# Life on Other Planets
**Life on Other Planets** is the fourth studio album by the English rock band [Supergrass](https://www.edgepedia.org/supergrass), released on 30 September 2002.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/life-on-other-planets-mw0000592845) It peaked at number 9 on the UK Official Albums Chart and produced the singles "Grace" (UK number 13), "Seen the Light" (UK number 22), "Never Done Nothing Like That Before", and "Rush Hour Soul".[2](https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/supergrass-life-on-other-planets/) • [3](https://axis.wmg.com/h/sellsheets/ADA_82523_9123.pdf) Critics received it as a return to form after the band's labored 1999 self-titled album, and it has been described as a 40-minute tour of 1970s British rock filtered through the band's own style.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/life-on-other-planets-mw0000592845) • [4](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/7624-life-on-other-planets/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Artist and position | Fourth studio album by Supergrass, following *I Should Coco* (1995), *In It for the Money* (1997), and *Supergrass* (1999)[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/life-on-other-planets-mw0000592845) |
| Release | 30 September 2002; a US release followed on 28 February 2003[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/life-on-other-planets-mw0000592845) • [5](https://music.apple.com/us/album/life-on-other-planets/1437344493) |
| Length and tracks | 12 songs, about 40 minutes (40:44)[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/life-on-other-planets-mw0000592845) • [5](https://music.apple.com/us/album/life-on-other-planets/1437344493) |
| UK chart peak | Number 9 on the Official Albums Chart, first chart date 12 October 2002[2](https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/supergrass-life-on-other-planets/) |
| Singles | "Grace" (UK #13), "Seen the Light" (UK #22), "Never Done Nothing Like That Before", "Rush Hour Soul"[3](https://axis.wmg.com/h/sellsheets/ADA_82523_9123.pdf) |
| Production | Mixed by Tony Hoffer, Dave Sardy, and Mark Dearnley, with mixing credits shared with the band[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/life-on-other-planets-mw0000592845) |
| Reissue | Fully remastered 2023 edition on BMG, including demos and b-sides[3](https://axis.wmg.com/h/sellsheets/ADA_82523_9123.pdf) |
## Background and recording
Supergrass entered the album after the weaker reception of their third record, the self-titled *Supergrass* of 1999. The band at the time consisted of [Gaz Coombes](https://www.edgepedia.org/gaz-coombes) (lead singer and guitar), [Danny Goffey](https://www.edgepedia.org/danny-goffey) (drums), Mick Quinn (bass), and Gaz's keyboardist brother Rob Coombes.[6](https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-lost-supergrass-album-that-led-to-their-split) Writing was slow. Gaz Coombes later recalled traveling between houses across Europe, staying four days at a time, and returning with minidiscs full of what he called nonsense and weird comedy songs, with "every tenth track this little gem".[6](https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-lost-supergrass-album-that-led-to-their-split)
The songs were written on the [French Riviera](https://www.edgepedia.org/french-riviera) and recorded in Britain. The reviewer Andy Gill of *The Independent* argued that this more protracted gestation worked to the band's advantage, with the progressive-rock tendencies of the third album restricted to a few tracks such as "Never Done Nothing Like That Before", which he described as a psychedelic punk swirl in the vein of XTC.[7](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-supergrass-5360457.html)
## Music and songs
The album opens with "Za", a short rocker preceded by a synth intro, followed by "Rush Hour Soul" and "Seen the Light". Pitchfork's reviewer Joe Tangari described the record as a summary of the band's career, merging its earlier mutations into one sound, and noted the T. Rex-style glam influence on "Seen the Light" and "Brecon Beacons", where Gaz Coombes's warble recalls [Marc Bolan](https://www.edgepedia.org/marc-bolan).[4](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/7624-life-on-other-planets/) The closing track "Run" picks up what Tangari called the spacier bits of the 1970s in a glossy, noise-addled coda.[4](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/7624-life-on-other-planets/)
The full track list runs: "Za" (3:03), "Rush Hour Soul" (2:55), "Seen the Light" (2:26), "Brecon Beacons" (2:56), "Can't Get Up" (4:03), "Evening of the Day" (5:18), "Never Done Nothing Like That Before" (1:44), "Funniest Thing" (2:29), "Grace" (2:30), "La Song" (3:45), "Prophet 15" (4:05), and "Run" (5:30).[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/life-on-other-planets-mw0000592845)
Stephen Thomas Erlewine's AllMusic review called the album "a smashing return to form, an album giddy with the sheer pleasure of making music", balancing the sensibility and humor of *[I Should Coco](https://www.edgepedia.org/i-should-coco)* with the musicality of *[In It for the Money](https://www.edgepedia.org/in-it-for-the-money)*, and judged that the band had not offered such unabashed pop pleasure since its debut.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/life-on-other-planets-mw0000592845) Metacritic recorded generally favorable reviews based on 21 critic reviews.[8](https://www.metacritic.com/music/life-on-other-planets/critic-reviews) Reception was not uniform: *The Guardian* found the energy labored despite the album's harking back to the debut's youthful effervescence,[9](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2002/sep/27/popandrock.artsfeatures4) and NME praised individual pop tunes such as "Grace", "La Song", and "Never Done Nothing Like That Before" while framing the record around the band's uneven effort.[10](https://www.nme.com/reviews/reviews-nme-6746-318006)
## Chart performance and reissues
The album entered the UK Official Albums Chart at number 9 on 12 October 2002 and spent five weeks in the top 100 that autumn, returning for four more weeks in February and March 2003.[2](https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/supergrass-life-on-other-planets/) It also reached number 10 on the Scottish Albums Chart.[2](https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/supergrass-life-on-other-planets/) The 2023 remastered reissue on BMG re-entered several charts that September, peaking at number 23 on the Albums Sales Chart, number 20 on the Vinyl Albums Chart, and number 19 on the Record Store Chart.[2](https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/supergrass-life-on-other-planets/)
## Other works of the same name
*Life on Other Planets* is also the title of a memoir by the astronomer [Aomawa Shields](https://www.edgepedia.org/aomawa-shields), subtitled "A Memoir of Finding My Place in the Universe".[11](https://parkfinebrower.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/PFLM-April-2023-Rights-Guide-v2.pdf)
## References
1. [Life on Other Planets, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/life-on-other-planets-mw0000592845)
2. [LIFE ON OTHER PLANETS – SUPERGRASS, Official Charts Company](https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/supergrass-life-on-other-planets/)
3. [Supergrass "Life on Other Planets" 2023 reissue sell sheet, Warner Music Group / ADA](https://axis.wmg.com/h/sellsheets/ADA_82523_9123.pdf)
4. [Supergrass: Life on Other Planets Album Review, Pitchfork](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/7624-life-on-other-planets/)
5. [Life On Other Planets, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/album/life-on-other-planets/1437344493)
6. [The story of the lost Supergrass album that led to their split, Louder Sound](https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-lost-supergrass-album-that-led-to-their-split)
7. [Album: Supergrass, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-supergrass-5360457.html)
8. [Critic Reviews for Life On Other Planets, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/music/life-on-other-planets/critic-reviews)
9. [Review: Supergrass: Life on Other Planets, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2002/sep/27/popandrock.artsfeatures4)
10. [Supergrass: Life On Other Planets, NME](https://www.nme.com/reviews/reviews-nme-6746-318006)
11. [Life on Other Planets: A Memoir of Finding My Place in the Universe, by Aomawa Shields, rights guide](https://parkfinebrower.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/PFLM-April-2023-Rights-Guide-v2.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Albums and recorded releases › Studio albums › Indie and alternative albums › Studio albums of the 2000s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license