| Static | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 15, 2013 | |||
| Recorded | 2012–2013, SMT Studios, Treefort Studios, Maze Studios (Atlanta) | |||
| Genre | Indie rock, pop | |||
| Length | 34:56 | |||
| Label | Columbia Records | |||
| Producer | Cults, Shane Stoneback, Ben H. Allen III | |||
| Cults chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Static | ||||
| ||||
Static is the second studio album by American indie pop band Cults, released by Columbia Records on October 15, 2013. [1]
Of the album's title, band member Brian Oblivion said, "There's a feeling our generation has. The feeling there's always something better around the corner, that everyone is born to be a star. The feeling that life is waiting for you, and yet it’s not happening. All of that is static." [2] Oblivion has also said, "I've fallen in love with the idea of static over the last year...When we were making this record, we put a couple of broken TVs on the mixing board and we'd turn the lights off, stare at them, and listen to the songs to see if the glow felt right." [3]
Much of the discussion of the album was centered on the personal break-up of band members Madeline and Brian. Robert Ham of Paste wrote, "Fortunately or unfortunately for Cults, the release of [Static] is going to be clouded with the news that the couple behind the music—singer/lyricist Madeline Follin and guitarist Brian Oblivion—split up last year." [4] He also wrote, "What will hopefully rise to the surface for those folks picking through these songs is how strong the music is here." [4] Heather Fares of AllMusic wrote, "...breakups often provide plenty of songwriting fodder. Writing and performing songs with an ex, as Cults did on their second album, Static, is probably a special circle of hell, but when the results are this good, it's worth it." [1] She continued to say, "The album's imagery hints at Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion's breakup...and yet their music is stronger than ever, balancing the elements they set forth on their debut with fewer gimmicks and more complexity." [1]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 6.9/10 [5] |
| Metacritic | 73/100 [6] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Under the Radar |    [7] |
| Consequence of Sound |  [8] |
| Spin | 7/10 [9] |
| Pitchfork | 6.8/10 [10] |
| Sputnikmusic | 3/5 [11] |
| Paste | 7.8/10 [4] |
| Slant Magazine | [12] |
| This Is Fake DIY | [13] |
| Boston Globe | 80/100 [14] |
Static received generally favorable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 73 out of 100, which indicates "generally favorable reviews," based on 26 reviews. [6] On AnyDecentMusic?, the album received an average score of 6.9 out of 10. [5]
Music and lyrics by Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion
|
|
Cults is an American indie pop band formed in New York City in 2010. The band first rose to prominence upon releasing their debut extended play, Cults 7″ (2010), on their Bandcamp page. They subsequently signed to English singer Lily Allen's record label In the Name Of, an imprint of Sony Music to release their eponymous debut album (2011). A song from the album, "Bad Things" was sampled by American rapper J. Cole for his 2013 single "She Knows", on which they were credited as featured artists.
Cults is the debut album by American indie pop band Cults. The album was released in the US on June 7, 2011 on In the Name Of, an imprint of Columbia Records. The album was recorded over the course of 2010 and early 2011. In early 2010, the band released an EP, which featured two of the songs to appear on the album; "Go Outside" and "Most Wanted". The song "Go Outside" was featured on the soundtrack of the game MLB 11: The Show on PlayStation 3. The song "Bad Things" also appears in the Hulu true crime drama series The Act during the end credits of the third episode "Two Wolverines" and the first episode of I Am Not Okay With This. It was sampled on the track "She Knows" by rapper J. Cole from the album Born Sinner. The song "You Know What I Mean" appears in episode 6 of Amy Poehler's show Russian Doll on Netflix.
Ghost Notes is the fifth full-length studio album by American rock band Veruca Salt, released on July 10, 2015, through El Camino Records. It is the first to feature the band's original lineup since their second album, Eight Arms to Hold You (1997).
The Flower Lane is the fourth studio album by the American indie rock project Ducktails, released on January 28, 2013 on Domino. Co-produced by Matt Mondanile and Al Carlson, The Flower Lane was the first Ducktails album to be recorded in a full studio environment.
Light Upon the Lake is the debut studio album by American rock band Whitney, released on June 3, 2016, on Secretly Canadian.
Richie James Follin is an American musician, guitarist, keyboard player, singer songwriter who has been in a number of bands.
World Eater is the third studio album by British musician Benjamin John Power, under his musical project Blanck Mass. It was released on 3 March 2017 by Sacred Bones Records.
Half-Light is the debut solo studio album by American musician Rostam, released on September 15, 2017. The album peaked at #6 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart, and received generally favorable reviews.
Offering is the third studio album by American indie pop band Cults, released on October 6, 2017, by Sinderlyn.
Kazuashita is the sixth studio album by American experimental music band Gang Gang Dance. It was released on June 22, 2018 under 4AD.
Future Teenage Cave Artists is the fifteenth studio album by American group Deerhoof. It was released on May 29, 2020 under Joyful Noise Recordings. A tour to support the release was scheduled for May and June 2020; however, these are being rescheduled due to COVID-19.
Silver Tongue is the fourth studio album by American musician Torres. It was released on January 31, 2020, under Merge Records.
Perfect Shapes is the second studio album by American indie rock musician Madeline Kenney. It was released on October 5, 2018 under Carpark Records.
Twerp Verse is the third studio album by American indie rock band Speedy Ortiz. It was released on April 27, 2018 under Carpark Records.
Live Forever is the debut studio album by English-born American musician Bartees Strange. It was released on October 2, 2020, by Memory Music.
Oh No is a duets album and the fourteenth studio album by American experimental band Xiu Xiu. It was released on March 26, 2021, via Polyvinyl. It is described as a "duets album". Its lead single, "A Bottle of Rum" featuring Liz Harris was released on January 27, 2021.
The Shadow I Remember is the seventh studio album by American rock band Cloud Nothings. It was released on February 26, 2021 via Carpark Records.
Cheater is the second studio album by Norwegian post-punk band Pom Poko. The album was originally scheduled for release on 6 November 2020, but was moved to 15 January 2021.
Host is the fourth studio album by American indie pop band Cults, released on September 18, 2020, by Sinderlyn.
Into the Blue is the third studio album by American indie rock duo Broken Bells. It was released October 7, 2022, through AWAL.
