The Big Freeze (album)

Last updated

The Big Freeze
Laura Stevenson The Big Freeze cover.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 29, 2019
RecordedJanuary 2018 [1]
Genre Indie folk
Length33:57
Label Don Giovanni
Producer
  • Joe Rogers
  • Laura Stevenson
Laura Stevenson chronology
Cocksure
(2015)
The Big Freeze
(2019)
Laura Stevenson
(2021)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 80/100 [2]
Review scores
SourceRating
Exclaim! 7/10 [3]
Pitchfork 7.4/10 [4]
PunkNewsStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Paste 7.6/10 [6]
SputnikmusicStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [7]

The Big Freeze is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Laura Stevenson, released through Don Giovanni Records on March 29, 2019. [8] It debuted on the Billboard charts at #11 Alternative New Artist Albums, #35 for Heatseekers Albums, and #41 for Current Alternative Albums.

Contents

Music and lyrics

The album's music has been characterized as seeing Stevenson "trad[ing] her rougher punk edges for a much slower, smoother, more orchestral production." Paste said: "The Big Freeze trades the raucous guitars and bold hooks of her earlier work for subtler musical textures on songs that open into more expansive interior worlds. She relies more on her voice, which has both warmth and clarity in proportions that vary with the volume of she utilizes." The album's lyrics explore themes such as seclusion, family, codependency, dermatillomania, and loneliness. [9] [10]

Critical reception

The album debuted on the Billboard charts at #11 Alternative New Artist Albums, #35 for Heatseekers Albums, and #41 for Current Alternative Albums. [11]

Hannah Siden of Exclaim! gave the album a score of 7 out of 10 and wrote: "The Big Freeze is an album that invites listeners to 'lay back, arms out' to experience its richness. It will perhaps be a surprising listen to fans expecting more upbeat material, but if you can surrender to the slower, weightier swells of this album, you might just find yourself floating." [9] Nina Corcoran of Pitchfork gave the album a score of 7.4 and wrote: "A decade after making her solo debut, Stevenson has found her sweet spot as a singer-songwriter. The emotionally barbed storytelling, stripped-down delivery, and orchestral flair weave together symbiotically, a testament to how far Stevenson has come as a musical autodidact. Above all, it’s her voice that makes The Big Freeze such a raw, therapeutic listen." [12]

Eric R. Danton of Paste gave the album a score of 7.6 out of 10, calling it "arguably Stevenson’s most adept album." [10]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Laura Stevenson.

No.TitleLength
1."Lay Back, Arms Out"3:42
2."Value Inn"3:22
3."Living Room, NY"2:36
4."Dermatillomania"2:29
5."Hum"3:32
6."Rattle at Will"3:42
7."Hawks"1:28
8."Big Deep"3:33
9."Low Slow"5:08
10."Perfect"4:16
Total length:33:57

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. [1]

References

  1. 1 2 The Big Freeze (Media notes). Laura Stevenson. Don Giovanni Records. April 12, 2019.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. "The Big Freeze by Laura Stevenson Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  3. Siden, Hannah (March 26, 2019). "Laura Stevenson: The Big Freeze". Exclaim! .
  4. Corcoran, Nina (April 3, 2019). "Review: Laura Stevenson - The Big Freeze". Pitchfork .
  5. "Laura Stevenson - The Big Freeze". PunkNews. April 1, 2019.
  6. Danton, Eric (March 27, 2019). "Laura Stevenson: The Big Freeze Album Review". Paste.
  7. Freeman, Channing (March 31, 2019). "Review: Laura Stevenson - The Big Freeze". Sputnikmusic.
  8. "The Big Freeze by Laura Stevenson". Bandcamp. March 29, 2019. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  9. 1 2 "Laura Stevenson │ Exclaim!". Laura Stevenson │ Exclaim!. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
  10. 1 2 "Laura Stevenson: The Big Freeze". Paste Magazine. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  11. "HeatSeekers Week Of June 1 2019". billboard.com.
  12. Corcoran, Nina. "Laura Stevenson: The Big Freeze". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 24, 2025.