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It Happened Today

Collapse into Now
A black silhouette of R.E.M. (from left to right: Peter Buck, Michael Stipe, and Mike Mills) stand in front of a white background with yellow and orange lines. The words "R.E.M. / COLLAPSE / INTO / NOW" are written in black.
Studio album by R.E.M.
Released March 7, 2011 (2011-03-07)
Recorded November 2009 – September 2010
Studio Hansa Tonstudio in Berlin, Blackbird Studios in Nashville, and The Music Shed in New Orleans
Genre Alternative rock
Length 41:05
Label Warner Bros.
Producer Jacknife Lee and R.E.M.
R.E.M. chronology
R.E.M. Live from Austin, TX
(2010)
Collapse into Now
(2011)
Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982–2011
(2011)
Singles from Collapse into Now
  1. "Mine Smell Like Honey"
    Released: January 18, 2011
  2. "Überlin"
    Released: January 25, 2011
  3. "Oh My Heart"
    Released: February 1, 2011
  4. "Discoverer"
    Released: 2011
  5. "It Happened Today"
    Released: 2011
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic 71/100
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic 3.5/5 stars
The A.V. Club B+
The Daily Telegraph 3/5 stars
Entertainment Weekly B
The Guardian 4/5 stars
The Independent 4/5 stars
Mojo 3/5 stars
Pitchfork Media 6.8/10
Rolling Stone 4/5 stars
Spin 8/10

Collapse into Now is the fifteenth and final studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on March 7, 2011, on Warner Bros. Produced by Jacknife Lee, who previously worked with the band on Accelerate (2008), the album was preceded by the singles, "Mine Smell Like Honey", "Überlin" and "Oh My Heart".

Regarding the album's title, lead singer Michael Stipe noted, "It's the final thing I sing, the last song on the record before the record goes into a coda and reprises the first song. In my head, it's like I'm addressing a nine-year-old and I'm saying, 'I come from a faraway place called the 20th century. And these are the values and these are the mistakes we've made and these are the triumphs. These are the things that we held in the highest esteem. These are the things to learn from."

As of September 2011, the album had sold 142,000 copies in the United States. At the time of the band's breakup, bassist Mike Mills noted that the album's lyrical content contained "indications" that the band were planning to split. The band never played any of the songs live, though Michael Stipe did play "Every Day Is Yours to Win" live without R.E.M. for the Tibethouse Annual Benefit Concert.

In 2008, while touring in support of Accelerate, R.E.M. discussed the possibility of ending the band in the near future. Entering the studio with producer Jacknife Lee, the band began recording a final studio album, with the intention of "going out on a high note." Regarding these initial discussions, bassist Mike Mills stated, "We knew we had some decisions to make regarding our contract with Warner Bros. We had to make some decision about how to continue going forward as a recording unit, and if we still wanted to tour together. Oddly enough, I think that independently, we all arrived at the conclusion that this was such a great opportunity to walk away on our own terms, that we thought, 'Why not take advantage of it?'" Buck later would state that the final decision to end the band came when Stipe remarked that "I need to be away from this for a long time." Buck suggested "How about forever?" and they thus decided to break up.


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Wikipedia

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