Static (Cults album)

Static
Studio album by Cults
Released 15 October 2013
Recorded 2012-2013, SMT Studios, Treefort Studios, Maze Studios (Atlanta)
Genre Indie rock, pop
Length 34:56
Label Columbia Records
Producer Cults, Shane Stoneback, Ben H. Allen III
Cults chronology
Cults
(2011)		 Static
(2013)
Singles from Static
  1. "I Can Hardly Make You Mine"
    Released: August 13, 2013
  2. "High Road"
    Released: September 3, 2013

Static is the second studio album by New York pop duo Cults, released by Columbia Records on 15 October 2013.[1]

Album title and themes

Of the album's title, band member Brian Oblivion said, "There's a feeling our generation has. The feeling there's always something better around the corner, that everyone is born to be a star. The feeling that life is waiting for you, and yet it’s not happening. All of that is static."[2] Oblivion has also said, "I've fallen in love with the idea of static over the last year...When we were making this record, we put a couple of broken TVs on the mixing board and we'd turn the lights off, stare at them, and listen to the songs to see if the glow felt right."[3]

Much of the discussion of the album was centered on the personal break-up of band members Madeline and Brian. Robert Ham of Paste wrote, "Fortunately or unfortunately for Cults, the release of [Static] is going to be clouded with the news that the couple behind the music—singer/lyricist Madeline Follin and guitarist Brian Oblivion—split up last year."[4] He also wrote, "What will hopefully rise to the surface for those folks picking through these songs is how strong the music is here."[4] Heather Fares of Allmusic wrote, "...breakups often provide plenty of songwriting fodder. Writing and performing songs with an ex, as Cults did on their second album, Static, is probably a special circle of hell, but when the results are this good, it's worth it."[1] She continued to say, "The album's imagery hints at Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion's breakup...and yet their music is stronger than ever, balancing the elements they set forth on their debut with fewer gimmicks and more complexity."[1]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic74/100[5]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Under the Radar[6]
Consequence of Sound[7]
Spin7/10[8]
Pitchfork6.8/10[9]
Sputnikmusic3/5[10]
Paste7.8/10[4]
Slant Magazine[11]
This Is Fake DIY[12]
Boston Globe80/100[13]

Static has received generally favorable reviews from several mainstream critic websites. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 75 out of 100, which indicates "Generally Favorable Reviews," based on 19 reviews.[5]

Track listing

Music and Lyrics by Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion

  1. "I Know" - 1:42
  2. "I Can Hardly Make You Mine" - 3:30
  3. "Always Forever" - 3:43
  4. "High Road" - 4:28
  5. "Were Before" - 3:01
  6. "So Far" - 3:29
  7. "Keep Your Head Up" - 3:38
  8. "TV Dream" - 1:02
  9. "We've Got It" - 3:25
  10. "Shine a Light" - 3:14
  11. "No Hope" - 3:44

Personnel

Cults
  • Madeline Follin – vocals, production
  • Brian Oblivion – vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, production
Additional musicians
Technical personnel
  • Shane Stoneback – production
  • Ben H. Allen III – additional production, mixing
  • Steve Fallone – mastering
  • Brian Herman – assistant engineer
  • Summer jones – assistant engineer
  • Paul Kostabi – pre-production
Art direction
  • Dave Bett – art direction, design
  • Jeff Striker – art direction, design
  • Dustyn L. Peterman – drawing
  • Ben Pier – photography

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Heather Phares. "Static - Cults | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-10-15.
  2. ↑ "Cults Share Cover Art, Tracklist for New Album Static | News". Pitchfork. 2013-08-29. Retrieved 2013-10-15.
  3. ↑ "Update: Cults | Features". Pitchfork. 2013-09-25. Retrieved 2013-10-15.
  4. 1 2 3 Robert Ham (2013-10-15). "Cults: Static :: Music :: Reviews". Paste. Retrieved 2013-10-15.
  5. 1 2 "Static Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2013-10-15.
  6. ↑ J. Pace. "Cults: Static (Columbia) - album review". Under the Radar. Retrieved 2013-10-15.
  7. ↑ "Album Review: Cults – Static". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 2013-10-15.
  8. ↑ Kamps, Garrett. "Cults, 'Static' Review". Spin. Retrieved 2013-10-15.
  9. ↑ "Cults: Static | Album Reviews". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2013-10-15.
  10. ↑ "Review: Cults - Static". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 2013-10-15.
  11. ↑ "Cults: Static | Music Review". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2013-10-15.
  12. ↑ Wright, Danny. "Cults – Static". This Is Fake DIY. Retrieved October 18, 2013.
  13. ↑ Luke O'Neil (2013-10-14). "ALBUM REVIEW: Cults, 'Static' - Music". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2013-10-18.
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