The Puzzle / Snuggles

Last updated
The Puzzle / Snuggles
Devin Townsend - The Puzzle.png
The Puzzle cover
Studio album by
Devin Townsend
ReleasedDecember 3, 2021 (2021-12-03)
Recorded2020–2021
StudioThe Armoury Studios, The Farm, Devlab, and The Armory, Vancouver, Canada
Genre Ambient, experimental [1]
Length65:17 (The Puzzle)
38:32 (Snuggles)
Label HevyDevy
Producer Devin Townsend
Devin Townsend chronology
Empath
(2019)		The Puzzle / Snuggles
(2021)		 Lightwork
(2022)
Snuggles
Devin Townsend - Snuggles.png
Snuggles cover

The Puzzle and Snuggles are the nineteenth and the twentieth studio albums by Canadian metal musician Devin Townsend, released on his own label HevyDevy Records on December 3, 2021.

Contents

Production

Devin Townsend has explained that The Puzzle is "an elaborate and much more chilled out" version of his 2004 album Devlab [2] and "more a collaborative, multimedia art project that acts as a stopgap between Empath and the next record" that "gave me a chance to purge and be completely creatively free", whereas Snuggles is "meant to be something you listen to in order to feel better... Puzzle is chaos, Snuggles is calm. The whole project is meant to express that I think there is a light at the end of this dark tunnel we’ve been through." [3] The two albums serve as a prelude to a "more traditional album", Lightwork , produced by Garth Richardson (Rage Against the Machine, Mudvayne, Nickelback) and released in November 2022, and "an ambitious project he’s been teasing for years called The Moth". [4]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Devin Townsend, except were noted

The Puzzle track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Chromatic Ridge" 3:43
2."Life Is But a Dream" 3:29
3."Yucky Lung" 1:22
4."Kittenhead" 1:13
5."Shark in the Ice" 1:49
6."Devil in the Details" 0:58
7."Hammerhead Sugarplum" 3:47
8."Me and the Moon" 4:12
9."Anxiety in Pyjamas" 3:28
10."The Yugas"Townsend, Mike Keneally 3:01
11."Albert Hall" 3:58
12."StarChasm"Townsend, Steve Vai 3:59
13."Perfect Owl" 2:17
14."Maybe Over the Void"Townsend, Mattias Eklundh 2:56
15."Light Year Whale"Townsend, Anneke Van Giersbergen 4:31
16."FrogFlowers"Townsend, Eklundh1:11
17."Mother"Townsend, Tina Ahlin 4:28
18."Southern Sky Geometry" 2:11
19."The Puzzle" 5:22
20."Monuments of Glitch" 7:22
Total length:65:17
Snuggles track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Beyond Measure" 1:31
2."Blue Dot"Townsend, Ché Aimee Dorval3:07
3."Drifting and Dreaming" 4:26
4."Sundance" 0:53
5."Minds Are Changing" 3:46
6."The Ocean" 4:54
7."Distant, Elegant" 3:34
8."Replikiss" 3:33
9."I Agree" 3:23
10."Tryst" 3:30
11."Sunset Rump" 1:32
12."The Option" 4:23
Total length:38:32

Personnel

Credits adapted from the albums' liner notes. [5] [6]

The Puzzle

  • Devin Townsend – bass, guitar, vocals, keyboards and synths
  • Morgan Ågren — drums and percussion, vocals
  • Fazal – drums and percussion
  • Anup Sastry — drums and percussion
  • Chris Kelly — drums and percussion, vocals
  • Kat Epple — drums and percussion, keyboards and synths, strings, wind instruments, and horns
  • Nathan Navarro – bass
  • Jonas Hellborg – bass
  • Jean Savoie – bass
  • Mike Keneally – guitar
  • Aman Khosla – guitar, vocals
  • Steve Vai – guitar
  • Plini – guitar
  • Mark Cimino – guitar, vocals, keyboards and synths
  • Matt Picone – guitar
  • Andy McKee – guitar
  • Jed Simon – guitar
  • Chrys Johnson – guitar
  • Yotam Afik – guitar
  • Buckley Kelly – guitar
  • Ana Patan – guitar, vocals
  • John Bertsche – guitar, vocals
  • Tina Ågren – vocals
  • Echo Picone – vocals
  • Tanya Ghosh – vocals
  • Gitai Barak – vocals
  • Ché Aimee Dorval – vocals
  • Anneke van Giersbergen – vocals
  • Samantha Preis – vocals
  • Anne Preis – vocals
  • Arabella Packford – vocals
  • Blindboy Boatclub – vocals
  • Shiraz Afik – vocals
  • Korina Savoie – vocals
  • Chris Johnson – vocals
  • Mom Alvarado – vocals
  • Pete Mark – vocals
  • Amy Wong – vocals
  • Mattias Eklundh – keyboards and synths, strings, wind instruments, and horns
  • Diego Tejeida – keyboards and synths
  • Ben Searles – keyboards and synths
  • Mike St-Jean – keyboards and synths
  • Phillip Peterson – strings, wind instruments, and horns
  • Neyveli Radhakrishna – strings, wind instruments, and horns
  • Jørgen Munkeby – strings, wind instruments, and horns

Snuggles

  • Devin Townsend – drums and percussion, bass, guitar, vocals, keyboards and synths
  • Morgan Ågren – drums and percussion
  • Chris Kelly – drums and percussion
  • Paul Soroski – drums and percussion
  • Jake VanDerGinst – drums and percussion
  • Kat Epple – drums and percussion, keyboards and synths, strings, wind instruments, and horns
  • Andy McKee – drums and percussion, guitar
  • Nathan Navarro – bass
  • Jean Savoie – bass
  • Andy Timmons – guitar
  • Markus Reuter – guitar
  • Chrys Johnson – guitar
  • Buckley Kelly – guitar
  • Ana Patan – guitar, vocals
  • Tina Ahlin – vocals
  • Aman Khosla – vocals
  • Tanya Ghosh – vocals
  • Omer Cordell – vocals
  • Ché Aimee Dorval – vocals
  • Ash Pearson – vocals
  • Chika Buston – vocals
  • Samantha Preis – vocals
  • Anne Preis – vocals
  • Arabella Packford – vocals
  • Adrian Mottram – vocals
  • Katrina Natale – vocals
  • Mattias Eklund – keyboards and synths, strings, wind instruments, and horns
  • Diego Tejeida – keyboards and synths
  • Phillip Peterson – strings, wind instruments, and horns
  • Neyveli Radhakrishna – strings, wind instruments, and horns

Technical

Charts

Chart performance for The Puzzle / Snuggles
Chart (2021)Peak
position
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [7] 50

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devin Townsend</span> Canadian musician (born 1972)

Devin Garrett Townsend is a Canadian singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He founded extreme metal band Strapping Young Lad and was its primary songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist from 1994 to 2007. He has also had an extensive solo career and has released a total of 28 albums across all of his projects as of 2022.

<i>Accelerated Evolution</i> 2003 studio album by The Devin Townsend Band

Accelerated Evolution is the sixth studio album by Canadian musician Devin Townsend, released in 2003. The album, written and produced by Townsend, was a mix of musical styles from alternative rock to hard rock to progressive metal. Townsend, the lead vocalist and guitarist, assembled a group of Vancouver musicians to perform with him on the album: guitarist Brian Waddell, drummer Ryan Van Poederooyen, bassist Mike Young, and keyboardist Dave Young. This lineup, the Devin Townsend Band, was Townsend's first dedicated lineup for his solo material, and was created as a counterpart to Townsend's extreme metal project Strapping Young Lad.

<i>Terria</i> (Devin Townsend album) 2001 studio album by Devin Townsend

Terria is the fifth solo album by Canadian musician Devin Townsend. The album was released in 2001 on Townsend's label, HevyDevy Records.

<i>Punky Brüster – Cooked on Phonics</i> 1996 studio album by Devin Townsend

Punky Brüster – Cooked on Phonics is the debut studio album by Canadian musician Devin Townsend, originally released as Cooked on Phonics under the fictional band name Punky Brüster. It was released on Townsend's label, HevyDevy Records, on March 19, 1996. It is a comedic metal/punk rock concept album written by Townsend.

<i>Infinity</i> (Devin Townsend album) 1998 studio album by Devin Townsend

Infinity is the third solo album by Canadian musician Devin Townsend, and the first released under his real name. The album was released in October 1998 on Townsend's label, HevyDevy Records.

<i>Physicist</i> (album) 2000 studio album by Devin Townsend

Physicist is the fourth solo album by Canadian musician Devin Townsend. The album was released on June 26, 2000, on Townsend's label, HevyDevy Records.

<i>Synchestra</i> 2006 studio album by The Devin Townsend Band

Synchestra is the eighth solo album by Canadian musician Devin Townsend, and the second and final album he recorded with The Devin Townsend Band. The album was released in January 2006 on Townsend's label, HevyDevy Records.

<i>Ocean Machine: Biomech</i> 1997 studio album by Devin Townsend

Ocean Machine: Biomech is the second studio album by Canadian musician Devin Townsend, originally released as Biomech under the name Ocean Machine. The album was released in July 1997 via Townsend's label, HevyDevy Records.

<i>Illumination</i> (Earth, Wind & Fire album) 2005 studio album by Earth, Wind & Fire

Illumination is the nineteenth studio album by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released in September 2005 on Sanctuary. The album rose to No. 8 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 32 on the Billboard 200 chart. Illumination was also Grammy nominated within the category of Best R&B Album. It is the final Earth, Wind & Fire album to feature their founder and co-lead vocalist Maurice White.

<i>Ziltoid the Omniscient</i> 2007 studio album by Devin Townsend

Ziltoid the Omniscient is the tenth studio album by Canadian metal musician Devin Townsend, released on his own label HevyDevy Records in May 2007, and distributed in America and Europe by InsideOut Music.

<i>Ki</i> (album) 2009 studio album by Devin Townsend Project

Ki is the eleventh studio album by Canadian musician Devin Townsend, and the first album in the Devin Townsend Project series. The album was released on May 25, 2009, on Townsend's independent record label HevyDevy Records.

<i>Addicted</i> (Devin Townsend Project album) 2009 studio album by Devin Townsend Project

Addicted is the twelfth studio album by Canadian musician Devin Townsend, and the second album in the Devin Townsend Project series. The album was released on November 17, 2009, on Townsend's independent record label HevyDevy Records. The album was written and produced by Townsend, and features Ryan Van Poederooyen, Brian Waddell, Mark Cimino, and Anneke van Giersbergen.

<i>Mystery Tracks – Archives Vol. 3</i> 2003 compilation album by Steve Vai

Mystery Tracks – Archives Vol. 3 is the third in a series of discs by guitarist Steve Vai collecting unreleased tracks, demo recordings and other bits. The track Speeding is a playable song in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, although it is a re-recording.
This Is Volume 4 in "The Secret Jewel Box".

<i>The Girl Next Door</i> (album) 1989 studio album by Evelyn "Champagne" King

The Girl Next Door is the 10th studio album by Evelyn "Champagne" King. The album was released in September, 1989 by EMI Records.

<i>Epicloud</i> 2012 studio album by Devin Townsend Project

Epicloud is the fifteenth studio album by Canadian musician Devin Townsend, and the fifth album in the Devin Townsend Project series. The album was released on September 18, 2012, in North America, and September 24, 2012, in Europe, through his independent record label HevyDevy Records and Inside Out Music.

<i>Anarchy</i> (Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku album) 2016 studio album by Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku

Anarchy is the third studio album by the Japanese female idol group Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku. The album was released on April 20, 2016 on the Sony Music Entertainment Japan's label SME Records.

<i>Transcendence</i> (Devin Townsend Project album) 2016 studio album by Devin Townsend Project

Transcendence is the seventeenth studio album by Canadian musician Devin Townsend. It is the seventh and final album in the Devin Townsend Project series. It was released on September 9, 2016, via HevyDevy Records.

<i>Empath</i> (album) 2019 album by Devin Townsend

Empath is the eighteenth studio album by Canadian metal musician Devin Townsend, released on his own label HevyDevy Records on March 29, 2019. It is his first solo album since Dark Matters, which was a part of the 2014 double album Z², and his first release to act solely as a solo album since 2007's Ziltoid the Omniscient.

<i>Lightwork</i> 2022 album by Devin Townsend

Lightwork is the twenty-first studio album by Canadian musician Devin Townsend, released on November 4, 2022. The album has been described by Devin as a return to a "song oriented album", with "more traditional arrangements", after his latest releases. Lyrically, the album addresses the struggles of the COVID-19 pandemic, while reflecting about the post-pandemic future.

References

  1. ↑ "THE WEEKLY INJECTION: New Releases From DEVIN TOWNSEND, VOLBEAT, and More Out Today - 12/3". Metal Injection. 2021-12-03. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  2. ↑ "Devin Townsend: Empath". Exclaim!. March 29, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Devin Townsend Explains Two New Albums, The Puzzle and Snuggles, in New Documentary Series". MetalSucks. August 9, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Devin Townsend Outlines Plans for Next Several Albums (Including The Moth!)". MetalSucks. August 25, 2021.
  5. ↑ The Puzzle (liner notes). Devin Townsend. HevyDevy Records. 2021. HDR0001007.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. ↑ Snuggles (liner notes). Devin Townsend. HevyDevy Records. 2021. HDR0001008.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ↑ "Devin Townsend: The Puzzle / Snuggles" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.