I Wanna Run Barefoot Through Your Hair | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | October 18, 2024 | |||
Length | 49:49 | |||
Label | True Panther | |||
Producer |
| |||
Christopher Owens chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from I Wanna Run Barefoot Through Your Hair | ||||
|
I Wanna Run Barefoot Through Your Hair is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Christopher Owens. It was released on October 18, 2024, through True Panther Records. [1] It is his first album in nearly a decade, following the release of Chrissybaby Forever in 2015. Owens co-produced the album mainly in San Francisco with Doug Boehm. It was supported by three singles: "I Think About Heaven", "No Good" and "This Is My Guitar".
I Wanna Run Barefoot Through Your Hair is Christopher Owens' first solo album in over nine years. It was conceived following a long period in which Owens suffered a motorbike crash, separated from his fiancée, and experienced homelessness and the death of his Girls bandmate Chet "JR" White. His last studio album was Chrissybaby Forever, which was released in May 2015 and was the final entry in a three-album contract with his record label, after which they dropped him. Owens called around and received no responses, realizing he was "no longer a hot buzz artist". He describes the time as one of panic over the prospect that "nobody was ever going to make another record with me". When he was seriously injured riding on his 1982 Honda MB5, his partner of seven years broke up with him and he was fired from the coffee shop job he took to pay his bills. He had refused to go to the hospital over fears of medical debt, leaving him unable to walk for a month. He was unable to afford rent in San Francisco and began living in his car. A first breakthrough came in 2017 when he performed a gig that he organized in Hong Kong, during which time he wrote the album's first track "No Good". [2] [3]
Owens and White remained in contact following the breakup of Girls. They had planned to reform Girls and make a new album. However, when they eventually convened and began recording demos together, Owens noticed that White struggled to do so: "It was the first time I'd seen him not be able to stay awake for a session. Not even to be able to hit record." Whereas Owens became sober in 2014, White's drug addiction persisted. Owens was reassured when White returned to his family home in Santa Cruz to improve his health. He figured he had just gotten to White at the wrong time and was confident that they would reconvene some months later. However, White died there in October 2020, aged 40, after his heart stopped. Several of the songs intended for that Girls album ended up on I Wanna Run Barefoot Through Your Hair. [2] [3] Owens co-produced the album in San Francisco with Doug Boehm. He also worked with producers Ariel Rechtshaid and Jacob Portrait in New York City on the track "This Is My Guitar". In a statement, Owens referred to the album as being about "a journey back to the center of myself." [4] [3]
The album's title refers to a quote that Owens misremembered James Stewart saying in the film It's a Wonderful Life (1946). [2]
On July 30, 2024, Owens released the single "I Think About Heaven", his first new music in seven years following the 2017 EP Vante with his band Curls. [5] I Wanna Run Barefoot Through Your Hair was officially announced on August 12, 2024. [4] The single "No Good" was released the same day alongside an acoustic performance video. [6] A third single, "This Is My Guitar", was released on September 9, 2024, also accompanied by an acoustic performance video. [7] The album was released on October 18, 2024, by True Panther Records, the same label that released all of Girls' music. [1]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 86/100 [8] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [9] |
DIY | [10] |
No Ripcord | [11] |
Paste | 8.1/10 [12] |
Pitchfork | 7.2/10 [13] |
Spectrum Culture | 84/100 [14] |
Uncut | 8/10 [15] |
On the review aggregator website Metacritic , I Wanna Run Barefoot Through Your Hair received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 86 out of 100 from 6 critics. [8]
Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Fred Thomas awarded it a four and a half out of five star rating and wrote that, "I Wanna Run Barefoot Through Your Hair highlights how Owens can write songs detailing life's harshest miseries and somehow twist them until the main takeaways are hope and gratitude. It's a rare feat, and Owens accomplishes it on many of these songs, making the album not just a collection of some of his strongest work but a humbling reminder to remember to be thankful for what we have while we have it." [9] Joe Goggins of DIY gave the album 5 out of 5 stars, writing, "Christopher Owens has emerged from it with potentially one of the year's best records." [10]
All tracks are written by Christopher Owens, except "I Think About Heaven" by David L. Rugely. [16]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "No Good" | 3:33 |
2. | "Beautiful Horses" | 5:03 |
3. | "I Think About Heaven" | 6:03 |
4. | "White Flag" | 5:02 |
5. | "I Know" | 6:16 |
6. | "So" | 2:52 |
7. | "This Is My Guitar" | 4:19 |
8. | "Distant Drummer" | 4:36 |
9. | "Two Words" | 4:50 |
10. | "Do You Need a Friend" | 7:15 |
Total length: | 49:49 |
Credits adapted from Bandcamp. [17]
Alkaline Trio is an American punk rock band from Chicago. The band's current members are Matt Skiba, Dan Andriano, and Atom Willard (drums).
Paul Harold Westerberg is an American musician, best known as the lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter for the Replacements. Following the breakup of the Replacements, Westerberg launched a solo career that saw him release three albums on two major record labels.
Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell is the fourth studio album by the American punk rock band Social Distortion, released on February 11, 1992. Following up on the surprise success of their breakthrough singles "Ball and Chain" and "Story of My Life", Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell became a popular album and received positive reviews from music critics. It also spawned their highest-charting single "Bad Luck", which peaked at number 2 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.
"I Wanna Be Adored" is a song by the British rock band the Stone Roses. It was the first track on their debut album, The Stone Roses, and was released as a single. The US release charted at number 18 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart in 1990. In 1991, the single was released in the UK, Germany and Japan featuring previously unreleased B-sides.
The Hold Steady is an American rock band formed in Brooklyn, New York in 2003. The band consists of Craig Finn, Tad Kubler (guitar), Galen Polivka (bass), Bobby Drake (drums), Franz Nicolay (keyboards) and Steve Selvidge (guitar). Noted for their "lyrically dense storytelling," and classic rock influences, the band's narrative-based songs frequently address themes such as drug addiction, religion and redemption, and often feature recurring characters based within the city of Minneapolis.
"I Wanna Be Your Lover" is a song by American recording artist Prince. It was released on August 24, 1979, as the lead single from his self-titled second album. The song was Prince's first major hit single in the United States, reaching number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 on January 26, 1980, holding the number 11 position for two weeks, and peaking at number one on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart for two weeks.
Owen is the primary solo project of American indie rock and emo musician Mike Kinsella. The project features soft melodies and complex acoustics, combining acoustic guitar with keyboard, other guitars, vocals, and drums.
Beat is on the Brat is a CD compilation of out of print and vinyl-only material from Screeching Weasel. The majority of the CD contains their cover of the first album by The Ramones in its entirety. The band was approached to cover the album at a party for the completion of their fourth album, Wiggle. Having just lost bassist Johnny Personality, the band was unsure of its future, and they claim that the recording of these covers helped revitalize them.
"Cherry Pie" is a song by the American glam metal band Warrant. It was released in late August 1990, as the lead single from the album of the same name. The song became a Top Ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching number 10 and also reached number 19 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks. The song has been cited by many as a "hair metal" anthem.
Ariel Rechtshaid is an American record producer, audio engineer, mixing engineer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter. His accolades include three Grammy Awards for music production.
Barefoot Blue Jean Night is the third studio album by American country music artist Jake Owen. It was released on August 30, 2011 via RCA Records Nashville. The album's first single, "Barefoot Blue Jean Night," is the fastest-rising single of Owen's career, as well as his first Number One hit.
Hits 97 is a compilation album released in 1996. As a part of the Hits compilation series, it contains UK hit singles from mid-to-late 1996. The album had a rivalry with Now 35 released later in the month - due to the longstanding rivalry between the Now and Hits compilation series. Some royalties from Hits 97 went to three different children's charities due to the inclusion of the final track, "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" by Dunblane. Hits 97 was one of the only Hits albums to feature a non-single, "D'Yer Wanna Be a Spaceman?" by Oasis.
Father, Son, Holy Ghost is the second and final studio album by San Francisco rock band Girls, released September 13, 2011 on True Panther Sounds in the United States, September 12, 2011, on Fantasytrashcan/Turnstile in Europe, September 7, 2011, in Japan on Fantasytrashcan/Turnstile and September 14 in Mexico on Arts & Crafts México. Three singles were released from the album; "Vomit", "Honey Bunny" and "My Ma", the latter of which was released exclusively on vinyl with a limited 1000 copies in print. The album peaked at #37 on the Billboard 200 and received critical acclaim upon its release.
Christopher David Owens is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as the frontman and songwriter for the now-defunct indie rock band Girls. He released his debut album as a solo artist, Lysandre, in January 2013. In September 2014, Owens released his second album, A New Testament. In May 2015, Owens released his third album, Chrissybaby Forever. In October 2024, Owens released his fourth album, I Wanna Run Barefoot Through Your Hair.
Lysandre is the debut album recorded by former-Girls lead vocalist and guitarist Christopher Owens. It was originally released on January 14, 2013 on the Fat Possum record label.
A New Testament is the second album recorded by former Girls lead vocalist and guitarist Christopher Owens. It was originally released on September 30, 2014, on the Turnstile Music record label.
Citizen is an American rock band from Southeast Michigan and Northwest Ohio that formed in 2009. The band currently consists of Mat Kerekes (vocals), brothers Nick and Eric Hamm (bass), Mason Mercer, and Ben Russin (drums). They are currently signed to Run for Cover Records, and have released five studio albums to date: Youth (2013), Everybody Is Going to Heaven (2015), As You Please (2017), Life in Your Glass World (2021), and Calling the Dogs (2023). Considered a part of emo's fourth wave, Pitchfork have described Citizen as "a band their fans can grow up with rather than out of."
TV Girl is an American indie pop band from San Diego, California, consisting of lead vocalist Brad Petering, drummer Jason Wyman, and keyboardist Wyatt Harmon.
"Summer Girl" is a song by American band Haim, released as a single on July 31, 2019. It premiered as Annie Mac's "Hottest Record" on BBC Radio 1. The song musically references "Walk on the Wild Side" by Lou Reed, who is credited as a songwriter.