Multitudes (album)

Last updated

Multitudes
Feist - Multitudes.png
Studio album by
ReleasedApril 14, 2023
Length46:18
Label Polydor
Producer
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]

Contents

Background

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] A fourth single "Borrow Trouble" was released on March 15, 2023, alongside a music video for it co-directed by Feist, Mary Rozzi, Colby Richardson, and Heather Goodchild. [3]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic? 7.7/10 [4]
Metacritic 85/100 [5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [6]
Evening Standard Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Financial Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [8]
The Line of Best Fit 9/10 [9]
MusicOMH Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [10]
NME Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [11]
The Observer Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [12]
Pitchfork 7.6/10 [13]
The Skinny Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [14]
Slant Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [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.TitleLength
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

Personnel

Musicians

Technical

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

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References

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