| Death of an Optimist | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | December 4, 2020 | |||
| Recorded | 2019–2020 | |||
| Genre | Rap rock, alternative rock | |||
| Length | 38:00 | |||
| Label | Fueled by Ramen | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Grandson chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Death of an Optimist | ||||
Death of an Optimist is the debut studio album by Canadian-American musician Grandson. The album was released on December 4, 2020, through Fueled by Ramen.
Benjamin's EP, A Modern Tragedy, Vol. 3 was released on September 13, 2019. After the release of the third and final EP of the A Modern Tragedy trilogy, Grandson began working on his first studio album. [3]
The album was first announced on September 23, 2020, with the single "Dirty". [4]
In an interview with NME , Grandson said that Death of an Optimist is a critical outlook of the current state of affairs and of the year 2020 in general saying, "it is both an origin story and an obituary navigating hope, anxiety, and the state of optimism in 2020." [4]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Kerrang! |   [5] |
Initial reaction to the album has been positive. David McLaughlin of Kerrang! praised grandson's blending of sounds, saying, "Here’s an artist unafraid of flexing his creativity, exploring sounds from whatever genre tickles his fancy." [5] The Rock Matters Podcast said, "It’s very much a millennial coming of age album. It’s a guy in his mid-20s trying to cling to hope that real change for a better future is possible. And credit to Grandson. He definitely sounds like he's in for the fight." [6]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Death of an Optimist // Intro" |
|
| 2:31 |
| 2. | "In Over My Head" |
|
| 3:18 |
| 3. | "Identity" |
|
| 3:36 |
| 4. | "Left Behind" |
|
| 3:25 |
| 5. | "Dirty" |
|
| 3:28 |
| 6. | "The Ballad of G and X // Interlude" |
|
| 2:22 |
| 7. | "We Did It!!!" |
|
| 2:49 |
| 8. | "WWIII" |
|
| 3:22 |
| 9. | "Riptide" |
|
| 3:12 |
| 10. | "Pain Shopping" |
|
| 3:17 |
| 11. | "Drop Dead" |
|
| 3:09 |
| 12. | "Welcome to Paradise // Outro" |
|
| 3:31 |
| Total length: | 38:00 | |||
| Chart (2020) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK R&B Albums (OCC) [7] | 28 |
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) [8] | 7 |
Turin Brakes are an English band, comprising original duo of Olly Knights and Gale Paridjanian, and long-term collaborators Rob Allum and Eddie Myer. They had a UK top 5 hit in 2003 with their song "Painkiller ". Since starting out in 1999, the band have sold around one million records worldwide. They are currently signed to Cooking Vinyl.
Bloc Party are an English rock band that was formed in London in 1999 by co-founders Kele Okereke and Russell Lissack. They are joined in the band's current iteration by Louise Bartle and touring bassist Harry Deacon. Former members Matt Tong, Gordon Moakes and Justin Harris left the band in 2013, 2015 and 2023 respectively. Their brand of music, whilst rooted in rock, retains elements of other genres such as electronica and house music.
The Wombats are an English indie rock band formed in Liverpool in 2003, consisting of Matthew Murphy, Tord Øverland Knudsen, and Dan Haggis. They have distribution deals with AWAL and Warner Music Australia. They have sold over 1 million albums worldwide. They created several EPs before releasing their first full album, Girls, Boys and Marsupials (2006), which was released only in Japan.
Matthew Edward Murphy is an English musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of The Wombats, which he co-founded in 2003. He began a solo career under the name Love Fame Tragedy in 2018.
Knife Party are an Australian electronic music duo consisting of Rob Swire and Gareth McGrillen, two members of the drum and bass band Pendulum.
The Evolution of Man is the fourth studio album by English musician Example, released on 19 November 2012 through Ministry of Sound.
Paradise is the third extended play (EP) by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey. It was released on November 9, 2012, in Australasia and November 11, 2012, worldwide by Polydor & Interscope. It was additionally packaged with the reissue of her major-label debut studio album, Born to Die (2012), titled Born to Die: The Paradise Edition. Grant enlisted collaborators including producers Rick Nowels, Justin Parker and Rick Rubin. The album's sound has been described as baroque pop and trip hop.
Saint Cecilia is an EP by American rock band Foo Fighters. It was released as a free digital download on November 23, 2015. Initially intended as a sign of gratitude to the group's fans, the EP was also dedicated to the victims of the terrorist attacks in Paris. A single from the EP, "Saint Cecilia", peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart in 2016.
Jordan Edward Benjamin, known professionally as Grandson, is an American-Canadian singer, songwriter, and musician currently signed to Fueled by Ramen. He released his major label debut EP, A Modern Tragedy Vol. 1, on June 15, 2018, and released the follow-up A Modern Tragedy Vol. 2 on February 22, 2019. The initial EP featured the single "Blood // Water", which appeared on several Billboard charts in the United States and Canada. Benjamin's music focuses on modern-day issues that are less recognized by the media and public. On December 4, 2020, he released his debut studio album, Death of an Optimist, and his second album, I Love You, I'm Trying, was released on May 5, 2023.
Imploding the Mirage is the sixth studio album by American rock band the Killers, released on August 21, 2020, by Island Records in the United States and internationally by EMI. To date, it is the band's only album without lead guitarist Dave Keuning, who took an indefinite hiatus from the band in 2017. Guitar parts are covered by Killers bassist Mark Stoermer, producer Jonathan Rado, and a variety of guest musicians including Lindsey Buckingham and Adam Granduciel.
Love, Death & Dancing is the second studio album by British singer-songwriter and musician Jack Garratt. It was released on 12 June 2020 through Island Records as the follow-up to his 2016 debut album Phase.
Use Me is the third studio album by American rock band Pvris. It was released August 28, 2020, by Warner Records. The album features 11 songs, three of which are featured on the band's 2019 EP, Hallucinations. Use Me is the band's final album to feature lead guitarist Alex Babinski, who was fired from the band following allegations of sexual misconduct two days before the album's release. It is also their only album to be released on Warner before the band signed to Hopeless Records in 2023.
Sex, Death & the Infinite Void is the second studio album by the English rock band Creeper, released on 31 July 2020 by Roadrunner Records. The album was produced by Wax Ltd's Xandy Barry.
"Blastoff" is a song by American hip hop collective and record label Internet Money, featuring performances from American rappers Juice Wrld and Trippie Redd. It was released on August 28, 2020, as the ninth track from Internet Money's debut album B4 the Storm. An emotionally-driven melodic song, it sees the artists crooning about their past relationships. The song is a reworked version of a leaked track called "Tragedy".
Self Care is the debut studio album by Australian rock band Yours Truly, released on 18 September 2020 through UNFD.
David Wrench is a Welsh musician, songwriter, producer and mixer based in London. His work has been nominated for Grammys, Brit Awards and shortlisted for numerous Mercury Prize nominations including the 2017 winning album Process by Sampha. and Arlo Parks 2021 'Collapsed in Sunbeams’. Wrench has been the recipient of the BBC Radio Cymru C2 Producer of the Year award five times in six years between 2007 and 2012 and has received Music Producer Guild Awards (MPGs) including Mix Engineer of the Year 2016 and 2019. Credits include, David Byrne, Frank Ocean, Caribou, Goldfrapp, Erasure, The xx, Sampha, Jamie xx, Jungle, FKA Twigs, Glass Animals, Alma, Hot Chip, Marika Hackman, Honne, Jack Garratt, Manic Street Preachers, Villagers, Courtney Barnett, Austra, Tourist, Richard Russell, Let's Eat Grandma, Young Fathers, Georgia, Bat For Lashes and Race Horses.
American Noir is the sixth extended play (EP) by English rock band Creeper. Written and recorded with producer Xandy Barry during sessions for the group's second studio album Sex, Death & the Infinite Void, it was released on 30 July 2021 by Roadrunner Records. The EP is the band's first release since the departures of guitarist Oliver Burdett and drummer Dan Bratton, and the first since Bratton's replacement Jake Fogarty.
[&] is the fourth extended play by South Korean girl group Loona. It was released on June 28, 2021, by Blockberry Creative and distributed by Kakao Entertainment. The comeback marked the return of member HaSeul, who had been on hiatus due to health issues since early 2020.
Savage is the first extended play by South Korean girl group Aespa. The EP was released by SM Entertainment on October 5, 2021, and is available in three versions—P.O.S, Synk Dive and Hallucination Quest. It contains six songs, including the lead single of the same name.
28 Reasons is the debut extended play by South Korean singer Seulgi. It was released by SM Entertainment on October 4, 2022, and contains six tracks, including the lead single of the same name.
