Be More Kind

Its title is based on a line from a Clive James poem first published in the 3 June 2013 issue of The New Yorker in which he describes his own mortality called "Leçons des Ténèbres". The line which inspired the title reads: "I should have been more kind. It is my fate. To find this out, but find it out too late."

The album has been described as "a record that combines universal anthems with raw emotion and the political and the personal, with the intricate folk and punk roar trademarks of Turner's sound imbued with new, bold experimental shades."[3]

It was produced by Austin Jenkins and Joshua Block, formerly of psychedelic-rock Texans White Denim, and Florence and the Machine and Halsey collaborator Charlie Hugall.

The artwork for the album, including one illustration for each song, was done by Ben Rix. Rix also invited people to submit their own artwork to add to the process online.[4]

Frank Turner promoted the album with a Live Q&A session on Facebook on 30 January.[5] In the interview he cites the book Rip It Up and Start Again as a strong influence on the sonics of the album. Other influences he mentions in the interview are Soft Cell, New Order, Wire, Gang of Four and mid-period Cure. He also recommended Clive James' book Cultural Amnesia.

Promotion for the album includes an interview with NME.[1]

"There She Is" had previously been available on his compilation album Songbook. The first song that was made available for streaming from the album was "1933".

A music video animation for the title song was released on YouTube on 22 February. The first proper single to be released from the album, "Blackout", was released on 16 March. Turner described it thus on a link sent out to fans on 17 March: "This was one of the first tracks we finished in the studio in Texas, and it really pointed the way forward - it's the first song of mine you could get away with playing in a club, I think, and it's about trying to find connections with other people when the lights go out."

"Make America Great Again" from the album was released on 9 April.[6]

"Little Changes" was released a few days before the album on the last day of April. Frank Turner wrote: "Little Changes started out as a simple folk song about relationships, in particular drawing on my experiences with CBT therapy in the last couple of years – the idea of trying to make small, practical adjustments to your life, which can add up to something significant. Over time, the music grew in a really interesting, early 80s pop direction, and the metaphor of the lyric grew into something more expansive."

The boxed set of the album included an extra song, "How It Began", only available as the B-side of the 7 inch vinyl single for "Blackout".

• "1933"[7]
• "Be More Kind"[8]
• "Blackout"[9]
• "Make America Great Again"[10]
• "Little Changes"[11]

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	81/100[12]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[13]
NME	[14]
Pop Matters	8/10[15]
The Independent	[16]
Clash Music	6/10[17]
Punk News	[18]
Drowned in Sound	8/10[19]

According to Metacritic, Be More Kind received 81 out of 100 in aggregated reviews, indicating "Universal critical acclaim".[12]

In a pre-release review, NME gave it 4 stars out of 5, stating that "Frank remains one of our most consistently punchy, stirring and chaff-free songwriters – now, finally, with Something To Say Again."[14]

MusicOMH concluded that "the record is refreshingly honest and delivers a timeless message with passion and plenty of anthemic hooks. What more could you want from a Frank Turner record?"[20]

In a neutral review, Aaron Mook of Chorus.fm wrote, "This is a fine record, but one that is hurt by poor sequencing and an overall lack of bite. The boldest trick here – an attempt to rebrand its titular phrase by "making racists ashamed again" in “Make America Great Again” – is a well-intentioned swing and a miss that fails to make a slogan shrouded in white supremacy any more comfortable to sing along to."[21]

All tracks are written by Frank Turner, except 1, 3, 7, 10 by Frank Turner & Iain Archer.

Credits adapted from the Be More Kind liner notes.