Happiness Bastards

Happiness Bastards
Studio album by the Black Crowes
Released	March 15, 2024
Length	37:54
Label	Silver Arrow
Producer	Jay Joyce
The Black Crowes chronology
1972 (2022) Happiness Bastards (2024)

Happiness Bastards is the ninth studio album by American rock band the Black Crowes, released on March 15, 2024, through Silver Arrow Records. ^{[1] [2]} The album was produced by Jay Joyce. ^[3] It is the band's first album since their 2019 reformation, the first album of new material since 2009's Before the Frost...Until the Freeze , and the first without longtime drummer Steve Gorman. The album was preceded by the single "Wanting and Waiting", released on January 12, 2024. ^[3]

The album received a nomination for Best Rock Album at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards. ^[4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	80/100 [5]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Blues Rock Review	8/10 [6]
Classic Rock	[7]
AllMusic	[8]
Record Collector	[9]
Paste Magazine	7.3/10 [10]
Under The Radar Mag	7/10 [11]
Pop Matters	7/10 [12]

Happiness Bastards received a score of 80 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on nine critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable". ^[5] Classic Rock Magazine said "A rock'n'roll record that's funkier than a tramp's kacks, more soulful than a gospel convention, warmer than a mother's love and groovier than the Grand Canyon." ^[13]

Year-end lists

Select year-end rankings for Happiness Bastards

Publication/critic	Accolade	Rank	Ref.
Loudwire	The 11 Best Rock Albums of 2024	8	[14]
MOJO	75 Best Albums of 2024	43	[15]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Chris Robinson and Rich Robinson.

1. "Bedside Manners" – 3:41
2. "Rats and Clowns" – 3:33
3. "Cross Your Fingers" – 3:49
4. "Wanting and Waiting" – 4:15
5. "Wilted Rose" (featuring Lainey Wilson) – 5:06
6. "Dirty Cold Sun" – 3:05
7. "Bleed It Dry" – 2:56
8. "Flesh Wound" – 3:34
9. "Follow the Moon" – 3:26
10. "Kindred Friend" – 4:29

Personnel

The Black Crowes

• Nico Bereciartúa – guitar
• Erik Deutsch – keyboards
• Brian Griffin – drums
• Sven Pipien – bass, vocals
• Chris Robinson – lead vocals, harp, artwork, design
• Rich Robinson – guitar, vocals

Additional contributors

• Jay Joyce – production, mixing, guitar, keyboards
• Pete Lyman – mastering
• Jason Hall – mixing, engineering
• Daniel Bacigalupi – mastering assistance
• Alex Grimm – engineering assistance
• Jimmy Mansfield – engineering assistance
• Josh Groppel – engineering assistance
• Camille Robinson – artwork, design

Charts

Chart performance for Happiness Bastards

Chart (2024)	Peak position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [16]	44
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [17]	44
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [18]	53
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [19]	29
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [20]	18
Japanese Hot Albums ( Billboard Japan ) [21]	31
Scottish Albums (OCC) [22]	5
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [23]	47
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [24]	11
UK Albums (OCC) [25]	31
UK Independent Albums (OCC) [26]	2
US Billboard 200 [27]	97
US Independent Albums (Billboard) [28]	18
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) [29]	15

References

1. Kaufman, Gil (January 12, 2024). "Black Crowes Prepping First New Album in 15 Years, Happiness Bastards". Billboard . Retrieved January 30, 2024.
2. "The Black Crowes Announce Their First New Album in 15 Years Happiness Bastards". The Black Crowes. January 11, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
3. "The Black Crowes Announce New Album Happiness Bastards". Blabbermouth.net . January 11, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
4. Atkinson, Katie (November 8, 2024). "Grammy Nominations 2025: See the Complete List". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
5. "Happiness Bastards by The Black Crowes Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic . Retrieved April 18, 2024.
6. Beserra, Fidel (April 9, 2024). "The Black Crowes Happiness Bastards". Blues Rock Review . Retrieved April 18, 2024.
7. Carty, Pat (March 19, 2024). ""More soulful than a gospel convention, warmer than a mother's love and groovier than the Grand Canyon": The Black Crowes return in righteous form on Happiness Bastards". Classic Rock . Retrieved April 18, 2024.
8. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (March 15, 2024). "Happinesss Bastards The Black Crowes". AllMusic . Retrieved April 18, 2024.
9. Staunton, Terry (March 27, 2024). "Happiness Bastards Black Crowes". Record Collector . Retrieved April 18, 2024.
10. Denton, Eric (March 14, 2024). "The Black Crowes Come Blazing Back on Happiness Bastards". Paste Magazine. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
11. Valish, Frank (March 18, 2024). "The Black Crowes Happiness Bastards". Under The Radar Magazine. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
12. Elliott, Michael (March 11, 2024). "The Wanting and Waiting is Over as The Black Crowes Return". Pop Matters. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
13. Carty, Pat (March 19, 2024). ""More soulful than a gospel convention, warmer than a mother's love and groovier than the Grand Canyon": The Black Crowes return in righteous form on Happiness Bastards". Classic Rock Magazine . Retrieved April 19, 2024.
14. Childers, Chad (December 12, 2024). "The 11 Best Rock Albums of 2024 Ranked". Loudwire . Retrieved June 11, 2025.
15. "MOJO's 75 Best Albums of 2024". albumoftheyear.org. November 11, 2024. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
16. "Austriancharts.at – The Black Crowes – Happiness Bastards" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
17. "Ultratop.be – The Black Crowes – Happiness Bastards" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
18. "Ultratop.be – The Black Crowes – Happiness Bastards" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
19. "Dutchcharts.nl – The Black Crowes – Happiness Bastards" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
20. "Offiziellecharts.de – The Black Crowes – Happiness Bastards" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
21. "Billboard Japan Hot Albums – Week of March 20, 2024". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved March 20, 2024.
22. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
23. "The Black Crowes – Happiness Bastards". Productores de Música de España . Retrieved March 31, 2024.
24. "Swisscharts.com – The Black Crowes – Happiness Bastards". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
25. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
26. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
27. "The Black Crowes Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
28. "The Black Crowes Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
29. "The Black Crowes Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 26, 2024.