Released 5 August 2011 Genre Dubstep
breakbeat Label MTA
Mercury | Format 12"
digital download Length 4:17 | |
Writer(s) Daniel Stephens
Joe Ray
Alana Watson | ||
"Promises" is a song by British dubstep trio Nero that appears on their debut studio album, Welcome Reality. It was released as the fourth single from the album on 5 August 2011. The song debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the group's first chart-topping single. It sold 46,700 copies in its first week, the lowest first-week sales for a number one in 97 weeks. "Promises" has been nominated for an Ivor Novello Award in the category of Best Contemporary Song. The song was also featured on an Hewlett-Packard TV commercial in the United Kingdom, France, United States and Latin America, giving it a broader audience and more recognition. Additionally, it was also featured in trailers from the video game, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. At the later, also featured in the 2013 video game, Saints Row IV.
Contents
Music video
A music video to accompany the release of "Promises", directed by Ben Newman, was uploaded to YouTube on 7 July 2011 at a total length of four minutes and sixteen seconds. It shows a woman in a dystopian regimented future society with mandatory drug consumption. What looks very much like the movie Equilibrium. By March 2013, it had surpassed 20 million YouTube hits.
Critical reception
Robert Copsey of Digital Spy gave the song a positive review stating:
"Promises, and they still feel oh so wasted on myself," she admits with her high-wired vocals over a thick, head-banging melody, fuzzy synths and pulsating basslines wobblier than our man's dodgy left knee. The result is the sharpest, most head-spinning of their releases to date – and given that we're in the year of dubstep-goes-pop, should leave fans fully equipped to handle the g-force levels of their first long player.