Ungodly Hour


Ungodly Hour is the second studio album by American R&B duo Chloe x Halle, released through Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records on June 12, 2020. It serves as the follow up to The Kids Are Alright. Originally scheduled for a June 5 release, the album was pushed back to June 12 as a way of showing respect and support to the Black Lives Matter movement. Ahead of the album's release, two tracks were released, "Catch Up" and "Do It", the lead single off of the album, which has now become their most successful single to date. "Forgive Me" was announced as the second official single and released alongside a music video on June 12. The album was critically acclaimed, with critics praising their vocal delivery, artistic growth, maturity, and the album's cohesiveness.
The album debuted at number 16 on the Billboard 200 chart with 24,000 units sold, marking the duo's highest-charting album.

Background

On May 14, 2020, Chloe x Halle announced their second studio album Ungodly Hour. They also unveiled the artwork and made it available for pre-order with the first two singles "Catch Up" and "Do It", exclusively on iTunes.

Critical reception

The album received critical acclaim, with critics praising their vocal delivery, artistic growth, maturity, and the album's cohesiveness. Shahzaib Hussain of Clash stated that the album "lacks some of the DIY spirit of their earlier efforts, but benefits from navigating the trails of playability and experimentation". He praised the fact that the album "doesn't adhere to good-girl-gone-bad tropes, that age-old changeover from wide-eyed teen sensations to risqué provocateurs" and that the pair's vocals and harmonies elevated the more mundane tracks, concluding, "The Ungodly Hour is a soothing salve for a world on fire. It's an avowal of sisterhood and sorority, a projection of a generation of young black women galvanized by a collective willingness to enact efficacious change in the face of adversity." Rachel Aroesti of The Guardian said the pair match "sumptuous harmonies with intricate beats" and that the listener's attention was drawn to the album's details and "the slow-burn appeal of the pair's vocal melodies, which are habitually inventive, ornate and hauntingly beautiful".

Accolades

Rankings

Awards

"Do It" has been nominated for 2 categories at the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards, Best R&B and Best Quarantine Performance.

Track listing

Adapted from Amazon Music and Tidal.

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.

Instrumentation