High Expectations is the debut studio album by Swedish-British singer Mabel. It was released on 2 August 2019 by Polydor UK. Originally scheduled for release on 15 July, the album was pushed back to 2 August to alter several songs. Mabel worked with writers and producers such as Tre Jean-Marie, Steve Mac and MNEK to create the album, with its tracks incorporating elements of pop and R&B.
The album was supported by two singles. Its lead single "Don't Call Me Up" peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart for three consecutive weeks, making it Mabel's highest-charting single in the UK. It also became her international mainstream breakthrough, managing to peak within the top 10 in over twenty countries. The track also became Mabel's first US Billboard Hot 100 chart entry, peaking at 66 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The album's second and final single "Mad Love" became Mabel's third UK top-10 single, peaking at number eight.
Upon its release, High Expectations received positive reviews from music critics, many of whom complimented its production and the singer's vocals. The album was also a commercial success, debuting at number three on the UK Albums Chart and at number five on the Irish Albums Chart.
Background In October 2017, Mabel released her debut mixtape, Ivy to Roses. Its lead single, "Finders Keepers", peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart and became her first top ten single. The mixtape was then reissued in January 2019, featuring six additional singles including "Don't Call Me Up". High Expectations was then officially announced on 18 April of the same year, with a scheduled release date of July 12. The release date was later pushed back to August 2.
Singles The album's lead single "Don't Call Me Up" was released on 18 January 2019. It was initially included on the 2019 reissue of Ivy to Roses. The song peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart for three consecutive weeks, making it Mabel's highest-charting single in the UK. It became her international mainstream breakthrough, managing to peak within the top 10 in over twenty other countries including Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands and Norway where it reached the top three. The track also became the singer's first US Billboard Hot 100 chart entry where it rose to number 66.
"Mad Love" was released as the second and final single from the album on 7 June 2019. It became Mabel's third UK top-10 single, peaking at number eight, and her second top-10 single in Ireland where it reached number six.
The album's only promotional single, "Bad Behaviour", was released on 23 July 2019, alongside a music video directed by Oliver Kane. The track debuted at number 94 on the UK Singles Chart. A music video for the track "OK (Anxiety Anthem)" premiered on Dazed on 16 August 2019, directed by Jade Jackman.
Critical reception
High Expectations received positive reviews from music critics upon its release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 61, based on 10 reviews. Reviewing the album for musicOMH, Ben Devlin hailed it as "a convincing display of versatility and quality songwriting that firmly establishes Mabel as a force to be reckoned with in UK pop", while Chris Taylor of DIY regarded it as "effortlessly cool" with "no faux-earnestness". Q magazine's Laura Barton called the album "highly polished" and said the singer "perfected the art of writing songs that even on first listen sound totally ubiquitous". In NME, Hannah Mylrea wrote that Mabel's "gorgeous silky vocals soar, the glossy production is stellar, but the exuberance and effervescent attitude that make tunes like 'Don't Call Me Up' so brilliant aren't found throughout."
Andrew Wright of The Skinny stated that the singer found her individual identity with High Expectations which he described as well-rounded despite "some over-zealous Top 40 attempts". Conversely, Joe Hale of Clash found it "almost too airbrushed, with Mabel playing it a little too safe to qualify being described as wholly original or progressive", but concluded that it had "some real highlights" and "moments of talent and flair". Despite finding the album strong and well-crafted, The Guardians Alexis Petridis also believed it lacked personality and only "occasionally hints its maker might be more interesting and individual". Kitty Empire was more critical in The Observer, writing, "High Expectations is just disappointingly all right, lacking any playfulness, or top spin, or a sense of who Mabel is," while Uncut critic Johnny Sharp commented, "Despite some pleasant enough tunes, she lacks the vocal charisma to stand out from other wannabe Rihannas, Mileys and Dua Lipas." Mick Jacobs of PopMatters concluded, "Though sung in a beautiful, agile voice, the album's contents lack any innovation that truly set them apart, even amongst themselves."
Commercial performance High Expectations debuted at number three on the UK Albums Chart, behind Ed Sheeran's No.6 Collaborations Project and Lewis Capaldi's Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent, with first-week sales of 9,761 album-equivalent units. It dropped to number 10 in its second week with sales of 4,184 units. On the Irish Albums Chart, it debuted at number five, the highest new entry for the chart dated 9 August 2019. The album also debuted in the top 40 in Norway and Switzerland. In the US, High Expectations entered at number 198 on the Billboard 200. Hugh McIntyre of Forbes cited its debut as "a prime example of how the UK and the US music industries can be drastically different".
Tour Mabel announced the US and Canada dates of her headlining tour in support of the album on 7 June 2019. General sale of tickets also began on the same date. Dates in the UK and Europe were announced on July 19, 2019, via her social media. The general sale of tickets for European dates began on July 21. The supporting act was R&B singer Kali Claire. The European leg of the tour commenced on January 28, 2020, in Dublin, Ireland. +List of concerts, showing date, city, country, venue and opening actsDateCityCountryVenueOpening Act(s)North America12 August 2019CambridgeUnited StatesThe SinclairMaya B14 August 2019WashingtonUnion Stage15 August 2019New YorkThe Bowery Ballroom17 August 2019TorontoCanadaVelvet Underground 19 August 2019San FranciscoUnited StatesSlim's20 August 2019Los Angeles TroubadourEurope24 August 2019The Show was part of Reading FestivalShow in London was part of SW4 FestivalLondonUKClapham Common -ReadingLittle John's Farm25 August 2019The Show was part of Leeds FestivalLeedsBramham Park31 August 2019The Show was part of Sundown FestivalCostesseyNorfolk Showground1 September 2019The Show was part of Fusion PresentsLiverpoolSefton Park3 September 2019The show was part of the Samsung KX opening celebration and vertical scene experienceLondonCoal Drops YardAsia5 September 2019TokyoJapanELE -Europe28 January 2020DublinIreland3Olympia TheatreKali Claire29 January 202030 January 2020BelfastNorthern IrelandUlster Hall1 February 2020GlasgowScotlandO2 Academy2 February 2020LeedsUKO2 Academy4 February 2020LiverpoolO2 Academy5 February 2020ManchesterO2 Victoria Warehouse7 February 2020NottinghamRock City11 February 2020BirminghamO2 Academy12 February 2020LondonEventim Apollo21 February 2020MadridSpainJoy Eslava22 February 2020BarcelonaLa 2 de Apollo25 February 2020ZurichSwitzerlandPlaza Club26 February 2020ParisFranceLe Trianon28 February 2020BrusselsBelgiumL’Orangerie du Botanique29 February 2020CologneGermanyGloria1 March 2020AmsterdamNetherlandsMelkweg (The Max)3 March 2020BerlinGermanyKesselhaus4 March 2020HamburgMojo5 March 2020CopenhagenDenmarkVega +Cancelled shows - FestivalsDateCityCountryVenueOpening Act(s)/FestivalReason8 February 2020NorwichUKUEAKali ClaireIllness9 February 2020SouthamptonO2 Guildhall24 February 2020MilanItalyMagazzini GeneraliCOVID-19 pandemic8 March 2020OsloNorwayRockefeller4 June 2020The concert in Barcelona as part of Primavera Sound was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.BarcelonaSpainParc del Forum -19 June 2020The concert in Landgraaf as part of Pinkpop was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
CategoriesLandgraafNetherlandsMegaland25-29 June 2020PiltonUKWorthy Farm2 July 2020The concert in Werchter as part of Rock Werchter was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
CategoriesWerchterBelgiumFestivalpark3 July 2020The concert in Dublin as part of Longitude Festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
CategoriesDublinIrelandMarlay Park5 August 2020The concert in Budapest as part of Sziget Festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
CategoriesBudapestHungaryÓbudai-sziget9 August 2020NewquayUKFistral Beach and Watergate Bay14 August 2020Flow Festival 2020HelsinkiFinlandSuvilahti28 August 2020Reading Festival 2020LeedsUKBramham Park29 August 2020Leeds Festival 2020ReadingLittle Johny's Park4 September 2020Electric Picnic 2020County LaoisIrelandStradbally Hall5-6 September 2020Lollapalooza Berlin 2020BerlinGermanyOlympiapark
Track listing Credits adapted from the album liner notes.
Notes signifies an additional producer signifies a vocal producer signifies a co-producer Before the final digital reissue, there was a first reissue with "God Is a Dancer" added as track one (track 21 on certain listings), and later a second reissue with "Boyfriend" as track one (or track 15), with "God Is a Dancer" as track 22. "Tick Tock" and "West Ten" are placed as tracks one and two on the digital reissue exclusively for Spotify, with all other tracks being two positions lower in the track list.
Personnel Credits for High Expectations adapted from Allmusic.
Performers and vocals
Mabel – primary artist, vocals Kamille – background vocals , additional vocals , featured vocals Kojo Funds – vocals Not3s – vocals Rich the Kid – vocals Raye – vocals Stefflon Don – vocals Anthony Hannides – background vocals Michael Hannides – background vocals, piano, drums 169 – background vocals, drum programming, keyboards MNEK – background vocals, keyboards, drum programming , additional vocals Kali Claire McLoughlin – background vocals Nick Trygstad – cello Simon Turner – cello Paulette Bayley – violin Peter Whitfield – violin Sarah Brandwood-Spencer – violin Tre Jean-Marie – bass, piano, strings, synthesizer Josh Werner – bass guitar Chris Laws – drums Steve Mac – keyboards Tim Laws – guitar Al Shux – bass, drums, keys Fraser T. Smith – drum programming , keyboards Jordan Riley – drums, keyboards , synthesizer programming , bass, piano Lewis Allen – guitar Leo Kalyan – (drums and keys) programming Stephen Kozmeniuk – drums, strings Jimmy Napes – piano Marlon Roudette – electric guitar Alastair "AoD" O'Donnell – guitar Timucin Lam – all instruments Twice as Nice – drum, synthesizer programming Charlie Handsome – synthesizer programming, drums Josh Crocker – drums, keyboards
Production
Tre Jean-Marie – production Dre Skull – production WILDLIFE! – additional production Cameron Gower Poole – (additional) vocal production Steve Mac – production Oak – production Al Shux – production Fraser T. Smith – production Jordan Riley – production MakeYouKnowLove – production Tyrell Paul – production Snakehips – production MXXWLL – production MNEK – production KOZ – production Leo Kalyan – additional production JD. Reid – production Alastair "AoD" O'Donnell – additional production Jay Weathers – production Jax Jones – production Mark Ralph – co-production Twice as Nice – production Charlie Handsome – production Josh Crocker – production GA – production Joel Pott – production
Technical
Tre Jean-Marie – programming Nosa Apollo – programming Geoff Swan – mixing Lewis Chapman – assistant mixing Bill Zimmerman – additional engineering Phil Tan – mixing Dan Pursey – engineering