| Cusp | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 9, 2018 | |||
| Studio | Flora Recording & Playback [1] | |||
| Length | 38:08 | |||
| Label | Allpoints | |||
| Producer | Peter M. Murray | |||
| Alela Diane chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 87/100 [2] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| The 405 | 8/10 [3] |
| The Guardian |   [4] |
| MusicOMH | [5] |
| PopMatters | 8/10 [6] |
| Sputnikmusic | 3.8/5 [7] |
Cusp is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Alela Diane. It was released on February 9, 2018, by AllPoints Recordings. [8]
The album was recorded at Flora Recording & Playback, alongside producer Peter M. Murray. [1]
The first music video to "Émigré" was released on December 1, 2017. [9]
The second single "Ether and Wood" was released on January 12, 2018. [10] Diane explained the single "is a reflection on the different lives that are lived within a lifetime. The doors along the way that often open and close without notice. I live in a very old house, and love thinking about all the people who lived and died within these walls." [11]
Cusp was met with "universal acclaim" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 87 based on 7 reviews. [2]
Nicholas Glover of The 405 explained how the album revolves around mother and daughterhood that is "brought to life in the music by a straightened, glittering piano backing and gently pulling strings." [3] Writing for The Guardian, Dave Simpson said: "Her thoughtful, dreamy vocals drift across a grand piano, providing both pretty and wistful songs with emotional wallop. The album title comes from [Diane]'s near-death during childbirth, and her subsequent realisation that we are forever "on the cusp" between death and life, heartbreak and euphoria, all of which are in fulsome supply here." [4]
The release appeared on international charts, debuting at number 109 on the Belgian Ultratop Flanders chart, [12] number 88 on the Belgian Ultratop Wallonia chart, [13] number 106 in France, [14] number 173 in Netherlands, [15] and number 84 in Switzerland. [16]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Albatross" | 3:53 |
| 2. | "The Threshold" | 2:58 |
| 3. | "Moves Us Blind" | 2:57 |
| 4. | "Émigré" | 3:11 |
| 5. | "Never Easy" | 3:43 |
| 6. | "Song for Sandy" | 3:45 |
| 7. | "Buoyant" | 3:15 |
| 8. | "Ether & Wood" | 4:23 |
| 9. | "Yellow Gold" | 3:20 |
| 10. | "So Tired" | 3:43 |
| 11. | "Wild Ceaseless Song" | 3:00 |
| Chart (2018) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [12] | 109 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [13] | 88 |
| French Albums (SNEP) [14] | 106 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [15] | 173 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [16] | 84 |
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