User:Michig/The Ting Tings second studio album

The second studio album by pop duo, The Ting Tings is scheduled for release in August 2011. The lead single "Hands" was released on 11 October 2010. The album was reported to be named Kunst, though the band later stated that this was simply a working title inspired by the name of a massage parlour near their studio, and the name had yet to be decided.

Recording
The album was recorded over a period of eight months in the basement of a former jazz club in the Friedrichshain area of Berlin. Jules de Martino stated that they chose Berlin "to have complete, crazy freedom", while Katie White also said that they wanted to "isolate themselves". According to de Martino: "We had to find a new challenge and going to hide away in Berlin was the perfect place because our friends aren't there, our families aren't there and our record company isn't there, so no one really bothered us. I think that if we'd have gone back to Manchester we'd have been a mess." The album features a mix of styles, with the band aiming for a 'playlist' feel, de Martino explaining: "We wanted to make a record that had that much variety that if you played it you could almost shut your eyes and think: 'Is this the same band on each song?' We just had no fear and wanted to make a record that was like an MP3 compilation." De Martino stated that influences on the album include Fleetwood Mac, Pet Shop Boys, and TLC. It was described by Clash writer April Welsh as "an album glistening with polished pop perfection. Ranging from acoustic folk to bangin’ electro, R‘n’B and, of course, rock and roll." The album was self-produced, with White explaining "We're complete control freaks -- I don't think we could work with anyone else. We'd have a heart attack if they changed one little beat."

By April 2010, White & Martino updated their blog to announce there were nine tracks new to the album. The following month in May they sent a message out to say they had nearly finished recording the main vocals on their album. It was revealed in January 2011 that ten tracks were to be on the album, but that since returning to the UK they had recorded further tracks which they wanted to be included on the album.

Title
Early in 2010, it was reported that the album would be called Kunst. De Martino explained that the name was taken from a massage parlour near their studio called 'Massage Kunst': "We took a picture of us standing outside it with Katie's arm up over the S and sent it to the label saying: 'Here's the front sleeve.' It didn't go down too well." The band later announced that this had just been a working title and that the final name had yet to be decided. They later joked that instead it would be called Cocks.

Singles
On August 11, they announced that the lead single will be "Hands", the first track that had written for the album. It was mixed by Calvin Harris and written by the duo themselves. On 18 August 2010, "Hands" premiered on BBC Radio 1 and was followed the official release of the video on 5 September 2010. The single was released in the UK on 11 October 2010, where it debuted at number 29 on the UK Singles Chart, marking the duo's fifth Top 40 single. It also topped the Billboard Dance Charts.

Tour
In September 2010, the band announced their intention to play their first shows promoting the new album at small, intimate venues.

Confirmed tracks

 * 1) "Hands"
 * 2) "Help"
 * 3) "Day-To-Day"
 * 4) "One By One"
 * 5) "Guggenheim"