The New Romance

Last updated
The New Romance
The New Romance Cover Art.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 9, 2003
Recorded Bear Creek Studio, April 2002
Genre
Length39:41
Label Matador Records
Producer Phil Ek
Pretty Girls Make Graves chronology
Good Health
(2002)
The New Romance
(2003)
Élan Vital
(2006)

The New Romance is the second studio album from Pretty Girls Make Graves, released on September 9, 2003 on the label Matador Records.

Contents

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [1]
The A.V. Club (favorable) [2]
Drowned in Sound 9/10 [3]
Pitchfork (8.3/10)
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Stylus Magazine B– [5]
Tiny Mix Tapes TMT full.svgTMT full.svgTMT full.svgTMT empty.svgTMT empty.svg [6]

Composition

Musically, The New Romance has been aligned with the post-punk revival, [2] as well as emo, [1] indie rock, post-hardcore, [7] math rock, and punk rock. [4]

Critical reception and legacy

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Punknews.orgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg(2012) [8]
Spectrum Culture70% (2024) [9]

In recent years, Romance has been seen as an overlooked record in several genres. In a 2010 Drowned in Sound article, Robert Cooke glowingly wrote of its place in the post-punk & new wave revivals occurring at its time of release. He wrote that it predated the revivals' mid-2000s popularity, which groups like Bloc Party and Franz Ferdinand would receive. However, he believed that "near perfection [had] already been achieved" through Romance before either of their debut works came out. Though noting their significance, Cooke dubbed Romance "so bold, so beautiful, [and] so much better than its acclaimed successors". [10] In 2012, Punknews.org's Joe Pelone wrote that, within post-hardcore, it wasn't held in the esteem that classic albums by At the Drive-In and Bear vs. Shark had. He deemed it "just as passionate [and] just as explosive" and that it "certainly deserves a spot" amongst them. [8]

On a 2016 Pitchfork list, Romance placed #40 out of the Pacific Northwest's 50 best indie rock albums. [7]

In celebration of its 20th anniversary, Matador Records reissued Romance for vinyl in November 2023. [11] Spectrum Culture's Holly Hazelwood gave it a generally positive review the next year. She deemed it "the apex of [the group's] career," applauding it as "such a fantastic portrait of a band finding a harmonious balance between creativity and talent." [9]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Something Bigger, Something Brighter"5:09
2."The Grandmother Wolf"2:58
3."Mr. Club"0:48
4."All Medicated Geniuses"3:24
5."Blue Lights"3:03
6."Chemical, Chemical"2:39
7."7."0:36
8."The Teeth Collector"4:07
9."Holy Names"3:57
10."The New Romance"4:10
11."This Is Our Emergency"3:43
12."A Certain Cemetery"5:07

Personnel

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References

  1. 1 2 link
  2. 1 2 Murray, Noel (September 29, 2003). "The New Romance". The A.V. Club . Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  3. Adams, Sean (October 21, 2003). "Album Review: Pretty Girls Make Graves - The New Romance / Releases / Releases // Drowned in Sound". Drowned in Sound . Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  4. 1 2 Eliscu, Jenny (September 13, 2003). "Rolling Stone : Pretty Girls Make Graves : The New Romance : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone . Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  5. Estefan, Kareem (September 9, 2003). "Pretty Girls Make Graves - The New Romance - Review - Stylus Magazine". Stylus Magazine . Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  6. Wolfman (n.d.). "Pretty Girls Make Graves - The New Romance | Music Review | Tiny Mix Tapes". Tiny Mix Tapes . Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  7. 1 2 Pitchfork staff (September 6, 2016). "The 50 Best Indie Rock Albums of the Pacific Northwest". Pitchfork . Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  8. 1 2 Pelone, Joe (May 1, 2012). "Pretty Girls Make Graves - The New Romance". Punknews.org. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  9. 1 2 Hazelwood, Holly (January 31, 2024). "Pretty Girls Make Graves: The New Romance (Revisionist History Edition)". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  10. Cooke, Robert (September 3, 2010). "Favourite 50: Pretty Girls Make Graves The New Romance (chosen by Robert Cooke) / In Depth // Drowned in Sound". Drowned in Sound . Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  11. Treble staff (September 7, 2023). "Pretty Girls Make Graves announce 20th anniversary reissue of The New Romance". Treble. Retrieved February 13, 2024.