Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 23, 2026

Back to Forever

Back to Forever is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Lissie. It was released in the United States on October 8, 2013, and in the United Kingdom on October 14, 2013.

Last revised
Jul 23, 2026
Read time
≈ 4 min
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Citations
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Source
Wikipedia ↗
Back to Forever
Studio album by
Lissie
ReleasedOctober 8, 2013 (North America), October 14, 2013 (Europe)
Recorded2012
GenrePop1
LabelColumbia (UK), Fat Possum (US)
ProducerJacknife Lee
Lissie chronology
Catching a Tiger
(2010) 		Back to Forever
(2013) 		My Wild West
(2016)
Singles from Back to Forever
  1. "Shameless"
    Released: April 26, 2013
  2. "Further Away (Romance Police)"
    Released: August 5, 2013
  3. "Sleepwalking"
    Released: October 13, 2013

Back to Forever is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Lissie. It was released in the United States on October 8, 2013,2 and in the United Kingdom on October 14, 2013.3

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic69/100
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStar1
American SongwriterStarStarStarHalf star4
The Austin ChronicleStarStarStarHalf star5
The IndependentStarStarStarStar6
PopMatters(8/10)7
This is Fake DIY(6/10)8
Paste Magazine(8.4/10)9
The Seattle Times(Positive)10
The Star-Ledger(Positive)11

Back to Forever received generally positive reviews from contemporary music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 69, based on 14 reviews.12

AllMusic gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, writing: "Lissie's strength is how she uses the past as foundation, not aspiration, and that's why Back to Forever is a lithe, unpredictable, and seductive collection of modern pop: it places equal emphasis on song and sound."1

In a very positive review, Simmy Richman of The Independent writes: "Lissie is still a head-and-shoulders-above-the-rest singer and songwriter but where Catching a Tiger mined the 1970s Fleetwood Mac seam, Back to Forever moves things into the 1980s – all fist-pumping verses and “Kids-in-America”-like big choruses," adding: "And though the hipsters will never take Lissie to their hearts, their loss is the gain of those who care more for substance than style."6

In a very positive review, Paste Magazine writer Elias Leight writes: "With puffs of backing vocals and a shiny bursting guitar solo, all escaping emotions are artfully contained. Lissie sounds most comfortable in this mode, chugging meticulously forward," giving Back to Forever 8.4 out of 10 points.9

PopMatters writer Steven Horowitz writes: "Lissie makes one want to pump fists in the air and sing along because she always seems to be giving it her all. <...> Not every song on her new album works—just because something is art does not make it good art—but most of them do because she really outs herself out there. Her dignity comes not from holding back but from letting go," giving Back to Forever 8 out of 10 points.7

Track listing

Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Habit"Elisabeth Maurus, Julian Emery, Jim Irvin4:10
2."Further Away (Romance Police)"Maurus, Emery, Irvin4:21
3."Shameless"Maurus, Emery, Irvin3:21
4."They All Want You"Maurus, Irvin, Angelo Petraglia4:00
5."Sleepwalking"Maurus, Martin Craft4:14
6."I Don't Wanna Go to Work"Maurus, Crispin Hunt, Gordon Mills3:42
7."Mountaintop Removal"Maurus, Craft, Francis White5:18
8."Love in the City"Maurus, Craft3:15
9."I Bet on You"Maurus, Petraglia4:33
10."Cold Fish"Maurus, Justin Parker3:39
11."Can't Take it Back"Maurus, Greg Kurstin3:29
12."Back to Forever"Maurus, Craft3:52
Deluxe edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Habit"Elisabeth Maurus, Julian Emery, Jim Irvin4:10
2."Further Away (Romance Police)"Maurus, Emery, Irvin4:21
3."Shameless"Maurus, Emery, Irvin3:21
4."They All Want You"Maurus, Irvin, Angelo Petraglia4:00
5."Sleepwalking"Maurus, Martin Craft4:14
6."I Don't Wanna Go To Work"Maurus, Crispin Hunt, Gordon Mills3:42
7."Mountaintop Removal"Maurus, Craft, Francis White5:18
8."What's It Like"Maurus, Emery, Irvin3:14
9."Love in the City"Maurus, Craft3:15
10."I Bet on You"Maurus, Petraglia4:33
11."Cold Fish"Maurus, Justin Parker3:39
12."Can't Take it Back"Maurus, Greg Kurstin3:29
13."Back to Forever"Maurus, Craft3:52
14."The Habit (Stripped Down)"Maurus, Emery, Irvin4:09
15."I Bet on You (Stripped Down)"Maurus, Petraglia4:20
16."Mountaintop Removal (Stripped Down)"Maurus, Craft, Francis White4:22

Charts

Chart performance for Back to Forever
Chart (2022) Peak
position
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)13 43
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)14 100
Irish Albums (IRMA)15 91
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)16 3
Scottish Albums (OCC)17 13
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)18 62
UK Albums (OCC)19 16
UK Album Downloads (OCC)20 19
US Billboard 20021 160
US Americana/Folk Albums (Billboard)22 11
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)23 4
US Independent Albums (Billboard)24 31
References

References

  1. Erlewine, Stephen. Back to Forever at AllMusic
  2. Cubarrubia, R.J. (September 30, 2013). "Lissie Bares Her Soul on 'Back to Forever'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
  3. Morgan, Clive (October 9, 2013). "Lissie: Back to Forever - exclusive album stream". The Daily Telegraph. London.
  4. Bernstein, Jonathan (September 11, 2013). "Lissie: Back To Forever". American Songwriter. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
  5. Freeman, Doug (October 4, 2013). "Lissie: Back to Forever". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
  6. Richman, Simmy (October 13, 2013). "Album review: Lissie, Back to forever (Columbia/Sony)". The Independent. London: INM. ISSN 0951-9467. OCLC 185201487. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
  7. Horowitz, Steve (September 30, 2013). "Lissie: Back to Forever". PopMatters. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
  8. Hunt, El (September 4, 2013). "Lissie - Back To Forever". DIY. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
  9. Leight, Elias (October 8, 2013). "Lissie: Back to Forever". PasteMagazine. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
  10. Stout, Gene (October 8, 2013). "Lissie's 'Back to Forever'". Seattle Times. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
  11. Olivier, Bobby (October 8, 2013). "Review: Indie rocker Lissie tackles heartbreak, scores with honesty". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
  12. "Back to Forever Reviews, Ratings, Credits and More at Metacritic". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
  13. "Lissie: Back To Forever" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
  14. "Offiziellecharts.de – Lissie – Back To Forever" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved May 18, 2026.
  15. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Lissie". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 18, 2026.
  16. "Norwegiancharts.com – Lissie – Back To Forever". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 18, 2026.
  17. "Official Scottish Albums Chart on 20/10/2013 – Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  18. "Swisscharts.com – Lissie – Back To Forever". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 18, 2026.
  19. "Official Albums Chart on 20/10/2013 – Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  20. "Official Album Downloads Chart on 20/10/2013 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 18, 2026.
  21. "Lissie Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 18, 2026.
  22. "Lissie Chart History (Top Americana/Folk Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 18, 2026.
  23. "Lissie Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 18, 2026.
  24. "Lissie Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 18, 2026.