Lighting Matches

Lighting Matches
Lighting Matches
Studio album by Tom Grennan
Released	6 July 2018
Recorded	2016–2018
Genre	Indie rock; pop rock;
Length	41:43
Label	Insanity
Producer	Charlie Hugall; Jimmy Hogarth; Joel Pott; Laconic; Joe Rubel; Jordan Riley; Eg White; Samuel Dixon; Fraser T Smith; Peter Stengaard; Chase & Status;
Tom Grennan chronology
Singles from Lighting Matches
	"Royal Highness"; Released: September 2017; "I Might"; Released: December 2017; "Sober"; Released: February 2018; "Barbed Wire"; Released: June 2018; "Run in the Rain"; Released: November 2018;

Lighting Matches is the debut studio album by English singer-songwriter Tom Grennan, released on 6 July 2018 through Insanity Records. The album spawned five singles, and includes three singles, released on Grennan's previously three EPs.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	79/100^[1]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Clash	5/10^[2]
The Independent	^[3]
NME	^[4]

Lighting Matches was generally well received by critics. NME critic Andrew Trendell said that the album "makes Bedford sound like Hollywood" and that Grennan "knows what he's doing".^[4] However, Clash critic Nick Roseblade said that the album "isn't a bad album, but sadly it doesn't excel either" and that "it all feels a little too rehearsed and sanitised in its delivery."^[2]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Found What I've Been Looking For"	Thomas Grennan Jordan Riley	Charlie Hugall Jordan Riley	3:11
2.	"Royal Highness"	Grennan Jonny Lattimer Ashley Milton Daniel Goudie	Laconic Joe Rubel	3:13
3.	"Barbed Wire"	Grennan Danny Connors	Hugall	3:05
4.	"Run in the Rain"	Grennan Amy Wadge Adriano Buffone	Jimmy Hogarth	3:57
5.	"Aboard"	Grennan Lattimer Francis White	Eg White	3:53
6.	"Lighting Matches"	Grennan Lattimer Jimmy Hogarth	Hogarth	3:29
7.	"Lucky Ones"	Grennan Patrick Byrne	Samuel Dixon	3:33
8.	"Sober"	Grennan Fraser Thornycroft-Smith Lattimer	Fraser T Smith	3:42
9.	"I Might"	Diane Warren	Peter Stengaard	2:53
10.	"Make 'Em Like You"	Grennan Joel Pott	Pott	3:39
11.	"Something in the Water"	Grennan	Hugall	3:27
12.	"Little by Little Love"	Grennan Pott	Pott	3:41
Total length:				41:43

Deluxe edition CD
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
13.	"Praying"	Grennan Charlie Hugall Tre Jean-Marie Jacob Attwooll	Hugall	3:06
14.	"Secret Lover"	Grennan Pott	Pott	3:58
15.	"Sweet Hallelujah"	Grennan	Hugall	3:48
16.	"All Goes Wrong" (with Chase & Status)	William Kennard Saul Milton Grennan Kieron McIntosh Dean McIntosh Nathaniel Ledwidge	Chase & Status	3:43

Chart performance

Chart (2018)	Peak position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[5]	191
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[6]	60
Irish Albums (OCC)^[7]	28
Scottish Albums (OCC)^[8]	6
UK Albums (OCC)^[9]	5

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)^[10]	Gold	100,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

^ "Reviews for Lighting Matches by Tom Grennan". Metacritic. 3 November 2018. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
^ ^a ^b "Lighting Matches – Tom Grennan". Clash. 16 July 2018. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
^ "Lighting Matches – Tom Grennan". The Independent. 5 July 2018. Archived from the original on 14 June 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
^ ^a ^b "Lighting Matches – Tom Grennan". NME. 6 July 2018. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
^ "Ultratop.be – Tom Grennan – Lightning Matches" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Tom Grennan – Lightning Matches" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
^ "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
^ "British album certifications – Tom Grennan – Lighting Matches". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 27 November 2020.

[MC-1] "Reviews for Lighting Matches by Tom Grennan". Metacritic. 3 November 2018. Retrieved 3 November 2018.

[Clash_Magazine-2] "Lighting Matches – Tom Grennan". Clash. 16 July 2018. Retrieved 3 November 2018.

[The_Independent-3] "Lighting Matches – Tom Grennan". The Independent. 5 July 2018. Archived from the original on 14 June 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2018.

[NME-4] "Lighting Matches – Tom Grennan". NME. 6 July 2018. Retrieved 3 November 2018.

[ac_Flanders_Tom_Grennan-5] "Ultratop.be – Tom Grennan – Lightning Matches" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 March 2019.

[ac_Germany_Tom_Grennan-6] "Offiziellecharts.de – Tom Grennan – Lightning Matches" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 8 March 2019.

[ac_Ireland3_Tom_Grennan-7] "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 July 2025.

[ac_Scotland_-8] "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 July 2025.

[ac_UK2_Tom_Grennan-9] "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 March 2019.

[United_KingdomTom_GrennanLighting_MatchesalbumCertRef-10] "British album certifications – Tom Grennan – Lighting Matches". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 27 November 2020.

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v t e Tom Grennan
Discography
Studio albums	Lighting Matches (2018) Evering Road (2021) What Ifs & Maybes (2023) Everywhere I Went, Led Me to Where I Didn't Want to Be (2025)
Singles	"Something in the Water" "Found What I've Been Looking For" "Little Bit of Love" "Let's Go Home Together" "Don't Break the Heart" "Remind Me" "All These Nights" "Lionheart (Fearless)" "Here" "How Does It Feel" "Higher" "Shadowboxing" "Full Attention" "I Won't Miss a Thing" "Somewhere Only We Go"
Featured singles	"All Goes Wrong" "Bridge over Troubled Water" "By Your Side" "Not Over Yet"

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