Anna

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At the end of the year, the band played three UK shows in their hometown of Manchester in December 2011. PopMatters contributor Ben Olson saw Anna as being "every bit as infectious as their impressive debut, but it is bigger, glossier, and clearly intended to be played in massive, sold out stadiums". The album reached number six in the United Kingdom, number seven in Scotland and number 85 in Ireland. They ended the year with another UK tour, and the release of the album's third and final single "Are You in Love with a Notion? In December 2012, the band played another one-off show in Manchester, this time at the Manchester Arena, with support from the View, and at XFM's Winter Wonderland radio festival.

They played a few shows in 2011, spending most of the year working on their next album, debuting some new songs in the process. BBC Music's Natalie Hardwick noted that the album was "strategic in its experimentation, but represents a fairly dramatic departure from its makers’ brand, so hats off to that". Fray said they wanted to hire a newcomer to do the art, instead of finding a well-known artist, eventually coming across Paul X Johnson through mutual friends. We carry a broad range of CDs and vinyl (7”/12” singles and LPs) and specialise in indie, alternative, rock, punk, metal plus a few other genres. The Irish Times 's Lauren Murphy echoed a similar sentiment, stating that the most prominent issue with the band's "output is that it’s simply far too ordinary", explaining that it "rarely switch[es] tempo beyond a sturdy, mid-placed plod".

Following a meeting with Joseph Cross, he was enlisted to produce the band's next album; sessions were held at 80 Hertz Studios. Discussing "The Sharks Are Circling", Fray said over time the guest list for their shows would get "longer, you recognise less and less people, and I just started to put my foot down.

In June and July 2011, the band performed at Delamere Forest, in addition to playing at the Haigh Live and Isle of Wight Festivals.The 'Product' page will show the most up to date info we have with regards to the item and its release date, but this information is subject to change so check in with us if you have any questions.

In December 2013, the band toured across the UK to close out the year, after which they went on hiatus. Sometime after, they had accumulated six-to-seven new songs, though Fray was unsure of what direction they would take. They spent the rest of the year working on their new album at a studio in Manchester, with the intent on releasing it early in the following year. Marquee" is a violin-driven song that lacks drums, while "Money" is a glam rock and space rock track, styled after the work of Muse and Kings of Leon. Fray described the final artwork as attempting to "convey that kind of elegance but a bit more industrial".Anna is the third album by British indie rock band The Courteeners, which was recorded with Hurts producer Joe Cross and released on 4 February 2013. It has been two years since Courteeners last album Falcon, which charted at number 6 and followed the bands number 4 debut album St Jude. It peaked at number six in the UK Albums Chart; out of its three singles, "You Overdid It Doll" reached the highest at number 24 in the United Kingdom. Though originally scheduled for 28 January 2013, "Lose Control" was released as the album's lead single a month early on 10 December 2012; the seven-inch vinyl record edition featured "Chipping Away" as its B-side. Fray broke his ankle on New Year's Day 2012, tearing ligaments in the process, resulting in him needing four months to recover.

Fray intentionally wanted to work with someone within the members' age range; he met Cross while at a party, who inquired about what new material the band had. Anna received mixed reviews from critics, with some commenting on the production, while others thought the songs were uninspired. The song was released as the album's second single on 6 May 2013; the seven-inch vinyl edition featured a live version of "Last of the Ladies" as its B-side, while the digital download version included "Let Down Your Guard" and a remix of "Van Der Graaff". Jamie Carson of Clash said it was "full of uninspired and recycled riffs starkly illuminated by the God awful woe-is-me-I’m-northern lyrics".Between June and August 2012, Courteeners appeared at the Chester Rocks, T in the Park and Reading and Leeds Festivals festivals, as well as a one-off show in Manchester to coincide with that year's Olympic Games.