Chet Faker is set to release a special anniversary edition of his seminal debut album, Built on Glass.
On April 11th, 2014, Faker released what would become one of the biggest and best Australian debut albums of the 2010s. Built on Glass remains Nick Murphy’s most commercially successful and critically acclaimed album under his Faker moniker.
Faker’s debut album, consisting of 12 tracks, was recorded in Melbourne, the musician’s birth city. The album propelled Faker into the limelight and he soon became the face of R&B-infused electronic music in Australia.
Faker took home several ARIA Awards in 2014 for Built on Glass, including Best Male Artist, while he was also awarded the Australian Album of the Year at that year’s J Awards.
Critics were just as fond of Built on Glass as listeners and awards voters.
“Built on Glass feels like much more than 12 tracks thrown on an album, with gorgeous instrumental pieces dotted throughout, tying the record together. In contrast to its title, the release is built on solid foundations and without a single fracture; Chet Faker’s brand of electronica and modern soul is always on point,” praised Happy Mag.
“[…] despite having the kind of voice that would make your mother go weak at the knees, Chet Faker also has a strong left-field sensibility that appeals to those more discerning music aficionados out there. This record is intelligent, succinct in its ambitions, and more than anything, it’s pretty bloody cool,” wrote The Line of Best Fit in a 9/10 review.
A decade later, Faker is offering fans the opportunity to revisit his debut album with a 10th anniversary expanded edition. As well as the original 12-track collection, the expanded edition contains remixes, rarities, and live performances from an early Built on Glass-era show at Sydney’s Enmore Theatre.
Faker’s expanded edition announcement follows the news that he’s part of ALWAYS LIVE 2024, with the musician set for a massive hometown show at the Royal Botanic Gardens on Friday, November 22nd.
“Built on Glass was an important record for me so I’m excited to finally repress it with this expanded edition and share several unreleased recordings from that era. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate 10 years than to play the record in full in my hometown Melbourne in the Botanic Gardens – something I haven’t done before,” Faker says.
Faker is building on a big 2023, which saw him perform his first Australian shows since 2015, including an appearance at Yours & Owls Festival.
Faker last released an album in 2021 when Hotel Surrender reached the top 20 of the ARIA Albums Chart. Under the name Nick Murphy & The Program, he also released the well-received Take in the Roses that year.
Rolling Stone hailed Hotel Surrender as a “welcome return”, noting that the album was “created with the same ethereal qualities that turned him (Faker) into a global sensation.”
Pre-order Chet Faker’s Built on Glass (10th anniversary expanded edition) here.
