Better in the Dark

Content and writing

Band member Ash states that on this album they are more of a band and he felt the previous album was a studio record due to this album not having any samples. The band did not want to repeat themselves, with Ash stating "We have a sound that is ours, and we had to be mindful we didn't lose any of our fans. So for us, 'Better In The Dark' is about growth, not reinvention."

Lead singer Bassingthwaighte became part of the songwriting process on the album, co-writing on many of the songs with Ash and his wife Melinda Appleby. Bassingthwaighte states "We'd sit in a room and throw ideas around. It was interesting that all three of us instinctively knew when we had a great idea." Ash states that many of the songs on the album seem to be about being in nightclubs and he did not realise that until they finished recording it, hence the title Better in the Dark.

Commercial performance

In October 2007, the first single "Don't You Wanna Feel" was released and spent a total of 14 weeks inside the ARIA top 50 singles chart, peaking at 10, and being accredited Gold.

The success of Here Come the Drums was not repeated despite positive reviews of the album. The album debuted at #4 on the ARIA Albums chart. It fell out of top 50 after six weeks, although it was certified Gold in its fourth week. Three weeks after exiting top 50 it re-entered at #48, and spent a further 15 weeks inside top 50. After exiting again it re-entered at #46, spending its final week (23rd overall) in the top 50. The album received a Platinum certification and has sold roughly 100,000 copies in Australia, compared to Here Come the Drums, which was certified 4× Platinum (280,000).

The second single "I Never Liked You" was released in January and debuted at #11 on the ARIA Singles Chart. It jumped to its peak of #9 the next week, and continued to slowly fall out of the chart in the following weeks. It was certified Gold in June 2008.

The third single "What You're On" debuted and peaked at #30 on the ARIA Singles Chart in late April 2008. It subsequently fell slowly out of the chart, spending a total of 7 weeks inside the top 50.

Track listing

1. "Calling All Lovers" (Jamie Appleby, Melinda Appleby) – 4:01
2. "Don't You Wanna Feel" (Appleby, Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Steve Davis, Dougal Drummond) – 3:16
3. "I Never Liked You" (Appleby, Appleby, Bassingthwaighte, Timothy Henwood) – 3:29
4. "Candy Coloured Lights" (Appleby, Appleby, Bassingthwaighte) – 4:18
5. "Speak & Destroy" (Appleby, Appleby) – 3:47
6. "Childlike" (Appleby) – 4:26
7. "On Your Way to the Disco" (Appleby) – 4:02
8. "8th Wonder of the World" (Appleby) – 3:16
9. "Better in the Dark" (Appleby) – 3:52
10. "What You're On" (Appleby, Bassingthwaighte, Davis) – 4:56
11. "Throw Your Arms Around Me" (Appleby, Appleby) – 4:49
12. "The Price We Pay" (Appleby, Appleby, Appleby, Bassingthwaighte) – 4:01

Limited edition bonus DVD All footage recorded live at The Chapel in Australia.

1. "Don't You Wanna Feel"
2. "I Never Liked You"
3. "What You're On"
4. "Better in the Dark"
5. "In Love Again"
6. "Voodoo Child"

Release history

The album was released in two versions: a single-disc edition, and a double-disc edition. The first disc includes the standard album. The second disc, a DVD-Video, contains six live high definition performances filmed live at the Chapel in 5.1 surround sound. The double-disc edition was limited to several thousand copies.