Welcome to the North is the second studio album by British rock band the Music. It was released on 20 September 2004 through Virgin Records. Following the release of their self-titled debut studio album (2002), the band toured the United States in early 2003. By June 2003, they had begun writing for its follow-up; they took a break at the end of the year. Two months of sessions at Soundworks in Leeds occurred in early 2004. The band then travelled to Atlanta, Georgia in the US to record with producer Brendan O'Brien at Southern Tracks Recording. Welcome to the North is a post-grunge and space rock album, taking influence from the works of Jane's Addiction, Led Zeppelin and the Stone Roses.
The Music made their first live performance since recording at We Love Homelands festival in May 2004. "Welcome to the North" was posted through NME website, ahead of the release of the album's lead single "Freedom Fighters" on 6 September 2004. The release of Welcome to the North was promoted with a tour of the United Kingdom with the Engineers. It was followed by a short brief, and then tour of the US with Incubus, leading into three UK shows to close out the year. "Bleed from Within" was planned to be the album's next single but was scrapped in favour of "Breakin'", which was issued on 10 January 2005. The Music then toured across North America with support from Kasabian, which was followed by another UK tour.
Welcome to the North received mixed reviews from critics, some of whom commented on the production and song quality, while others highlighted the array of musical styles. The album reached number eight in the UK Albums Chart; it reached the top 30 in both Japan and Australia, as well as the lower reaches of the Irish and French charts. "Freedom Fighters" peaked within the top 20 of the UK, in addition to charting in the Netherlands and the US. "Breakin'" reached a similar position in the UK, alongside charting in Australia and the US. Welcome to the North was certified silver in the UK by the British Phonographic Industry a few days after release, and later went gold in early 2005.
Background
The Music released their self-titled debut studio album in September 2002, which peaked at number four on the UK Albums Chart. It was lauded by critics and went on to sell over 500,000 copies worldwide, one fifth of which was sold in the United Kingdom. All three of its singles reached the top 30 of the UK Singles Chart, with "Take the Long Road and Walk It" peaking the highest at number 14. This success prompted Capitol Records to issue the album in the United States in early 2003. The Music toured across this territory with Coldplay; by June 2003, they returned to the UK to start writing material for their next album. The band took a three-month break at the end of 2003. In January 2004, they were recorded their second album at Soundworks in Leeds. They paused recording to perform at the NME Awards on London, during which, they played four new songs; sessions continued into February 2004.
They had come up with six songs by this point, and told to go to Atlanta, Georgia in the US to finish writing material, as well as record it. Harvey's grandmother was ill at the time; the decision to go to Atlanta "sound[ed] nice, but not when you’ve been on tour for two years". They recorded at Southern Tracks Recording over the course of eight weeks in March and April 2004. Brendan O'Brien acted as the producer, with Nick DiDia handling recording. Karl Egsieker and Phil Martin served as second and additional engineer, respectively. The band chose O'Brien for his ability at capturing hard rock acts well in the studio, such as his past work with Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Stone Temple Pilots, which was hoped to further the band's success at US radio stations. He mixed the recordings at the studio, before they were mastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering in Portland, Maine.