85% Proof

In 2011, Young released Echoes, which was a commercial success and became his third number-one album on the UK Albums Chart. Since then, he spent time on stages in the West End, received an Olivier Award nomination for his role in Cabaret, and taught music in his old school in Birmingham. He also wrote for the Huffington Post, and took part in activities in support of LGBT rights.[5] During this time, he studied somatics, "which is about bodily energy", as he told The Guardian in an interview: "Human psychology and behaviour is fascinating, because the more I learn about myself the more I learn about other people. You understand things when you understand them. It makes me a better person, adult, boyfriend, son, everything".[6]

From the beginning of his career to Echoes, Young had recorded five albums under a recording contract with Sony. While taking part in the film Cabaret in London in 2012, he met the CEO of Universal Music David Joseph, and Darcus Beese of Island Records, and left Sony, signing a new record deal with Island Records.[7][8] "It was time for a change, nothing more. I’d seen out the whole deal – the whole six album deal with Sony – which I'm really proud of", he told Rob Copsey of the Official Charts Company, "I’ve also changed management from 19 which is a big deal after 15 years, and thankfully they’re just brilliant. It was time for a shake-up."[7]

In an interview with The Guardian, Young said that he got the idea for the record after recording his previous album Echoes (2011), and stated that "It was about mindfulness", since he had to do a lot of work on his own, and had learnt ways to understand the human body.[6] The new music would not be influenced by the music on the charts, as he told the Daily and Sunday Express.[9] Young stated that the album's title refers to the alcoholic strength of moonshine, which is difficult to determine: "I thought it was interesting that with listening to music, I don't know how good something is [until I try it], so it's like a fermentation process. It has to be tasted to be able to tell."[10] Also, he noticed that he didn't have a clear idea about the album like the previous one, Echoes, "I don't overthink it. I just do what's happening that day." Hence, many different songs came out and Young just picked the ones he loved for the record.[10]

According to Young, 85% Proof "is largely upbeat" and focused on making audiences happy with songs like "Brave Men", "Love Revolution", and "Joy". "This album is all about shrugging off unhappiness and accepting what I am", he said.[11] The song "Like a River" is about the battle with his inner demons. Memories of the days being bullied at prep school inspired him to write the song. When talking to The Independent on the radio, Young highlighted its beauty: " 'You need to go, I need to let you go'. It was really empowering."[12]

In an interview with UTV, Young stated that the recording process is still a thrill for him, mentioning that "It’s the most exciting thing," and "That’s kind of why I take breaks from it, because if I was doing it the whole time, it wouldn’t mean so much." Also, he unveiled that he had completed the writing for the album in only 10 days without any samples, with Kish Mauve and his band, whom he did the last record with and who are "good friends"; the first three songs were immediately approved by the president of Island Records, Darcus Beese, after being sent to him.[13][14]

On Good Morning Britain, Young announced that he was recording his sixth studio album. On 25 March 2015, he revealed the title and artwork on his Instagram page, having set up the account on the same day.[2] The track listing was revealed on 30 March 2015.[15]

The album's release was preceded by the single "Love Revolution", which had its UK radio premiere on 27 March 2015.[2] Another track, "Like a River", was also available before the album's release, along with an accompanying video. The video was released on 20 April 2015, through Young's official YouTube channel. Young also tweeted on his Twitter account about the video's concept.[16][17] On 16 June 2015, a video for "Thank You" and the remix by French DJ and producer Fred Falke were released on YouTube and SoundCloud. The music video was filmed at Porchester Baths in London and directed by Nick Barleet.[18]

On 2 June 2015, it was announced that Young was embarking on his first tour in four years in order to promote 85% Proof. The tour was titled Love Revolution Tour.[19]

The Guardian[20] gave the album three stars out of five and described the closing track "I Don't Need a Lover" as "This one is a piano ballad dominated by a vocal performance of silvery regret and loss. It’s a reminder of how good Young can be (and how much he has influenced Sam Smith)." Clashmusic.com also focused on the final track in their 7 out of 10 review, describing it as "The album's finest moment, 'I Don't Need A Lover', concludes proceedings with a minimal backdrop to accompany Young's emotive falsetto built around a piano and some relatively reserved strings. It's quite sincerely breathtaking and a reminder that no matter who the artist or the genre, a well-written song paired with a striking voice is all it takes to capture the listener's ear."[21]

The album peaked at number 1 on the UK Albums Chart after selling 21,321 copies in its first week, marking Young's fourth studio album to top the UK charts.[22] On the Scottish Albums Chart, the album made its entry at number 2. As of 28 June 2019, the album has sold 96,356 copies.

All tracks are produced by Jim Eliot.

Sample credits

• "Love Revolution" incorporates elements of "Loneliness" written by Ivan Matias, Robert Borrmann, Andrea Martin, and Edmund Clement.