Believer (Smerz album)

Last updated

Believer
Believer (Smerz album).jpg
Studio album by
Smerz
Released26 February 2021 (2021-02-26)
Length46:48
Label XL
Producer
  • Catharina Stoltenberg
  • Henriette Motzfeldt
Smerz chronology
Believer
(2021)		Før og etter
(2021)

Believer is the debut studio album by Smerz, a Norwegian music duo consisting of Catharina Stoltenberg and Henriette Motzfeldt. [1] It was released on 26 February 2021 through XL Recordings. [2] It received generally favorable reviews from critics. [3]

Contents

Background

Believer was produced in various remote cabins in Norway. [4] Some of the album's lyrics were written in the woods. [4] The creation of the album took place while the members Catharina Stoltenberg and Henriette Motzfeldt were completing degrees.​ [4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 73/100 [3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Beats Per Minute 60% [6]
The Line of Best Fit 8/10 [7]
MusicOMH Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [8]
Pitchfork 7.7/10 [9]
PopMatters 7/10 [10]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic , Believer received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 73 out of 100 from 7 critic scores. [3]

Ethan Reis of Beats Per Minute commented that the album is "less club-oriented than previous releases, instead incorporating more violin and classical instruments to achieve a synthesis of classical and dance music that is occasionally inscrutable." [6] Parker Desautell of PopMatters stated, "Both lyrically and sonically, Believer is a bold, risk-taking LP that charts a wild, uneven course through trance, classical, R&B, and hip-hop." [10] He added, "Sometimes it conjures images of the snowy Norwegian countryside, and other times it drops you squarely on the dancefloor." [10]

Pitchfork included the album's title track, "Believer", on its list of "The Best Progressive Pop Music of 2021". [11]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Catharina Stoltenberg and Henriette Motzfeldt.

Believer track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Gitarriff"2:06
2."Max"4:17
3."Believer"4:12
4."Versace Strings"2:03
5."Rain"4:14
6."4 Temaer"1:53
7."Hester"4:54
8."Flashing"2:40
9."The Favourite"1:43
10."Rap Interlude"0:35
11."Sonette"2:07
12."Glassbord"2:57
13."Grand Piano"1:43
14."Missy"1:06
15."I Don't Talk About That Much"3:51
16."Hva Hvis"2:31
Total length:46:48

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes. [12]

References

  1. ↑ Moen, Matt (13 January 2021). "Smerz Makes a 'Believer' Out of Us". Paper . Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  2. ↑ H, Rob (13 January 2021). "Smerz announce debut album and share glitch-pop title track "Believer"". Beats Per Minute . Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 "Believer by Smerz". Metacritic . Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 Guzman, Ivan (23 February 2021). "The strange and alluring sound of Smerz". The Face . Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  5. ↑ Simpson, Paul. "Believer - Smerz". AllMusic . Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  6. 1 2 Reis, Ethan (26 February 2021). "Album Review: Smerz – Believer". Beats Per Minute . Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  7. ↑ Dillman, Connor (24 February 2021). "On Believer, Smerz breathe Nordic heritage into their experimental tendencies". The Line of Best Fit . Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  8. ↑ Johnson, Steven (26 February 2021). "Smerz – Believer". MusicOMH . Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  9. ↑ Torres, Eric (25 February 2021). "Smerz: Believer". Pitchfork . Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  10. 1 2 3 Desautell, Parker (22 March 2021). "Smerz's 'Believers' Is a Wild, Uneven Ride Through Trance, Hip-Hop, and Classical". PopMatters . Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  11. ↑ "The Best Progressive Pop Music of 2021". Pitchfork . 14 December 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  12. ↑ Smerz (2021). Believer (CD booklet). XL Recordings.
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