Horror (Bartees Strange album)

Horror
Studio album by Bartees Strange
Released	February 14, 2025 (2025-02-14)
Length	42:14
Label	4AD
Producer	Bartees Strange Jack Antonoff Jake Bowman Dave Cerminara Chris Connors notcharles Graham Richman Lawrence Rothman Yves Rothman Spencer Stewart Subp Yao
Bartees Strange chronology
Farm to Table (2022) Horror (2025)
Singles from Horror
"Lie 95" Released: July 10, 2024 "Sober" Released: October 1, 2024 "Too Much" Released: October 31, 2024 "Wants Needs" Released: January 14, 2025 "Backseat Banton" Released: February 12, 2025

Horror is the third studio album by American musician Bartees Strange. It was released by 4AD on February 14, 2025, and was met with positive critical reception.

Release

On July 10, 2024, the album's first single, "Lie 95", was released. ^{[1] [2]} On October 1, 2024, Strange announced the album and its release date, alongside the single "Sober". ^{[3] [4]} The album's third single, "Too Much", was released on October 31, 2024. ^[5] "Wants Needs", the album's fourth single, was released on January 14, 2025. ^{[6] [7]} Strange released the album's last single, "Backseat Banton" on February 12, 2025. ^{[8] [9]}

Composition

Horror was co-produced by Jack Antonoff. ^{[10] [11]}

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	81/100 [12]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Clash	8/10 [13]
Dork	5/5 [14]
Far Out	[15]
The Line of Best Fit	7/10 [16]
The Observer	[17]
Paste	7.4/10 [18]
Pitchfork	6.5/10 [19]
PopMatters	9/10 [10]
The Skinny	[20]
Under the Radar	9/10 [21]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic , Horror received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 81 out of 100 from 8 critic scores. ^[12] It received positive reviews from PopMatters , ^[10] The Line of Best Fit , ^[16] Clash , ^[13] Under the Radar , ^[21] and The Skinny . ^[20]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Too Much"	Bartees Cox Graham Richman	Bartees Strange Jack Antonoff Richman	3:34
2.	"Hit It Quit It"	Cox Richman	Strange Jake Bowman Lawrence Rothman Yves Rothman	2:39
3.	"Sober"	Cox Steph Marziano	Strange Antonoff L. Rothman Y. Rothman	3:41
4.	"Baltimore"	Cox	Strange	4:05
5.	"Lie 95"	Cox Kacy Hill Charles Franklin Thompson	Strange Notcharles	2:41
6.	"Wants Needs"	Cox Marziano	Strange Connors Antonoff	4:58
7.	"Lovers"	Cox	Strange Dave Cerminara Subp Yao	3:54
8.	"Doomsday Buttercup"	Cox	Strange Antonoff	2:47
9.	"17"	Cox Marziano	Strange Antonoff L. Rothman Y. Rothman	3:50
10.	"Loop Defenders"	Cox Marziano	Strange Connors	3:28
11.	"Norf Gun"	Cox Andre Gainey Vonne Parks	Strange Bowman Spencer Stewart	3:00
12.	"Backseat Banton"	Cox Marziano	Strange Connors Antonoff	3:31
Total length:				42:14

Personnel

Musicians

• Bartees Strange – vocals (all tracks), bass guitar (tracks 1, 2, 7, 10, 12), programming (1, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12), acoustic guitar (3–5, 8), piano (6), electric guitar (9)
• Graham Richman – piano (tracks 1–3, 9, 12), programming (1, 5, 7, 12), synthesizer (6, 7, 10)
• Victor Indrizzo – drums (tracks 1, 2, 9)
• Jack Antonoff – drums (tracks 1, 6), acoustic guitar (3), programming (6, 8), bass guitar (8), synthesizer (9), piano (12)
• Daniel Kleederman – electric guitar (tracks 3, 4, 6, 9)
• Chris Connors – acoustic guitar (track 3), bass guitar (4, 9), programming (10)
• Jordyn Blakely – drums (tracks 3, 6, 10, 12)
• John Daise – bass guitar (tracks 3, 6)
• Zem Audu – saxophone (tracks 3, 8)
• Joe Kennedy – bass guitar (track 3)
• Sara Galdes – drums (track 4)
• Christina Lieberson – piano (track 4)
• Bobby Hawk – strings (tracks 5, 9)
• Notcharles – bass guitar, programming (track 5)
• Charles Gibbs – vocals (track 5)
• Kacy Hill – vocals (track 5)
• Dave Cerminara – programming (track 7)
• Subp Yao – programming (track 7)
• Sam Dew – vocals (track 8)
• Homer Steinweiss – drums (track 10)
• Spencer Stewart – bass guitar (track 11)
• Jake Bowman – synthesizer (track 11)

Technical

• Ruairi O'Flaherty – mastering
• Andrew Scheps – mixing (tracks 1–11)
• Don Godwin – mixing (track 12)
• Chris Connors – engineering (tracks 1–3, 6, 9, 10)
• Lawrence Rothman – engineering (tracks 1–3, 6, 9)
• Jesse Newport – engineering (tracks 1–3, 8)
• Laura Sisk – engineering (tracks 1, 3, 6, 8, 9, 12)
• Oli Jacobs – engineering (tracks 1, 3, 6, 8, 9, 12)
• Jack Antonoff – engineering (tracks 1, 6, 8, 9, 12)
• Nancy Conforti – engineering (tracks 2, 6, 10)
• John Brooks – engineering (tracks 3, 6, 10)
• Vishal Nayak – engineering (track 4)
• Bartees Strange – engineering (tracks 5, 7–12)
• Notcharles – engineering (track 5)
• Dave Cerminara – engineering (track 7)
• Jake Bowman – engineering (track 11)
• Spencer Stewart – engineering (track 11)

References

1. "Bartees Strange Shares New Single "Lie 95": Listen". Stereogum. July 10, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
2. Kreps, Daniel (July 10, 2024). "Bartees Strange Delivers an Interstate Love Song With New Single 'Lie 95'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
3. Strauss, Matthew (October 1, 2024). "Bartees Strange Announces New Album Horror, Shares Video for New Song "Sober"". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
4. "Bartees Strange Teams With Jack Antonoff On New Single, LP". SPIN. October 1, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
5. "Bartees Strange Shares New Song "Too Much": Listen". Stereogum. October 31, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
6. Murray, Robin (January 14, 2025). "Bartees Strange Shares New Single 'Wants Needs' | News". Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews & Interviews. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
7. "Bartees Strange gets self-aware on new single, "Wants Needs"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
8. Zemler, Emily (February 12, 2025). "Watch Bartees Strange Showcase 'Backseat Banton' on 'Kimmel'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
9. "Bartees Strange Shares The New 'Horror' Single 'Backseat Banton'". UPROXX. February 12, 2025. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
10. Stout, Brian (February 11, 2025). "Bartees Strange Remains Shockingly Great on 'Horror' » PopMatters". PopMatters. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
11. Lewis, Ali (February 12, 2025). "Bartees Strange: "These horrors are things that we're all facing and we can overcome, but it's real"". FastForward Magazine. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
12. Horror by Bartees Strange Reviews and Tracks at Metacritic . Retrieved 2025-03-04.
13. Hague, Lauren (February 12, 2025). "Bartees Strange – Horror | Reviews". Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews & Interviews. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
14. "Bartees Strange – Horror - Dork". Dork . February 12, 2025. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
15. "Bartees Strange - 'Horror' album review". Far Out . February 13, 2025. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
16. Lim, Amaya (February 12, 2025). "Bartees Strange: Horror review – fear factor". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
17. Morris, Damien (February 14, 2025). "Bartees Strange: Horror review – frustratingly timid genre-mashing experiment". The Observer. ISSN   0029-7712 . Retrieved March 5, 2025.
18. "Bartees Strange: 'Horror' Album Review". Paste Magazine. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
19. Schonfeld, Zach. "Bartees Strange: Horror". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
20. Wylie, Alisa (February 12, 2025). "Bartees Strange album review: Horror". The Skinny. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
21. Verity, Alfie (February 13, 2025). "Bartees Strange Horror (4AD) review". Under the Radar. Retrieved February 14, 2025.