Hold On to Your Heart

Hold On to Your Heart is the fourth studio album by alternative rock band The Xcerts, released on 19 January 2018 through Raygun Music. The first single, "Feels Like Falling in Love", was released on 3 July 2018, and the second single, "Daydream", was released on 15 September. The album was announced on 21 September, and the third single, "Hold On to Your Heart", was released on 17 November. The fourth and final single, "Drive Me Wild", was released on 12 January 2018, and features Will Gardner of Brighton-based progressive rock band Black Peaks on saxophone. Gardner also played saxophone on the album's closing track, "Cry". The album was the band's first to reach the top 40 of the UK Albums Chart, spending one week at number 40.[1]

Hold On to Your Heart
Studio album by The Xcerts
Released	19 January 2018
Recorded	2017
Studio	Brighton Electric, Brighton, UK
Genre	Indie rock, alternative rock, power pop, glam rock, jazz rock
Length	36:36
Label	Raygun Music
Producer	Dave Eringa, Gary Clark
The Xcerts chronology
There Is Only You (2014) Hold On to Your Heart (2018)
Singles from Hold On to Your Heart
"Feels Like Falling in Love" Released: 3 July 2017 "Daydream" Released: 15 September 2017 "Hold On to Your Heart" Released: 17 November 2017 "Daydream" Released: 12 January 2018

Reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	70/100[2]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AC Rock Reviews	10/10[3]
All Things Loud	8/10[4]
All Heard	[5]
DIY	[6]
Dork	[7]
Genre is Dead	[8]
God is in the TV	9/10[9]
Invicta	9.5/10[10]
Louder Than War	7.5/10[11]
Outline	8/10[12]
New Noise	[13]
Rock Sins	9/10[14]
Rock Sound	8/10[15]
The Line of Best Fit	7.5/10[16]
The Skinny	[17]

The album received praise from Jake Haseldine of the When the Horn Blows saying that "[Despite some odd tracks, it is] one of the strongest albums the XCERTS have released so far and being the shortest of all four, it definitely packs a punch."[18]

Chris Hilson of the Punktastic compared the new album to the style of Jimmy Eat World.[19]

Kerrang! Magazine ranked "Hold On To Your Heart" at number 12 on their top 50 best albums of 2018.[20] Rocksound Magazine ranked it as the 24th best album of the year.[21]

Accolades

Publication	Accolade	Rank	Ref.
Kerrang!	Top 50 Albums of 2018	12	[22]
Rock Sound	Top 50 Albums of 2018	24	[23]

Track listing

All music is composed by The Xcerts (except where noted).

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Dark" (The Xcerts, Gary Clark)	3:00
2.	"Daydream"	2:26
3.	"Feels Like Falling in Love"	3:12
4.	"First Kiss Feeling"	3:39
5.	"Crazy"	3:32
6.	"Hold On to Your Heart"	3:37
7.	"Drive Me Wild"	3:50
8.	"We Are Gonna Live"	3:35
9.	"Show Me Beautiful" (The Xcerts, Gary Clark)	4:00
10.	"Cry"	5:44
Total length:		36:36

Late One Night EP

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Daydream"	2:57
2.	"Feels Like Falling in Love"	3:50
3.	"Cry"	5:18
4.	"Hold On to Your Heart"	3:46
5.	"The Dark"	2:51
Total length:		18:42

Personnel

• Murray Macleod – guitar, vocals
• Jordan Smith – bass guitar, vocals, piano
• Tom Heron – drums, percussion, vocals
• Will Gardner – saxophone (tracks 7 and 10)
• Ryan Burnett – guitar (Late One Night EP)
• Dave Eringa – producer
• Gary Clark – producer
• Mike Lord – producer (tracks 7 and 10), producer, mixing (Late One Night EP)
• Chris Sheldon – mixing
• John Davis – mastering
• Ed Woods – mastering (Late One Night EP)

Charts

Chart	Peak position
UK Albums (OCC)[24]	40

References

1. "X-CERTS - full Official Chart History - Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
2. "Metacritic Review". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
3. Aaron Chandler (7 June 2018). "The XCERTS – Hold On To Your Heart". AC Rock Reviews. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
4. Michael Cottone (17 January 2018). "Review: The XCEPTS - Hold On to Your Heart". All Things Loud. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
5. "Review: The Xcerts – Hold On To Your Heart". Already Heard. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
6. Sarah Jamieson (19 January 2018). "The Xcerts - Hold On To Your Heart". DIY.
7. "The Xcerts - Hold On To Your Heart". Dork. 18 January 2018.
8. "Album Review: The Xcerts - Hold On To Your Heart". Genre is Dead. 15 January 2018.
9. Mark Mcconville (29 January 2018). "The Xcerts – Hold On To Your Heart (Raygun Records)". God is in the TV. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
10. Louise Joy (27 December 2017). "REVIEW: The Xcerts – Hold On To Your Heart (Album)". Invicta.
11. Sam Lambeth (21 January 2018). "The Xcerts: Hold On To Your Heart – album review". Louder Than War. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
12. "The Xcerts - Hold On To Your Heart". Outline. 26 July 2019.
13. "Album Review: The Xcerts – Hold On To Your Heart". New Noise. 10 April 2018.
14. Sam Dignon (18 January 2018). "The Xcerts – Hold On To Your Heart". Rock Sins. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
15. Andy Biddulph (11 January 2018). "The Xcerts - Hold On To Your Heart". Rock Sound.
16. Steven Loftin (17 January 2018). "The XCERTS leap in to action on Hold on to Your Heart". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
17. Harry Harris (16 January 2018). "The Xcerts – Hold on to Your Heart". Theskinny.co.uk. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
18. Jake Haseldine (14 January 2018). "Album Review: The XCERTS - 'Hold onto Your Heart'". When the Horn Blows. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
19. Chris Hilson (24 January 2018). "The Xcerts – 'Hold On To Your Heart'". Punkitastic. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
20. https://www.kerrang.com/features/the-50-albums-that-shook-2018/
21. https://www.albumoftheyear.org/list/1075-rock-sounds-best-albums-of-2018/
22. "The 50 Albums That Shook 2018". Kerrang.com. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
23. "Rock Sound's Best Albums of 2018". Albumoftheyear.org. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
24. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 26, 2019.