Black Cherry is the second studio album by English electronic music duo Goldfrapp, released on 23 April 2003 by Mute Records. It marked a departure from the ambient sound of their debut album, Felt Mountain (2000), incorporating glam rock and synth-pop music; inspirations were Spanish disco group Baccara and Swedish techno artist Håkan Lidbo. The album was met with positive reviews, with many critics complimenting its blend of retro and modern electropop music. The album debuted at number 19 on the UK Albums Chart and has been certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). As of May 2005, it had sold nearly 500,000 copies worldwide. Black Cherry yielded four singles, including "Strict Machine", which reached number 20 on the UK Singles Chart. It earned the band a nomination for Best British Dance Act at the 2004 Brit Awards. The album was supported by the Black Cherry Tour (2003–2004). Recording and production The duo wrote three songs while touring in support of their debut album Felt Mountain, but decided to take their work in a different direction with more rhythmic music. Goldfrapp chose to record in a studio in a Bohemian area of Bath, England, because they needed a place to place their equipment and start working. The band began working on the album in January 2002 with a list of songs they wanted to try to record, such as a disco song with only string instruments. The studio's walls were covered in neon lights and Alison Goldfrapp used them to write down her song ideas. They recorded early demos and worked on pre-production using a Yamaha 02R digital mixing console. Goldfrapp held jam sessions with Mark Linkous and Adrian Utley and, after they built momentum writing the album, decided not to move to another studio. The album cover is a collage made by Mat Maitland of photographs taken by Polly Borland featuring Alison with two wolves. Artwork in the liner notes also has a wolf motif, including women with wolf heads. Goldfrapp explained that the wolves are a representation of might and mysticism and that she was "interested in the idea of metamorphosis and humans wanting to be like animals and animals wanting to be like humans." Composition After touring in support of Felt Mountain, Alison stated that she felt performing slow torch songs "really claustrophobic". During their jam sessions, improvisation became a major part of the group's approach