| I Play My Bass Loud | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by | |
| Released | 24 February 2023 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 44:53 |
| Label | Third Man |
| Producer | Youth |
I Play My Bass Loud is the debut studio album by English musician Gina Birch, released on 24 February 2023 through Third Man Records. The album was produced by Youth and preceded by the single "Feminist Song" in September 2021. [1] It received acclaim from critics and was ranked on several lists of the best albums of the year.
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 82/100 [2] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Classic Rock | [4] |
| Mojo | [5] |
| Pitchfork | 7.5/10 [6] |
| Uncut | [1] |
| Under the Radar |   [7] |
I Play My Bass Loud received a score of 82 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on six critics' reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". [2] Classic Rock wrote that "for Raincoats fans this is the most similar to their underrated third album Moving , for its fluent, danceable, off-kilter rhythms. For everyone else it's a marvel waiting to be discovered". [4] Fred Thomas of AllMusic felt that it "calls on her roots as a post-punk pioneer with the Raincoats as often as it ventures into new territory with little regard for parameters of genre or limitations of any kind". [3]
Matthew Blackwell of Pitchfork called it "both a celebration of her status as a godmother of feminist rock and a furious protest against the persecution of women", as well as anything but a lonely bedroom-pop album" and "fundamentally a bass album". [6] Mojo 's Lucy O'Brien also found it to be "a combination of witty feminist manifesto and a celebration of the bass guitar – through alt-rock, dub and distorted rhythm". [5]
Uncut 's Rob Hughes described it as "so thoroughly compelling it makes you wish she'd got around to it a little sooner" and ultimately "enough to suggest that Birch, now into her late sixties, might just be entering her next great creative phase". [1] Ian Rushbury of Under the Radar commented that "Birch's reggae-inspired basslines underpin almost everything on the album" and concluded that it is "a lot of fun to listen to. It's heartfelt, naïve, and made with genuine love for the material". [7]
Mojo ranked I Play My Bass Loud the 41st best album of 2023, [8] while Louder Than War ranked it 73rd on their list. [9]
All tracks are written by Gina Birch, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Play My Bass Loud" | 4:27 | |
| 2. | "Then It Happened" | 2:41 | |
| 3. | "Wish I Was You" |
| 3:23 |
| 4. | "Big Mouth" | 3:12 | |
| 5. | "Pussy Riot" |
| 4:29 |
| 6. | "I Am Rage" |
| 4:09 |
| 7. | "I Will Never Wear Stilettos" | 4:28 | |
| 8. | "Dance Like a Demon" |
| 4:16 |
| 9. | "Digging Down" |
| 5:07 |
| 10. | "Feminist Song" | 4:35 | |
| 11. | "Let's Go Crazy" | 4:06 | |
| Total length: | 44:53 | ||
| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Scottish Albums (OCC) [10] | 76 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC) [11] | 25 |
The Raincoats are a British experimental post-punk band. Ana da Silva and Gina Birch formed the group in 1977 while they were students at Hornsey College of Art in London.
Spoon is an American rock band from Austin, Texas, consisting of members Britt Daniel, Jim Eno (drums), Alex Fischel, Gerardo Larios and Ben Trokan. The band was formed in Austin in October 1993 by Daniel and Eno. Critics have described the band's musical style as rock, pop, art rock, and experimental rock.
Songs of Love and Hate is the third studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen. Produced by Bob Johnston, the album was released on March 19, 1971, through Columbia Records.
Gina Birch is an English musician and filmmaker, best known as a founding member of post-punk rock band, The Raincoats.
The Raincoats is the debut studio album by English rock band The Raincoats. It was released on 21 November 1979 as one of the first records issued by the London-based independent label Rough Trade. The album is perhaps best known for its off-kilter cover of "Lola" by the Kinks. The album's sixth track, "The Void", was covered by Hole in 1994.
Odyshape is the second album by the Raincoats, originally released on 1 June 1981 by Rough Trade.
Nixon is the fifth studio album by American rock band Lambchop. It was released on February 7, 2000 and was issued by Merge Records and City Slang.
Looking in the Shadows is the fourth studio album by British alternative rock group the Raincoats, released in 1996 by Rough Trade and DGC. It was the band's first album in 12 years.
Helen McCookerybook is a British musician and singer-songwriter, who was the bass player and co-singer with The Chefs, during the late 1970s and early 1980s. She went on to form Helen and the Horns in the mid 80s. Both bands were admired by John Peel, recording six BBC Radio 1 sessions between them. After a long break from her music career, Helen McCookerybook started again as a solo artist in 2005. She regularly plays live gigs, releases recordings, and promotes occasional revivals of Helen and the Horns.
Apocalypse is a studio album by Bill Callahan, released on April 5, 2011. It is the third studio album released under his own name, and fourteenth overall when including LPs released as Smog.
Whokill is the second full-length release by Merrill Garbus' project Tune-Yards. It was released on 4AD Records on April 19, 2011.
Slave Ambient is the second studio album by American indie rock band The War on Drugs, released on August 16, 2011, on Secretly Canadian. Recorded over three years, Slave Ambient is the final release to feature contributions from founding guitarist Kurt Vile and drummer Mike Zanghi, and the first to feature drummer Steven Urgo.
50 Words for Snow is the tenth studio album by English singer-songwriter Kate Bush, released on 21 November 2011. It was the second album released on her own label, Fish People, and Bush's first all-new material since Aerial (2005). The album includes the single "Wild Man".
{Awayland} is the second studio album by Irish indie folk band Villagers, released on 11 January 2013 on Domino Records. Co-produced by band members Conor O'Brien and Tommy McLaughlin, the album was preceded by the single, "Nothing Arrived".
Lost in the Dream is the third studio album by American indie rock band The War on Drugs, released on March 18, 2014 through Secretly Canadian. The recording session, which took place over a two-year period, was characterized by numerous rewrites. The album's lyrical themes were influenced by the loneliness and depression Granduciel faced after he finished touring. Musically, the record was inspired by 1980s rock, as well as Americana, with influences coming from Bruce Springsteen, Spacemen 3 and Neil Young & Crazy Horse.
All Nerve is the fifth full-length studio album by American alternative rock band the Breeders, released on March 2, 2018, 10 years after their previous album Mountain Battles (2008). A Stereogum article in June 2016 reported that the band was recording new material at their Ohio studio and in October 2017 they released the first single from the album titled "Wait in the Car". 4AD announced on January 9, 2018, that the new album would be made available on March 2, 2018, and released the album's second single, All Nerve on the same day. The album also marks the band's first in 25 years with their Last Splash lineup. Courtney Barnett guests on one song on the album; "Howl at the Summit".
Historian is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus, released on March 2, 2018, through Matador Records.
White Blood Cells is the third studio album by American rock duo the White Stripes, released on July 3, 2001. The album was recorded in less than one week at Easley-McCain Recording in Memphis, Tennessee, and was produced by frontman and guitarist Jack White. It was the band's final record released independently on Sympathy for the Record Industry. The album explores themes of love, hope, betrayal, and paranoia, which were inspired by the increased media attention the group were receiving.
Autofiction is the ninth studio album by English alternative rock band Suede. The album was released on 16 September 2022 via BMG to critical acclaim. It was their first release in four years, following 2018's The Blue Hour and their first since Night Thoughts in 2016 to feature longtime producer Ed Buller. The album was created as a stylistic distinction from their previous reunion work, which had taken on a more orchestral and cinematic scope.
Oh Me Oh My is the 2023 studio album by American experimental musician and visual artist Lonnie Holley. It received positive reviews from critics.