We Are All We Need is the third studio album by British progressive trance group Above & Beyond. It was released on 16 January 2015 by Anjunabeats.[2] The album is their first studio album to feature new material since Group Therapy (2011). It is the first album released under the name Above & Beyond not to feature collaborations with British singer-songwriter Richard Bedford. However it features a track with Justine Suissa, the group's longtime collaborator on the OceanLab project.

We Are All We Need
Studio album by
Released16 January 2015
Recorded2014–15
GenreProgressive house, progressive trance[1]
LabelAnjunabeats
ProducerAbove & Beyond, Andrew Bayer, Zoë Johnston, Justine Suissa, Alex Vargas
Above & Beyond chronology
Acoustic
(2014)
We Are All We Need
(2015)
Acoustic II
(2016)
Singles from We Are All We Need
  1. "Hello"
    Released: 24 March 2014
  2. "Sticky Fingers"
    Released: 19 May 2014
  3. "Blue Sky Action"
    Released: 21 July 2014
  4. "We're All We Need"
    Released: 18 October 2014
  5. "All Over the World"
    Released: 15 March 2015
  6. "Peace of Mind"
    Released: 1 June 2015
  7. "Counting Down the Days"
    Released: 10 July 2015
  8. "Fly to New York"
    Released: 4 September 2015

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The Guardian     [3]
Music Is My Oxygen     [4]
The Up Coming     [5]
We Got This Covered     [6]

We Are All We Need received generally positive reception from music critics. Matt Joseph from We Got This Covered gave the album a 4/5 rating, stating that the album's "catchy hooks, angelic vocals and club ready anthems" added to the group's already impressing discography.[6] Krystal Spence from Your EDM compared We Are All We Need to Above & Beyond's previous album, Group Therapy, stating that the former was "much more uplifting" than its predecessor. Krystal also praised the group for continuing their tradition of producing tracks which are "easy to learn", allowing listeners to effortlessly sing along with the tracks.[7] inthemix's Angus Paterson noted the focus of club-based tracks on the record, and stated that the album "ain’t something that will please those enthused with the deeper, more progressive sounds heard on their Tri-State debut". He went on by writing that although there was less of a consistent theme which drew Group Therapy together, the record managed to be the "most polished album yet; functioning both as A-grade pop music, and mass-appeal club music with soul."[8]

In a mixed review, Jon O'Brien from Music Is My Oxygen described the album as packing with "skyscraping choruses, uplifting synth hooks and Balearic beats", but criticized the track "Blue Sky Action" for being a generic attempt at copying the success of Swedish House Mafia's dance-pop sound and stated that "We Are All We Need delivers little you haven’t heard before".[4] Lanre Bakare from The Guardian and Jessica Wall from The Up Coming both gave the album a 2/5 rating, with Bakare calling We Are All We Need an "overwrought, nigh-on comical take on dance music".[3] Wall dubbed the record as "just a collection of songs", writing that there is no sense of journey and aesthetic amongst its tracks as the record progresses.[5]

Commercial performance

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The album debuted at number 12 on the UK Albums Chart, becoming the group's highest-charting album. In the United States, We Are All We Need debuted at number 34 on the Billboard 200, becoming the group's highest-charting album. The album also debuted at number one on the Dance/Electronic Albums chart. It sold 14,000 copies in its first week in the US, the group's biggest first-week sales.[9]

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Quieter Is Louder"1:57
2."We're All We Need" (featuring Zoë Johnston)
  • Above & Beyond
  • Johnston
  • Bayer[a]
4:22
3."Blue Sky Action" (featuring Alex Vargas)
  • Grant
  • McGuinness
  • Siljamäki
  • Bayer
  • Above & Beyond
  • Bayer
4:44
4."Peace of Mind" (featuring Zoë Johnston)
  • Grant
  • McGuinness
  • Siljamäki
  • Bayer
  • Johnston
  • Above & Beyond
  • Bayer
  • Johnston
4:31
5."Counting Down the Days" (featuring Gemma Hayes)
  • Above & Beyond
  • Bayer[a]
4:48
6."Sticky Fingers" (featuring Alex Vargas)
  • Grant
  • McGuinness
  • Siljamäki
  • Bayer
  • Above & Beyond
  • Bayer
3:29
7."Hello"
  • Grant
  • McGuinness
  • Siljamäki
  • Bayer
  • Above & Beyond
  • Bayer
4:05
8."Little Something" (featuring Justine Suissa)
  • Above & Beyond
  • Suissa
  • Bayer[a]
5:11
9."All Over the World" (featuring Alex Vargas)
  • Above & Beyond
  • Bayer
  • Vargas
4:46
10."Fly to New York" (featuring Zoë Johnston)
  • Grant
  • McGuinness
  • Siljamäki
  • Bayer
  • Johnston
  • Above & Beyond
  • Bayer
  • Johnston
5:21
11."Making Plans" (featuring Alex Vargas)
  • Grant
  • McGuinness
  • Siljamäki
  • Above & Beyond
  • Bayer[a]
5:04
12."Out of Time"
  • Grant
  • McGuinness
  • Siljamäki
  • Bayer
  • Above & Beyond
  • Bayer[a]
4:12
13."Excuses"
  • Grant
  • McGuinness
  • Siljamäki
  • Above & Beyond
  • Bayer
5:45
14."Save Me" (featuring Zoë Johnston)
  • Grant
  • McGuinness
  • Siljamäki
  • Johnston
  • Above & Beyond
  • Bayer[a]
4:55
15."Sink the Lighthouse" (featuring Alex Vargas)
  • Grant
  • McGuinness
  • Siljamäki
  • Vargas
  • Above & Beyond
  • Bayer[a]
4:12
16."Treasure" (featuring Zoë Johnston)
  • Grant
  • McGuinness
  • Siljamäki
  • Johnston
  • Above & Beyond
  • Bayer
3:46
Notes
  • ^[a] signifies an additional producer

Charts

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Release history

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Country Date Format(s) Label
Australia[25] 16 January 2015
  • CD
  • digital download
Anjunabeats, Central Station
Germany[26] Anjunabeats
Ireland[27]
United Kingdom[2] 19 January 2015
United States[28] 20 January 2015 Ultra Records

References

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  1. ^ Bakare, Lanre (15 January 2015). "Above & Beyond: We Are All We Need review – painfully shallow EDM with shades of David Brent". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  2. ^ a b "We Are All We Need by Above & Beyond". iTunes. 19 January 2015.
  3. ^ a b Bakare, Lanre (1 January 2015). "Above & Beyond: We Are All We Need review – painfully shallow EDM with shades of David Brent". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 5 January 2018. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  4. ^ a b O'Brien, Jon (1 January 2015). "ABOVE & BEYOND 'WE ARE ALL WE NEED' – ALBUM REVIEW". MIMO. Archived from the original on 6 January 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  5. ^ a b Wall, Jessica (1 February 2015). "Above & Beyond – We Are All We Need". TheUpComing. Archived from the original on 5 January 2018. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  6. ^ a b Joseph, Matt (1 January 2015). "Above & Beyond – We Are All We Need Review". We Got This Covered. Archived from the original on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  7. ^ Spence, Krystal (1 January 2015). "REVIEW: "We Are All We Need" Sets the Bar High". YourEDM. Archived from the original on 5 January 2018. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  8. ^ Paterson, Angus (2 January 2015). "Above & Beyond – We Are All We Need". inthemix. Archived from the original on 6 January 2018.
  9. ^ Murray, Gordon (30 January 2015). "Above & Beyond, Hardwell Reach Career Highs on Top Dance/Electronic Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  10. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Above & Beyond – We Are All We Need". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  11. ^ "Ultratop.be – Above & Beyond – We Are All We Need" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  12. ^ "Ultratop.be – Above & Beyond – We Are All We Need" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  13. ^ "Above & Beyond Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  14. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Above & Beyond – We Are All We Need" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  15. ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  16. ^ February 2015/40/ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  17. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Above & Beyond – We Are All We Need". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  18. ^ January 2015/7502/ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  19. ^ January 2015/105/ "Official Dance Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  20. ^ "Above & Beyond Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  21. ^ "Above & Beyond Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  22. ^ "Above & Beyond Chart History (Digital Albums)".[dead link] Billboard. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  23. ^ "Above & Beyond Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  24. ^ "Top Dance/Electronic Albums – Year-End 2015". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  25. ^ "New Release Music - Upcoming + New Albums at JB Hi-Fi".
  26. ^ ""We Are All We Need" von Above & Beyond". iTunes. 19 January 2015.
  27. ^ "We Are All We Need by Above & Beyond". iTunes. 19 January 2015.
  28. ^ "We Are All We Need by Above & Beyond". iTunes. 19 January 2015.