| A Softer Focus | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 9, 2021 | |||
| Genre | Ambient [1] | |||
| Length | 33:21 | |||
| Label | American Dreams | |||
| Claire Rousay chronology | ||||
| ||||
A Softer Focus is a 2021 studio album by Canadian-American musician Claire Rousay released on April 9, 2021, via American Dreams. [2]
Rousay conceived of A Softer Focus in collaboration with longtime friend and artist Dani Toral, who created the album cover, music videos, and other visual materials. Toral, a ceramicist, also crafted ceramic whistles included with the special edition vinyl record of the album. [2]
With the album's more traditional instrumentation and melodic structures, A Softer Focus marked a creative departure from Rousay's previous works, more experimental compositions which drew heavily from field recordings. [3]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 82/100 [4] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Beats Per Minute | 82% [5] |
| Exclaim! | 8/10 [3] |
| Pitchfork | 7.6/10 [1] |
| PopMatters | 8/10 [6] |
| Under the Radar | 7.5/10 [7] |
According to the review aggregator Metacritic , A Softer Focus received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 82 out of 100 from 7 critic scores. [4] Critics including Tom Piekarski of Exclaim! and Chris Ingalls of PopMatters characterized the album as a successful venture into more "accessible" material for Rousay. [3] [6] Robert Barry of The Quietus praised A Softer Focus as "a singular meditation on life and memory that never falls into the traps of nostalgia." [8]
In addition to naming the album among the best jazz and experimental releases of 2021, Pitchfork recognized A Softer Focus as one of that year's 50 best albums overall. [9] [10]
| Critic/Publication | List | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pitchfork | The 50 Best Albums of 2021 | 30 | [10] |
All tracks are written and recorded by Claire Rousay.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Preston Ave" | 1:36 |
| 2. | "Discrete (The Market)" | 6:34 |
| 3. | "Peak Chroma" | 8:48 |
| 4. | "Diluted Dreams" | 8:35 |
| 5. | "Stoned Gesture" | 4:49 |
| 6. | "A Kind of Promise" | 2:59 |
| Total length: | 33:21 | |
Credits adapted from the American Dreams website. [2]
| Region | Date | Label(s) | Format(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | April 9, 2021 | American Dreams | [2] |
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