| Sketchy | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 26, 2021 | |||
| Recorded | 2019 | |||
| Length | 37:01 | |||
| Label | 4AD | |||
| Tune-Yards chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Sketchy | ||||
| ||||
Sketchy (stylized as sketchy.) is the fifth studio album by American indie pop band Tune-Yards. It was released on March 26, 2021, through 4AD. [1]
Writing for the album began in 2019, in the band's own studio in Oakland, California. [2] [3]
Tune-Yards announced on January 27, 2021 they were releasing their fifth studio album on March 26, 2021. [4]
On September 22, 2020, Tune-Yards released "Nowhere, Man", the first single in two years. [5] The single is a reference to The Beatles' 1965 song Nowhere Man . [6] Lead vocalist Merrill Garbus said of the single: "The song and the video for "nowhere, man" were created under conditions of feeling squeezed and pushed to the brink - relatively, of course. I wanted to ask, "How loudly do I have to shout and sing before I'm heard?" And the video asks, too, "What am I not hearing?" We hope the music brings energy and a strong wind of encouragement to those who are shouting and singing loudly for justice right now." [7]
The second single "Hold Yourself" was released on January 27, 2021. [8] In a statement, the band said: "This song is about feeling really betrayed, by my parents' generation, and at the same time, really seeing how we are betraying the future". [9] The band performed the single on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on February 22, 2021. [10]
On March 18, 2021, Tune-Yards performed the single "Hypnotized" on Jimmy Kimmel Live! . [11] [12] A week later, on March 23, 2021, the band released the single. [13] [14]
The band released the music video to "Nowhere, man" on their official YouTube on the same day as the single release. The video is a stop motion animation, created by Japhy Riddle and Callie Day. [5] [15]
The music video for "Hold Yourself" was directed by Basa Studios, and released January 28, 2021. [16]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 82/100 [17] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [18] |
| DIY | [19] |
| Exclaim! | 7/10 [20] |
| The Line of Best Fit | 8/10 [21] |
| Loud and Quiet | 7/10 [22] |
| MusicOMH |  [23] |
| NME | [24] |
| Paste | 7.5/10 [25] |
| The Skinny | [26] |
| Tom Hull – on the Web | B [27] |
Sketchy was met with "universal acclaim" 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 82 based on 11 reviews. [17]
Writing for The Skinny , Cheri Armour wrote: "sketchy. finds the band stepping away from the digital screens and reaching for live instruments instead. It's evident in tracks like make it right. with its skronking jazz horns, and homewrecker’s tight-stacked, snare raps." [26] At Loud and Quiet , Cheri Armour admired the "bright melodies and playful rhythms" of the songs, while going on to say "Tune-Yards make songs about self-doubt sound so curiously stirring." [22] Heather Phares of AllMusic review the album, noting: "The duo's fifth full-length is about having the bravery and strength to confront old beliefs and old fears on a personal and global scale. It's not new territory for tUnE-yArDs, but it bears repeating, especially since the late 2010s and early 2020s brought the issues they railed against years earlier to a head. tUnE-yArDs haven't sounded this infectious since Nikki Nack, and Sketchy. captures the inflection point where frustration becomes positive action in funky, happy, angry, and inspiring ways." [18]
In a review for Exclaim! , Rhys Juergensen gave a seven out of 10 rating, explaining: "sketchy., the project's fifth studio record, takes listeners to a world where spacy trap and glitchy alt-rock play host to a wide array of topical subject matter. Though sketchy. weighs in on a number of issues that are particularly pertinent in today's milieu, it doesn't compromise the album's sincerity. The record's explicit, prose-style lyrics manage to convey strong levels of intimacy precisely because Garbus says what she means, and means what she says." [20]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Nowhere, Man" | 3:29 |
| 2. | "Make It Right." | 2:56 |
| 3. | "Hypnotized" | 4:30 |
| 4. | "Homewrecker" | 3:17 |
| 5. | "Silence Pt. 1 (When We Say "We")" | 3:25 |
| 6. | "Silence Pt. 2 (Who Is "We"?)" | 1:00 |
| 7. | "Hold Yourself." | 4:50 |
| 8. | "Sometime" | 2:53 |
| 9. | "Under Your Lip" | 2:49 |
| 10. | "My Neighbor" | 3:26 |
| 11. | "Be Not Afraid." | 4:26 |
| Total length: | 37:01 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Green Dreams (Hold On)" |
Note
The Used is an American rock band from Orem, Utah, that formed in 2001. The group consists of vocalist Bert McCracken, bassist Jeph Howard, drummer Dan Whitesides, and guitarist Joey Bradford.
"I Love It Loud" is a heavy metal song by the American rock band Kiss. It was released on their 1982 album Creatures of the Night. It has proven to be a staple of the band's live show, being performed on almost every tour the band has done aside from the Reunion and Psycho Circus tours.
Tune-Yards is the American, Oakland, California–based music project of Merrill Garbus and Nate Brenner. Garbus's music draws from an eclectic variety of sources and utilizes elements such as loop pedals, ukulele, vocals, and lo-fi percussion. Tune-Yards’ 2011 album Whokill was ranked the number one album of that year in The Village Voice's annual Pazz and Jop critic's poll.
Mine Is Yours is the third studio album by American indie rock band Cold War Kids. It was released on January 25, 2011 by Downtown Records.
Christian Berishaj, better known by his stage name JMSN, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, as well as a multi-instrumentalist, music engineer, and mixer, from Eastpointe, Michigan. JMSN's debut album, Priscilla, was released in 2012; he wrote and produced the album by himself, and directed the music videos accompanying its release.
We the Best Forever is the fifth studio album by DJ Khaled. It was released under We the Best Music Group, Terror Squad Entertainment, Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records, and Universal Motown Records on July 19, 2011 instead of June 28, 2011. It is his first album to be released on a major label, his first four albums being released on the independent label Koch Records, which later changed its name to E1 Music.
Hundredth is an American rock band from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina formed in 2008 led by singer and songwriter Chadwick Johnson. They have released five albums and five EPs. The band started out playing melodic hardcore that morphed into indie rock by the release of the 2017 album Rare.
Infinity is the second international studio album by Filipino pop and R&B singer Jake Zyrus. The album was released exclusively early in Japan on October 5, 2011 by Warner Bros. Records. The album was credited under the name Charice, Zyrus' name prior to his gender transition.
No Joy are a Canadian shoegaze band from Montreal formed in late 2009 by Jasamine White-Gluz and former member Laura Lloyd.
Pond are a psychedelic rock band from Perth, Western Australia, formed in 2008. Initially featuring a revolving line-up, since 2016 the band has consisted of Nick Allbrook, Jay Watson, Shiny Joe Ryan, Jamie Terry, and James Ireland.
R5 was an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 2009. The band consisted of Ross Lynch, Riker Lynch, Rocky Lynch, Rydel Lynch (keyboard/vocals), and Ellington Ratliff (drums/vocals). They released their first EP Ready Set Rock on March 9th, 2010, but it was removed once Ross got his role on the Disney Channel Show Austin and Ally. They then released the EP Loud on February 19th, 2013 Since releasing their debut album, Louder, on September 24, 2013, which peaked at 24 on the Billboard 200, followed by their world tour. Their second album, Sometime Last Night, was released on July 10, 2015, and debuted at 6 on the US Billboard 200, and reached the top 20 in five other countries. They have also released five EPs, eleven singles, and a documentary called R5: All Day, All Night that was first released in theaters April 15, 2015.
"Let Yourself Go" is a song by American rock band Green Day. The song is featured as the fourth track on their ninth studio album ¡Uno! (2012). Written by Billie Joe Armstrong and produced by Rob Cavallo, the song was released as the third and final single from the album on September 5, 2012. However, the "official live video" of the song was revealed on August 1, 2012. It is also the third single from the ¡Uno!, ¡Dos! & ¡Tré! trilogy.
Nikki Nack is the third album by American band Tune-Yards, released by 4AD in May 2014.
Love in the 4th Dimension is the debut studio album by British indie rock band The Big Moon, released on 7 April 2017 by Columbia Records and Fiction Records. The album was recorded at Eastcote Studios in London with producer Catherine Marks. The album was recorded across 12 days so the band could go with their first instincts musically. Prior to the album's release the tracks "Cupid", "Silent Movie Susie", "Formidable" and "Sucker" were released as singles, the latter of which being a re-recording of the band's debut single. The band toured Europe in spring 2017 to celebrate the album's release.
The Driver Era is an American alternative music duo consisting of brothers Rocky and Ross Lynch. Both are former members of the now defunct pop rock band R5.
Estrons were a Welsh alternative rock band from Cardiff, Wales. The band's final lineup featured Tali Källström (vocals), Rhodri Daniel (guitar), Steffan Pringle (bass), and Adam Thomas (drums).
Muzz is the eponymous studio album by American rock supergroup Muzz. The album was released on June 5, 2020, through Matador Records.
I Grow Tired But Dare Not Fall Asleep is the fifth studio album by British musician Ghostpoet. It was released 1 May 2020 under PIAS Recordings.
Won't You Take Me with You is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Daniel Knox. It was released on January 15, 2021, through Knox's own label H.P. Johnson Presents.
A Common Turn is the debut studio album by English singer-songwriter Anna B Savage. It was released on 29 January 2021 by City Slang.