Multitudes (album)

Multitudes
Studio album by Feist
Released	April 14, 2023
Length	46:18
Label	Polydor
Producer	Leslie Feist Robbie Lackritz Blake Mills Mike Mills Mocky
Feist chronology
Pleasure (2017) Multitudes (2023)

Multitudes is the sixth studio album by the Canadian singer-songwriter Feist. It was released on April 14, 2023, by Polydor Records. It is Feist's first album since Pleasure (2017). Three songs from Multitudes were released simultaneously with the album announcement: "Hiding Out in the Open", "In Lightning", and "Love Who We Are Meant To". ^[1]

Background

The work on Multitudes began following the birth of Feist's adopted daughter in 2019 and the death of her father. She recorded the songs while embarking on her live residency of the same name, throughout 2021 and 2022. In a press release, Feist explained the recording process and the inspiration behind the album: "The last few years were such a period of confrontation for me, and it feels like it was at least to some degree for everyone. We confronted ourselves as much as our relationships confronted us. It felt like our relational ecosystems were clearer than ever and so whatever was normally obscured — like a certain way of avoiding conflict or a certain way of talking around the subject — were all of a sudden thrust into the light. And in all that reassessment, the chance to find footing on healthier, more honest ground became possible, and the effort to maintain avoidance actually felt like it took more effort than just handing ourselves over to the truth." ^[2]

Singles

On the day of the announcement, three songs from Multitudes were released as singles: "Hiding Out in the Open", "In Lightning", and "Love Who We Are Meant To". ^[1] The fourth single called "Borrow Trouble" was released on March 15, 2023, alongside a music video for it. The video was co-directed by Feist, Mary Rozzi, Colby Richardson, and Heather Goodchild. ^[3]

Reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.7/10 [4]
Metacritic	85/100 [5]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[6]
Evening Standard	[7]
Financial Times	[8]
The Line of Best Fit	9/10 [9]
MusicOMH	[10]
NME	[11]
The Observer	[12]
Pitchfork	7.6/10 [13]
The Skinny	[14]
Slant Magazine	[15]

The album was shortlisted for the 2023 Polaris Music Prize ^[16] and nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards.

It won the Juno Award for Adult Alternative Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2024. ^[17]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Feist; "Borrow Trouble" co-written by Mocky, "Calling All the Gods" co-written by Todd Dahlhoff and Shahzad Ismaily ^[a] .

Multitudes track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"In Lightning"	3:24
2.	"Forever Before"	5:17
3.	"Love Who We Are Meant To"	3:55
4.	"Hiding Out in the Open"	3:20
5.	"The Redwing"	3:17
6.	"I Took All of My Rings Off"	3:55
7.	"Of Womankind"	3:51
8.	"Become the Earth"	4:15
9.	"Borrow Trouble"	4:04
10.	"Martyr Moves"	3:25
11.	"Calling All the Gods"	3:47
12.	"Song for Sad Friends"	3:48
Total length:		46:18

• ^{^[a]} "Calling All the Gods" contains excerpts from Emily Wilson's translation of the Odyssey . ^[18]

Personnel

Musicians

• Leslie Feist – vocals (all tracks), additional vocals (1, 2, 5–9, 11, 12), drums (1, 2, 6, 9, 12), electric guitar (1, 2, 6, 8, 9, 11), keyboards (1, 4, 6, 12), recorder (1, 10), bass guitar (1), acoustic guitar (3–5, 7, 10, 12)
• Blake Mills – bass guitar (1), drums (6, 9)
• Gabe Noel – cello (1, 8), keyboards (2, 4, 10, 11), electric guitar (4, 6, 7), bass guitar (10, 12)
• Mocky – drums (1, 8, 9), recorder (1, 10), keyboards (3, 4, 8, 9), electric bass (4, 6, 9, 11), piano (10)
• Shahzad Ismaily – keyboards (1, 2, 5–8, 10, 11); additional vocals, drums, electric bass (11); organ (12)
• Todd Dahlhoff – keyboards (1, 4, 6–12), clarinet (2, 7, 8, 10, 11), bass guitar (5)
• Miguel Atwood-Ferguson – violin (1, 3, 7, 8)
• David Ralicke – baritone saxophone (2, 6, 9), tenor saxophone (2), flute (10)
• Amir Yaghmai – electric guitar (2, 4), acoustic guitar (4, 8), nylon-string guitar (5), violin (6, 7, 9, 12), brass (12)
• Chilly Gonzales – keyboards (2)
• Sarah K Pedinotti – additional vocals, percussion, field recording samples (11)

Technical

• Feist – production
• Blake Mills – production, mixing
• Robbie Lackritz – production, engineering (all tracks), mixing (9)
• Mike Mills – production
• Mocky – production
• Joseph Lorge – mixing
• Michael Harris – engineering
• Miguel Atwood-Ferguson – engineering (1, 3, 7)
• Mark Vreeken – engineering (6), additional engineering (7)
• Pete Min – engineering (6)
• David Reichardt – engineering (11)
• Samur Khouja – engineering (11)
• Shahzad Ismaily – engineering (11)
• Sarah K Pedinotti – engineering (11)

Charts

Chart performance for Multitudes

Chart (2023)	Peak position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [19]	57
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [20]	13
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [21]	91
Canadian Albums (Billboard) [22]	96
French Albums (SNEP) [23]	85
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [24]	22
Scottish Albums (OCC) [25]	21
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [26]	18
UK Album Downloads (OCC) [27]	26
US Top Album Sales (Billboard) [28]	43

References

1. Corcoran, Nina (February 14, 2023). "Feist Announces New Album Multitudes, Shares Songs". Pitchfork . Retrieved February 14, 2023.
2. "Feist Announces New Album Multitudes, Shares Three Songs: Listen". Stereogum . February 14, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
3. Strauss, Matthew (March 15, 2023). "Feist Shares Video for New Song "Borrow Trouble"". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
4. "Multitudes by Feist (reviews)". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
5. "Multitudes by Feist Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic . Retrieved April 14, 2023.
6. Donelson, Marcy. Review of Multitudes at AllMusic. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
7. Smyth, David (April 14, 2023). "Feist: Multitudes album review - a delicate, exquisite collection from the angel-voiced singer-songwriter". Evening Standard . Retrieved April 14, 2023.
8. Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (April 14, 2023). "Feist: Multitudes album review — songs of strangeness and ecstasy". Financial Times . Archived from the original on April 16, 2022. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
9. Lim, Amaya (April 11, 2023). "Multitudes presents a fearless and courageous Feist". The Line of Best Fit . Retrieved April 12, 2023.
10. Murphy, John (April 13, 2023). "Feist – Multitudes". MusicOMH . Retrieved April 14, 2023.
11. Campbell, Erica (April 13, 2023). "Feist – Multitudes review: a visceral and hopeful existential voyage". NME . Retrieved April 14, 2023.
12. Kalia, Ammar (April 15, 2023). "Feist: Multitudes review – a soul-stirring career highlight". The Observer . Retrieved April 16, 2023.
13. Dombal, Ryan (April 14, 2023). "Feist – Multitudes". Pitchfork . Retrieved April 14, 2023.
14. Wade, Lewis (April 10, 2023). "Feist – Multitudes". The Skinny . Retrieved April 12, 2023.
15. Erickson, Steve (April 14, 2023). "Feist Multitudes Review: An Intimate but Ultimately One-Dimensional Album". Slant Magazine . Retrieved April 14, 2023.
16. "Here's the 2023 Polaris Music Prize short list". CBC Music, July 13, 2023.
17. "Junos 2024: full list of winners". CBC Music, March 23, 2024.
18. Islam, Sruti (April 6, 2023). "An interview with Feist: "Sadness can be a teacher"". Cult MTL . Archived from the original on April 7, 2023. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
19. "Austriancharts.at – Feist – Multitudes" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
20. "Ultratop.be – Feist – Multitudes" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
21. "Ultratop.be – Feist – Multitudes" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
22. "Feist Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
23. "Top Albums (Week 16, 2023)". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
24. "Offiziellecharts.de – Feist – Multitudes" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
25. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
26. "Swisscharts.com – Feist – Multitudes". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
27. "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
28. "Feist Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved April 25, 2023.