Clean Bandit – What Is Love? (2018) Album Lyrics

"What Is Love?" is the second studio album by the British electronic music group Clean Bandit. It was released on 30 November 2018 by Atlantic Records. The album includes several hit singles like "Tears" featuring Louisa Johnson, "Rockabye" featuring Sean Paul and Anne-Marie, "Symphony" featuring Zara Larsson, "I Miss You" featuring Julia Michaels, "Solo" featuring Demi Lovato, "Baby" featuring Marina and Luis Fonsi, and "Mama" featuring Ellie Goulding. In addition to these, the album also has collaborations with Rita Ora, Charli XCX, Bhad Bhabie, and Tove Styrke. This album is special because it is the band's first album as a trio, after the departure of multi-instrumentalist Neil Amin-Smith in 2016.

Jack Patterson, the bassist and saxophone player, explained why there was a long gap between their first and second albums. In an interview with Fault magazine in late 2017, he said, "It takes us much longer to create each piece of music. But our second album is almost done – hopefully, it will be out early next year." Grace Chatto, the cellist and vocalist, also shared that the new album would be more serious and more danceable compared to their first album, "New Eyes," which was released in 2014. She mentioned, "The first album was more light-hearted. The second album, especially the lyrics, is more serious. Some songs are about breaking up, like 'I Miss You' and 'Tears,' which are both on the album."

Jack Patterson later told The Guardian that a collaboration with Elton John did not make it onto the album. The band realized they wanted to develop a specific sound that was tropical, plastic-y, and mournful. Elton John's songs were more in line with their earlier hit "Rather Be," so they decided not to include them. Additionally, they recorded a track with Gwen Stefani, who was Grace Chatto's childhood idol, but it did not work out, which Chatto found very disappointing.

Part of the album was recorded at The Crypt Studio in London. The group put a lot of effort into making this album, and it shows in the variety and quality of the tracks.