Ball Park Music | Australian Album of the Year | Nominated | [24] |
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
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2021 | Ball Park Music | Album of the Year | Won | [25][26] |
All tracks are written by Sam Cromack, except "Nothing Ever Goes My Way", co-written with Dean Hanson, and "Katkit", co-written with Daniel Hanson, Dean Hanson and Paul Furness.
No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Spark Up!" |
| 4:19 |
2. | "Head Like a Sieve" |
| 2:42 |
3. | "Nothing Ever Goes My Way" |
| 3:40 |
4. | "I Feel Nothing" |
| 3:54 |
5. | "Bedroom" |
| 3:16 |
6. | "Katkit" |
| 1:24 |
7. | "Cherub" |
| 5:28 |
8. | "Bad Taste Blues, Pt. III" |
| 4:18 |
9. | "Obit 2020" |
| 3:08 |
10. | "Day & Age" |
| 3:50 |
11. | "Turning Zero" |
| 3:08 |
Total length: | 38:59 |
Adapted from the album's liner notes.[19]
Ball Park Music
Other musicians
Chart (2020) | Peak position |
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Australian Albums (ARIA)[27] | 2 |
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Ball Park Music | |
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Studio albums |
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Singles |
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