U.F.O.F.

Last updated

U.F.O.F.
U.F.O.F. cover.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedMay 3, 2019 (2019-05-03)
RecordedJune 2018
Studio Bear Creek, Woodinville, WA
Genre
Length43:15
Label 4AD
Producer Andrew Sarlo
Big Thief chronology
Capacity
(2017)
U.F.O.F.
(2019)
Two Hands
(2019)
Singles from U.F.O.F.
  1. "U.F.O.F."
    Released: February 26, 2019
  2. "Cattails"
    Released: April 3, 2019
  3. "Century"
    Released: April 30, 2019

U.F.O.F. is the third studio album by the American band Big Thief, released through 4AD on May 3, 2019. [6]

Contents

The album was recorded in June 2018 [7] at Bear Creek Studio, a secluded studio with lush nature surroundings in Woodinville, Washington. [8] The songs "From" and "Terminal Paradise" previously appeared in a different form on Adrianne Lenker's 2018 solo album Abysskiss . [9] The title initials stand for "UFO friend", according to lyrics in the title track. [10] The album received acclaim from music critics and was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards. [11]

Five months after the album's release, Big Thief released their fourth studio album, Two Hands . Described as the "earth twin" to U.F.O.F., it was recorded at Sonic Ranch in the Chihuahuan Desert of Texas days after the band completed recording for U.F.O.F. in Washington. [12] [13]

Recording

The album was recorded at Bear Creek Studio, in Woodinville, Washington. [8] Many of the songs started to take shape on tour, but the band continued to experiment, resulting in some of the songs being written only hours before recording them. [14] They recorded in a large room, with the band recording their tracks live. [14]

Music and Lyrics

The album was described by Pitchfork as having "lush" instrumentals to accompany Adrienne Lenker's "lonely and elliptical" lyrics. [15]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic? 8.4/10 [16]
Metacritic 87/100 [17]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [10]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [18]
The Independent Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [19]
Mojo Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [20]
The Observer Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [21]
Pitchfork 9.2/10 [2]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [22]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Uncut 9/10 [23]
Vice (Expert Witness)A− [24]

U.F.O.F. received critical acclaim upon release. On Metacritic, which uses a normalized rating from music critics, the album holds a score of 87 out of 100 based on 24 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". [17]

The album was named "Best New Music" by Pitchfork, with a score of 9.2/10 and the website calling the album the band's "undoubtedly best" and "a mesmerizing flood of life filtered down into a concentrated drip." [2] In 2020, AllMusic named U.F.O.F. as one of the best albums of the 2010s. [25]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Adrianne Lenker

No.TitleLength
1."Contact"3:54
2."U.F.O.F."3:08
3."Cattails"4:05
4."From"3:58
5."Open Desert"3:47
6."Orange"3:30
7."Century"3:07
8."Strange"3:41
9."Betsy"3:28
10."Terminal Paradise"3:25
11."Jenni"4:11
12."Magic Dealer"3:01
Total length:43:15

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. [7]

Big Thief
Additional musicians
Technical
Artwork

Charts

Chart (2019)Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [26] 26
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [27] 80
Irish Albums (IRMA) [28] 81
Scottish Albums (OCC) [29] 21
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [30] 68
UK Albums (OCC) [31] 41
UK Independent Albums (OCC) [32] 9
US Billboard 200 [33] 142
US Folk Albums (Billboard) [34] 3
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard) [35] 13
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) [36] 26
US Vinyl Albums (Billboard) [37] 2

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References

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