Muzz (album)

Last updated

Muzz
Muzz - Muzz.png
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 5, 2020 (2020-06-05)
Label Matador
Singles from Muzz
  1. "Bad Feeling"
    Released: March 5, 2020 [1]
  2. "Broken Tambourine"
    Released: March 24, 2020 [2]
  3. "Red Western Sky"
    Released: April 15, 2020 [3]
  4. "Knuckleduster"
    Released: May 28, 2020 [4]

Muzz is the eponymous studio album by American rock supergroup Muzz. The album was released on June 5, 2020, through Matador Records.

Contents

Four singles were released ahead of the album: "Bad Feeling", "Red Western Sky", "Broken Tambourine", and "Knuckleduster".

The album was met with positive critical reception, with contemporary music journalists praising Paul Banks' vocals in a softer setting.

Background

The members of Muzz: Paul Banks, Josh Kaufman, and Matt Barrick, have been friends since the early 2000s, during the height of the New York City post-punk revival scene. The three began recording demos, which laid the foundation for Muzz as far back as 2015. In late 2019 into early 2020, the band began recording material for a studio album under the name "Muzz". [5]

On April 15, 2020, the album was announced, corresponding with their third single, "Red Western Sky". [6]

Release and promotion

Singles

Muzz released four singles prior to their self-titled album. The first single, "Bad Feeling", was released on March 5, 2020. [1] "Broken Tambourine", the first official single through Matador, [7] came out a few weeks later, on March 24. [5] [2]

On April 15, 2020, the third single "Red Western Sky" was released, [8] along with an accompanying music video. [9]

"Knuckleduster" was the fourth and final single released. The single was released on May 28, 2020, a week ahead of the album's release. [10] [11]

Music videos

The first music video released was for "Broken Tambourine", on March 24, 2020. [2] The music video was produced by Banks, while Griffin Frazen provided creative direction and animation.[ citation needed ] The music video features an astronaut traveling and fall through outer space. [12]

On April 15, 2020, the music video for "Red Western Sky" was released. [13] The music video features the band performing in the American Treasure Tour Museum in Oaks, Pennsylvania. [14] The video was directed by Derek Sexton Horani and Michael Andrade. [15]

On May 28, 2020, the music video for "Knuckleduster" debuted. The music video, directed by Horani, features the band playing in a loading bay basement underneath an arena. [11]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 75/100 [16]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [17]
Clash 9/10 [18]
DIY Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [19]
Exclaim! 8/10 [20]
The Line of Best Fit 8/10 [21]
Loud and Quiet 4/10 [22]
NME Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [23]
Pitchfork 6.5/10 [24]
Under the Radar 8/10 [25]

Muzz was met with "generally favorable" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 75, based on 12 reviews. [16] Aggregator Album of the Year gave the album a score of 74 out of 100 based on a critical consensus of 15 reviews. [26]

Track listing

Muzz track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Bad Feeling"2:38
2."Evergreen"4:43
3."Red Western Sky"3:13
4."Patchouli"3:29
5."Everything Like It Used To Be"3:53
6."Broken Tambourine"5:21
7."Knuckleduster"4:28
8."Chubby Checker"2:43
9."How Many Days"3:05
10."Summer Love"4:03
11."All Is Dead To Me"3:36
12."Trinidad"2:08

Charts

Chart (2020)Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [27] 140
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [28] 119
Scottish Albums (OCC) [29] 41
UK Independent Albums (OCC) [30] 19
US Top Album Sales (Billboard) [31] 96

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References

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