| Grey Tickles, Black Pressure | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 9, 2015 | |||
| Recorded | 2014–2015 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 57:23 | |||
| Label | Bella Union | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| John Grant chronology | ||||
| ||||
Grey Tickles, Black Pressure is the third solo album by American musician John Grant. It was released via Bella Union on October 9, 2015.
The album's title stems from the literal translation of two foreign phrases: "grey tickles" is an Icelandic phrase for approaching middle age, while "black pressure" is the Turkish term for a nightmare. [1] Grant stated that he wanted to get "angrier and moodier" on the album, although he enjoyed the process of making it more than his previous two. [2]
The album's trailer features Grant in the midst of a psychotic break, covered in blood and wielding a croquet mallet as a weapon. He described it as a fantasy of "what [he] would like to do every time somebody calls [him] a faggot". [2] The album features three guests: English singer Tracey Thorn features on the track "Disappointing", American singer Amanda Palmer provides backing vocals on "You & Him", and English drummer Budgie plays the drums on every track. The latter would also go on tour as Grant's drummer.
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 8.1/10 [3] |
| Metacritic | 82/100 [4] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| The Guardian | [6] |
| The Independent | [7] |
| The Irish Times | [8] |
| Mojo | [9] |
| The Observer | [10] |
| Q | [11] |
| Record Collector | [12] |
| Rolling Stone |  [13] |
| Uncut | 8/10 [14] |
The album received acclaim. [4] NME named it "one of the albums of the year" and praised both its personal lyrics and pop melodies. [15] On their own lists of the best albums of the year, The Guardian and Rough Trade respectively placed it at No. 38 [16] and No. 11. [17] Time named the 11th track on the album, "Disappointing", as the fifth best song of 2015. [18]
| Publication | Accolade | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| The Guardian | The Best Albums of 2015 | 38 |
| Rough Trade | Albums of the Year 2015 | 11 |
All tracks are written by John Grant
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro" | 1:36 |
| 2. | "Grey Tickles, Black Pressure" | 5:30 |
| 3. | "Snug Slacks" | 4:11 |
| 4. | "Guess How I Know" | 3:34 |
| 5. | "You & Him" | 3:26 |
| 6. | "Down Here" | 4:09 |
| 7. | "Voodoo Doll" | 3:07 |
| 8. | "Global Warming" | 4:04 |
| 9. | "Magma Arrives" | 5:02 |
| 10. | "Black Blizzard" | 4:48 |
| 11. | "Disappointing" | 4:56 |
| 12. | "No More Tangles" | 6:09 |
| 13. | "Geraldine" | 6:22 |
| 14. | "Outro" | 0:30 |
Primary musicians
Additional musicians
| Chart (2015) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [19] | 46 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [20] | 87 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [21] | 34 |
| French Albums (SNEP) [22] | 122 |
| Irish Albums (IRMA) [23] | 3 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI) [24] | 99 |
| New Zealand Albums (Recorded Music NZ) [25] | 27 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [26] | 21 |
| UK Albums (OCC) [27] | 5 |
| US Top Heatseekers Albums ( Billboard ) [28] | 20 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC) [29] | 2 |
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