How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last? is the second studio album by American indie duo Big Red Machine, which consists of musicians Aaron Dessner and Justin Vernon. It was released on August 27, 2021, via 37d03d and Jagjaguwar record labels. Dessner stated the album is built around themes of childhood, familial dynamics, and mental health. He cited The Last Waltz, the 1978 live album by the Band, as an inspiration for the record.
The album is a collaborative effort featuring guest vocals from an array of artists–Anaïs Mitchell, Taylor Swift, Fleet Foxes, Ilsey, Naeem, Sharon Van Etten, Lisa Hannigan, Shara Nova, La Force, Ben Howard and This Is the Kit. Musically, the record is a mostly slow-paced pop album, consisting of midtempo songs led by soft pianos and guitars, as well as drawing from the indie rock and electronic styles of Dessner and Vernon, respectively. The subject matter covered in the album includes a variety of sombre themes, such as love, loss, grief, nostalgia, reconciliation, and the odyssey of life. Five singles preceded the album: "Latter Days" featuring Mitchell, "The Ghost of Cincinnati", "Renegade" featuring Swift, "Phoenix" featuring Mitchell and Fleet Foxes, and "Mimi" featuring Ilsey. Upon release, How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last? was met with generally positive comments from music critics, who mostly complimented its melancholic lyrics, stylistic sound, and guest contributions, but cited its frequently monotonous instrumentation as a drawback.
In December 2020, Dessner revealed that American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, who he had worked with on her eighth studio album Folklore, had written two songs, "Closure" and "Dorothea", for Big Red Machine's forthcoming project. However, the songs landed on her ninth studio album, Evermore, instead.[4]
Writing and recording
This is all music I initially generated and feel emotionally connected to, but it has been very interesting to hear how different people relate to it and how different voices collide with it. That's what makes it special. With everyone that's on this record, there's an openness, a creative generosity and an emotional quality that connects it all together.
Dessner described the album as a collaborative project. The collaborations are with the artists who Dessner and Vernon had been working with in 2020. Unlike its predecessor Big Red Machine, which leaned heavily on Vernon's voice, How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last? features an array of guest vocalists, such as Anaïs Mitchell, Taylor Swift, American indie-folk band Fleet Foxes, American singer-songwriter Ilsey, American rapper Naeem (popularly known as Spank Rock), American singer-songwriter Sharon Van Etten, Irish musician Lisa Hannigan, American musician Shara Nova (of band My Brightest Diamond), La Force (solo project of Canadian indie pop singer Ariel Engle), English singer-songwriter Ben Howard, and British folk rock musician This Is The Kit; Notably, Mitchell is featured on three tracks, while Swift is on two.[6]
Dessner provided lead vocals for the first time in his career, on three tracks; they are "Magnolia", "Brycie" and "The Ghost of Cincinnati". Mitchell stated Dessner was nervous about having his own lead vocals on the songs and that she encouraged him to "absolutely" record his own, especially after his work with Swift on Folklore and Evermore, Mitchel felt that it is "nice to have people get a look behind that curtain, to get to know the person who's behind a bunch of this stuff."[7] "The Ghost of Cincinnati" was a song that Dessner had meant for Swift's project, but she convinced him it fit Big Red Machine's record more.[6] It was inspired by a screenplay called Dandelion by filmmaker Nicole Riegel, who also co-wrote the lyrics. Dessner said the song is about "someone who feels like a ghost, stalking the streets of their hometown, interrogating the past and contemplating their fate".[8] "Brycie" is one of the first songs Dessner wrote for the album. He wrote it to express gratitude to his twin brother and National bandmate, Bryce Dessner, who "saw him through bouts of depression".[7]
Much of the album was recorded at Dessner's Long Pond Studio in Hudson Valley, New York,[9] from 2018 through 2021.[6] The collaborations with Swift, "Birch" and "Renegade", were recorded at her Los Angeles in-home studio, Kitty Committee, in the same week they had won the Album of the Year for Folklore at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.[3] Dessner stated that Swift was "very helpful and engaged" with the band throughout the recording process.[10] Many of the album's tracks were tested on-road at Big Red Machine concerts around the world, including "Easy To Sabotage" and "Reese". Dessner stated he was using the project "to really try different things, and find the connection between my different impulses".[9]
"Phoenix" was one of the last songs written for the album. Vernon first conceived the melody of the song's chorus while driving, and Dessner forwarded its sketch to American singer-songwriter Robin Pecknold, the vocalist of Fleet Foxes, whom Dessner had been "dreaming" to collaborate on the album. Nico Lang and Pecknold wrote the song's verses and pre-chorus in form of a dialogue with Vernon, recalling a conversation Pecknold and Vernon once had backstage in Phoenix, Arizona. Mitchell penned the lyrics to the chorus, with drums by JT Bates.[11] "Mimi" was written by Dessner, Vernon, and Ilsey in isolation, inspired by the former's gratitude towards his children. James Krivchenia provided the drums in the song.[12]
Dessner said that he viewed How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last? as a version of The Last Waltz, the 1978 album by Canadian rock band the Band. For its instrumentation, he took cues the Band, and American rock band Grateful Dead as well.[11] The orchestrations of How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last? were composed by Bryce Dessner.[9]
Promotion and release
A promotional collage posted by Big Red Machine, depicting all of the vocalists in How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last?
On June 27, 2021, a cryptic video teaser was posted to Big Red Machine's social media accounts. It featured layered, multi-colored visuals, depicting Vernon and Dessner, and shots of Swift's handwriting.[13] Two days later, the band announced their second studio album, titled How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last?, would be released on August 27, 2021,[14] by the band's own record label 37D03D[15] and American independent label Jagjaguwar. The band also revealed the cover artwork and the track listing.[14] The digital, CD, vinyl and cassette versions of the album were made available for pre-order.[6][16] On August 9, 2021, Dessner was interviewed by Elton John on Apple Music 1 about How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last?[17][18] On August 10, 2021, Big Red Machine, Mitchell, and Pecknold performed "Phoenix", and debuted the track "New Auburn" live on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.[19] An interview of Dessner by music journalist Jon Pareles was published on The New York Times on August 19, 2021, in which Dessner explained the album's making.[7]
Singles
"Latter Days" featuring American singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell was launched as the first single from the album, a song Vernon had debuted live in October 2020 during a Visit With Vernon live session.[5][1] Dessner stated, "It was clear to Anaïs that the early sketch Justin and I made of 'Latter Days' was about childhood, or loss of innocence and nostalgia for a time before you've grown into adulthood — before you've hurt people or lost people and made mistakes. She defined the whole record when she sang that, as these same themes kept appearing again and again."[20] "The Ghost of Cincinnati" was released as the next single on June 30, 2021.[8]
"Renegade", featuring Swift, was released on July 2, 2021, as the third single from the album.[21] It was serviced to U.S. adult album alternative radio the same day,[22] and the adult contemporary radio on July 12, 2021.[23] "Renegade" marked Big Red Machine's first entry on various record charts around the globe. In the United States, the song arrived at number 73 on the Billboard Hot 100, number seven on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart, and topped the Alternative Digital Songs Sales chart.[24] "Phoenix", featuring Mitchell and Fleet Foxes, impacted U.S. adult album alternative radio on August 2, 2021, as the fourth single.[25][15] "Mimi", featuring Ilsey, was released on August 5, 2021, as the next single.[26]
Title and artwork
Swift suggested the lyric written by Mitchell, "How long do you think it's gonna last?", in the track "Latter Days", as the title for the album.[27] The promotional photos for the album were shot and edited by photographer Graham Tolbert.[28] The cover artwork is an edited "preschool-era" photograph of Aaron and Bryce Dessner, and their sister Jessica[9] from their visit to their grandmother Stella's nursing home in 1980. Aaron Dessner explained that his grandmother was the first person the siblings had lost to death, and that "somehow it felt fitting" to put her and themselves in the album cover.[6]
How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last? centers on themes of childhood, family dynamics, mental health,[9] friends, love, break-ups, reconciliation, grief,[29] wistful nostalgia, regret, among others.[30] Musically, the album is a pop record,[31] consisting of songs generally set to slower tempos.[32] It incorporates indie rock styles[33] and glitchy electronic elements.[30] Driven by soft pianos and guitars,[33] its tracks are characterized by their traditional song structures and fully "fleshed-out" arrangements.[31]
It consists of 15 tracks, nine of which feature vocals from guest acts.[6] "Latter Days" is a piano ballad with an atmospheric texture, in which Mitchell's voice melds with Vernon's falsetto.[14] "Reese" is a piano-led,[34]folk rock tune.[31] "Birch" is a "jazzy"[31] duet between Swift and Vernon.[34] It is a stripped-back song driven by a piano.[29] "Renegade" features Swift's lead vocals, and discusses the role of fear and anxiety in love.[34] "Phoenix" is a country rock song,[31] titled after Phoenix, Arizona.[35] "The Ghost of Cincinnati" is an acoustic tune, completely sung by Dessner.[34] It is about introspection and contemplation of past[8] while taking a stroll through hometown like ghost haunting the streets.[36] "Mimi" is titled after Dessner's youngest daughter.[12] "Easy to Sabotage" incorporates recordings of its live performances at two different shows in New York,[9] and makes use of auto-tune.[29] It features improvised "semi-raps" from Vernon and Naeem over rough drums.[36] "Hutch", featuring "haunting" harmonies by Van Etten, Hannigan and Nova,[29] is a tribute to late Frightened Rabbit frontman Scott Hutchison, a close friend of Aaron Dessner.[9][6] "June's a River" is a folk love song, blending vocals from Howard and This Is The Kit in "lush harmony".[29] A tribute to Bryce Dessner, "Brycie" begins with folk guitars and grows into a patchwork of organic and synthetic sounds behind Aaron Dessner's gentle vocals. The closing track, "New Auburn", is set in Wisconsin, having its narrator reminisce over childhood road trips.[7]
How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last? received positive reviews upon release. At Metacritic, the album received a score of 76 out of 100 based on fifteen reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[38]
Ian Gormely of Exclaim! dubbed the album a "masterclass" in production, and an "austere collection" of songs successfully blending Vernon's fondness for electronic music with Dessner's guitar and piano compositions.[33]NME critic Elizabeth Audrey wrote the album's lyrics encompass "the full range of human emotion", while its music takes a braver direction than Big Red Machine's debut record.[29]AllMusic's Marcy Donelson described How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last? as a mellow, poignant, and immersive collection of songs adhering to "a dreamy, wistful, midtempo universe", seeing guest vocalists "float in and out of duets."[39] Sputnikmusic said How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last? is an experiment that could have failed, "drowned under the weight of its expectations and indie-sphere clout before it had a chance to breathe", but the sheer flair of Vernon-Dessner collaboration "makes it soar instead."[36]
Sean Kerwick of DIY commented "there's a terrific bounty to be enjoyed in the centre of the Vernon-Dessner Venn diagram", appreciating their chemistry and guest singers' contributions.[43] Jeremy Winograd of Slant stated the album is a "somber affair" like much of Dessner's works, but the guest vocalists and songwriting collaborators help the record reach "a much broader musical palette."[31]Pitchfork critic Hannah Jocelyn dubbed it a solid record with a pleasant tone, but not a very innovative one for the band's discography, highlighting the presence of Dessner's "repetitive" piano chords in nearly all of its tracks.[40] Music journalist Alexis Petridis expressed a slightly mixed opinion in his review on The Guardian. He admired Dessner's voice and called it the "most striking" amongst all of the featured vocalists, but stated the album feels longer than it is, due to its static tone, and some tracks more sentimental than they need to be.[30]
The National is an American rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio, formed in Brooklyn, New York City, in 1999. The band consists of Matt Berninger (vocals), twin brothers Aaron Dessner and Bryce Dessner, as well as brothers Scott Devendorf (bass) and Bryan Devendorf (drums). During live performances, the band is joined by longtime touring members, Ben Lanz and Kyle Resnick. Carin Besser, the wife of Berninger, is not a band member but has written lyrics for the band alongside her husband since its 2007 album Boxer.
Justin DeYarmond Edison Vernon is an American singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist. He is best-known as the primary songwriter and frontman of indie folk band Bon Iver. He is also a member of the bands Volcano Choir, Big Red Machine, the Shouting Matches, and Gayngs, and was previously a member of the now-defunct band DeYarmond Edison. Known for his distinct falsetto voice, Vernon has received widespread acclaim for his work, predominantly with Bon Iver.
Aaron Brooking Dessner is an American musician. He is best known as a founding member of the rock band The National, with whom he has recorded nine studio albums; a co-founder of the indie rock duo Big Red Machine, teaming with Bon Iver's Justin Vernon; and a collaborator on Taylor Swift's critically acclaimed studio albums Folklore and Evermore, both of which contended for the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 2021 and 2022, respectively, with the former winning the accolade; as well as The Tortured Poets Department (2024).
"Breathe" is a song by Taylor Swift featuring Colbie Caillat from Swift's second studio album, Fearless (2008). Swift wrote the song with Caillat and produced it with Nathan Chapman. A pop rock ballad, "Breathe" incorporates strummed acoustic instruments and a string section. The lyrics are about heartbreak from losing a close friend. Big Machine Records released the track onto Rhapsody on October 21, 2008. Music critics found "Breathe" a sentimental song with resonant lyrics, but some deemed it insubstantial. The song was nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards in 2010.
"Better Man" is a song by American country group Little Big Town. It was released on October 20, 2016, as the lead single from the group's eighth studio album, The Breaker (2017). American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift wrote the song, intending to include it on her fourth studio album, Red (2012), but the song did not make the final track list. She passed the song to Little Big Town in 2016, believing the group's vocal harmonies suited it.
Big Red Machine is an American indie folk band that began as a collaboration between musicians Aaron Dessner and Justin Vernon. The band is named after the nickname for the dominant 1970s Cincinnati Reds baseball team, which won the 1976 World Series in Dessner's birth year.
Big Red Machine is the debut studio album by American musicians Aaron Dessner and Justin Vernon as Big Red Machine. Dessner is most famous for being a founding member, instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer for The National, and Vernon for being the founding member and frontman of Bon Iver. The majority of the album was recorded in Dessner's shed studio in the Hudson Valley.
Folklore is the eighth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was surprise-released on July 24, 2020, via Republic Records. Swift recorded her vocals in her Los Angeles home studio and worked virtually with the producers Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff, who operated from their studios in the Hudson Valley and New York City.
"Peace" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her eighth studio album, Folklore (2020). Swift wrote the song with its producer, Aaron Dessner. According to Swift, "Peace" is her most personal song on Folklore. It has a minimal composition of a soft piano and harmonized guitars over an electric pulse, combining elements of R&B, funk, and jazz. In the lyrics, Swift's character pledges her commitment to a lover while acknowledging the downsides she might bring to their relationship.
"Epiphany" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her eighth studio album, Folklore (2020). Swift wrote the song with its producer Aaron Dessner over an ambient-chamber pop composition consisting of a slow piano line, cinematic strings and howling brass.
"Exile" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift featuring the American band Bon Iver. It is from Swift's eighth studio album, Folklore (2020). "Exile" was written by Swift, Joe Alwyn, and Bon Iver's frontman Justin Vernon, with production by Aaron Dessner and Alwyn. Republic Records released the song to US alternative radio on August 3, 2020.
"Invisible String" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her eighth studio album, Folklore (2020). She wrote the song with its producer, Aaron Dessner. The lyrics are about how fate brings two soulmates together and refer to specific moments from their lives, containing references to the literature classics Jane Eyre and The Sun Also Rises. Musically, "Invisible String" is a folk tune with elements of blues, pop, and country. Its spare acoustic arrangement is driven by acoustic guitar strums on a rubber bridge and vocal backbeats.
"The 1" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift and the opening track from her eighth studio album, Folklore (2020). She wrote the song with its producer, Aaron Dessner. A folk and soft rock tune with elements of indie folk, "The 1" sets Swift's conversational vocals over a production consisting of piano and percussion. In its lyrics, the narrator fondly introspects a failed romance and details the time when she found "the one" who never came to be. Republic Records released the song for download in Germany on October 9, 2020.
Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions is a 2020 American documentary concert film directed and produced by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, released on Disney+ on November 25, 2020. The documentary is set at Long Pond Studio, an isolated recording studio in a forested area in the Hudson Valley, New York; Swift performs all of the 17 tracks of her eighth studio album, Folklore (2020), whilst discussing the creative process behind the songs with her collaborators Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff. Swift made her debut as a film director with the documentary, which is her fourth film to be released on a streaming service, following the releases of The 1989 World Tour Live (2015), Taylor Swift: Reputation Stadium Tour (2018), and Miss Americana (2020).
Evermore is the ninth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was a surprise album released on December 11, 2020, via Republic Records, less than five months after her previous studio album Folklore. Evermore was a spontaneous product of Swift's extended collaboration with her Folklore collaborator Aaron Dessner, mainly recorded at his Long Pond Studio in the Hudson Valley.
"Dorothea" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her ninth studio album, Evermore (2020). Swift wrote the song with its producer, Aaron Dessner. The lyrics are from the perspective of an unnamed character reminiscing an old relationship with Dorothea when they were in their adolescence. It tells the story of how the two reconcile when Dorothea returns from Hollywood to their hometown Tupelo for the holiday season. The narrator confesses to Dorothea that they still love her despite the change and hope to reconcile the long lost connection.
"Coney Island" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift featuring the American band the National. Swift, Joe Alwyn, and the brothers Aaron and Bryce Dessner wrote the song for Swift's ninth studio album, Evermore (2020). The track was produced by the Dessner brothers, and Matt Berninger contributed guest vocals. An alternative rock and indie folk track, "Coney Island" has lyrics depicting a separated couple's memories in Coney Island. Swift and Berninger respectively sings about their character's perspective reflecting on their past relationship.
"Renegade" is a song recorded by American indie band Big Red Machine featuring American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, released on July 2, 2021, by 37d03d and Jagjaguwar. It was serviced to US triple-A radio on the same day as the third single from the band's second studio album, How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last? (2021).
"Nothing New" is a song by the American singer-songwriters Taylor Swift featuring Phoebe Bridgers. Swift wrote the song in March 2012 and produced it with Aaron Dessner for her second re-recorded studio album, Red , which was released in 2021 through Republic Records. The track is a guitar-led folk and alternative rock tune about anxieties over romance and growing up.
"I Bet You Think About Me" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift featuring harmony vocals from the American singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton. Swift wrote it with Lori McKenna in June 2011 and intended to include it on her fourth studio album, Red (2012). Although it did not make the cut, it was produced by Swift and Aaron Dessner for Red's re-recorded version, Red (2021). Republic Records and MCA Nashville released the song to US country radio on November 15, 2021.
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