| Underdressed at the Symphony | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 1, 2024 | |||
| Studio | Sonic Ranch, Texas | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 36:45 | |||
| Label | Secretly Canadian | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Faye Webster chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Underdressed at the Symphony | ||||
| ||||
Underdressed at the Symphony is the fifth studio album by American singer Faye Webster. It was released on March 1, 2024, through Secretly Canadian.
Webster recorded Underdressed at the Symphony at Sonic Ranch in Texas with her long-time band. [1] She evolves a "familiar intimacy" within her songwriting skills on the album, blending "catharsis and humor" over a sonic palette of multiple genres like "indie rock, country, and R&B". [2] It sees the singer pushing herself "further than ever before" on a lyrical front, "truly leaving her emotions" on the tracks. [3] The album's title draws on Webster's experiences getting tickets to see the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in Atlanta, Georgia, at the last minute and not having time to adequately dress up for it.
On June 20, 2023, Webster released the lead single "But Not Kiss", a "bold and forceful" track compared to the likes of the Arctic Monkeys. [4] On September 20, the second single "Lifetime", a "reflective five-minute track", was released alongside a music video directed by Kyle Ng of Braindead Studios. [5] The album announcement on January 11, 2024, coincided with the release of the third single "Lego Ring" with Lil Yachty, whom she shares a lifelong friendship with. [6] On February 15, Webster released the single "Feeling Good Today". At just 86 seconds, the track mainly consists of a guitar and the singer's "Vocoder-altered voice", accentuated with "light piano" touches. [7]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.6/10 [8] |
| Metacritic | 82/100 [9] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [10] |
| Beats Per Minute | 72% [11] |
| DIY |  [12] |
| The Line of Best Fit | 8/10 [13] |
| Exclaim! | 8/10 [14] |
| Paste | 7.9/10 [15] |
| Pitchfork | 7.5/10 [16] |
| Slant Magazine | [17] |
| Spin | A- [18] |
| Under the Radar |    [19] |
According to the review aggregator Metacritic , Underdressed at the Symphony received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 82 out of 100 from 15 critic scores. [9] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.6 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus. [8]
Writing for Beats Per Minute , Brianna Corrine concludes: "Her ability to speak about truly complex and philosophical facets of love and the self in a lyrically simplified way, but with sonically expansive and cohesive instrumentation, is admirable and incredibly progressive in the world of genres and storytelling." [11] In her review for Pitchfork , Arielle Gordon writes that the album "emphasizes the naturalism of her songwriting, building melodies with a grand piano, a drum kit, and an electric guitar." [16] Stephen Deusner of Uncut describes Webster on the album as a "minimalist songwriter who uses as few words as possible to conjure emotions too messy or too contradictory or simply too painful to state outright." [20] Writing for The Observer , Kitty Empire describes the album as "delicate and eclectic" and "70s-tinged alt-country." [21] Michelle Dalarossa of Under the Radar writes: "Existing fans will be happy to hear the same shimmering pedal-steel and alt-country instrumentation that have come to define the 26-year-old’s catalog, but the album paints a clear picture of Webster’s growth as an artist." [19] In her review for Paste , Sam Small praised the album's lyrics, writing: "Webster’s lyrics are like the underlined sentences of a novel—the lines glow from the page, compelling you to frantically dig into your purse to find a pen." [15] Adele Julia of The Line of Best Fit writes: "Amidst the unexpected twists in its production, Webster still retains a strong narrative voice throughout, her intentions unfolding with each new line." [13] Writing for Exclaim! , Megan LaPierre states that the album "builds upon the frameworks she’s established and pushes them to their limits." [14] Chris Taylor of DIY was critical of the album's lyrics, writing: "While it does see Faye and her band at their most musically warm and open - nearly every track is a devastating beauty - lyrically she feels more closed off than ever before." [12] Joshua Minsoo Kim of Rolling Stone describes the album as a "marvel of patient, obsessive contemplation." [22] John Murphy of MusicOMH describes the album as "deliberate, considered yet oddly beguiling mix of jazz, folk and indie, with some hip-hop stylings thrown in." [23] AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine writes that "Webster emphasizes presentation and execution over composition or construction, letting her backing band and tight group of collaborators breathe along with her sighing melodies." [10] Evan Haga of Spin writes that the album's lyrics "push breakup-record pain against proclamations of a woman’s wants and needs, while mixing in funny, specific details of contemporary life." [18] Writing her review for Slant Magazine , Dana Poland states that "The real magic of the album [...] can be found in its instrumentation." [17]
All tracks are written by Faye Webster (additional writing credits are noted)
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Thinking About You" | 6:36 | |
| 2. | "But Not Kiss" | 3:42 | |
| 3. | "Wanna Quit All the Time" | 4:35 | |
| 4. | "Lego Ring" (with Lil Yachty) |
| 2:43 |
| 5. | "Feeling Good Today" | 1:26 | |
| 6. | "Lifetime" | 5:06 | |
| 7. | "He Loves Me Yeah!" |
| 2:50 |
| 8. | "eBay Purchase History" | 3:44 | |
| 9. | "Underdressed at the Symphony" | 3:33 | |
| 10. | "Tttttime" | 2:30 | |
| Total length: | 36:45 | ||
| Chart (2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Vinyl Albums (ARIA) [24] | 16 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [25] | 37 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC) [26] | 37 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC) [27] | 16 |
"Fell in Love with a Girl" is a song by the American rock band the White Stripes, written and produced by Jack White for the band's third studio album, White Blood Cells (2001). Released as the album's second single in February 2002, it peaked at number 21 on both the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart and the UK Singles Chart. It was also the band's first single to reach the U.S. Alternative Songs chart, peaking at number 12.
I and Love and You is the 2009 major label debut by The Avett Brothers and produced by Rick Rubin.
Go-Go Boots is the ninth studio album by American rock band Drive-By Truckers, first released February 14, 2011, on Play It Again Sam Records. It was produced by record producer David Barbe and recorded during 2009 to 2010, concurrently with sessions for the band's previous album The Big To-Do (2010). Upon its release, Go-Go Boots received positive reviews from most music critics.
Locked Down is a studio album by American singer-songwriter Dr. John. It was released on April 3, 2012 through Nonesuch Records. Recording sessions took place in 2011 at Easy Eye Sound in Nashville. Production was handled by Dan Auerbach. It features contributions from Dan Auerbach, Max Weissenfeldt, Leon Michels, Nick Movshon, Brian Olive and The McCrary Sisters. At the 55th Annual Grammy Awards held in 2013, the album won a Grammy Award for Best Blues Album.
Somewhere Else is the third studio album by American musician Lydia Loveless. It was released on February 18, 2014, by Bloodshot Records.
Kelsey Regina Byrne, known professionally as Vérité, is an American singer and songwriter based in Brooklyn, New York City. Her first single "Strange Enough" was self-released in July 2014, reaching number one on Hype Machine and becoming the #1 Most Viral Twitter Artist the week of release. Described variously as indie pop, electropop or alternative pop, Liza Darwin of Noisey wrote that her 2014 Echo EP is "packed with crisp, delicate vocals, soaring melodies, and glistening production." Her second EP, Sentiment, was self-released on June 8, 2015. The EP was praised by Time, who called her vocals "rich and ethereal". She has toured internationally and performed at events such as Neon Gold Popshop, South by Southwest, The Knitting Factory, Brooklyn Bowl, the Firefly Festival and Lollapalooza.
Teenage Emotions is the debut studio album by American rapper Lil Yachty. It was released on May 26, 2017, by Capitol Records, Motown, and Quality Control Music. The album features guest appearances from Migos, YG, Kamaiyah, Stefflon Don, Diplo, Grace, and Sonyae Elise, among others.
Lil Boat 2 is the second studio album by American rapper Lil Yachty. It was released on March 9, 2018, by Capitol Records, Motown and Quality Control Music. The album features guest appearances from Quality Control labelmates Quavo and Offset of Migos and Lil Baby, alongside 2 Chainz, Trippie Redd, Lil Pump, YoungBoy Never Broke Again and Tee Grizzley, among others.
"66" is a song by American rapper Lil Yachty featuring fellow American rapper Trippie Redd. It was released as the last track on Lil Yachty's second studio album Lil Boat 2. The song peaked at number 73 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Tierra Helena Whack is an American rapper and singer. She originally performed as "Dizzle Dizz" as a teenager, but later on reverted to her birth name in 2017. Her debut mixtape, Whack World, was released in May 2018 and received widespread critical acclaim. Her song "Mumbo Jumbo" was nominated at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards for Best Music Video. Whack has since collaborated with Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Tyler, the Creator, Chief Keef and Melanie Martinez.
Wax is the sixth studio album by Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall, and the second album in the "soul, body and mind" trilogy. It was released on 5 October 2018, following up the first album of the trilogy, Kin. The first single from the album is "The River", released on 23 August 2018.
Dedicated is the fourth studio album by Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen. It was released on May 17, 2019, by 604 Records in Canada, and School Boy and Interscope Records in the United States. The album was preceded by the release of the singles "Party for One", "Now That I Found You", "No Drug Like Me", "Julien", and "Too Much". To support the album Jepsen embarked on The Dedicated Tour with dates in Europe, North America and Asia. A companion album, Dedicated Side B, featuring outtakes from Dedicated, was released just over a year later on May 21, 2020.
Faye Webster is an American singer-songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia. She has released five studio albums: Run and Tell (2013), Faye Webster (2017), Atlanta Millionaires Club (2019), I Know I'm Funny Haha (2021), and Underdressed at the Symphony (2024).
Atlanta Millionaires Club is the third studio album by American musician Faye Webster. It was released on May 24, 2019, by Secretly Canadian.
Silver Landings is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Mandy Moore, released on March 6, 2020, via Verve Forecast Records. It is her first studio album in 11 years, following her fifth studio album Amanda Leigh (2009). Moore was due to promote the album with a North American tour, before it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The 1" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift and the opening track from her eighth studio album, Folklore (2020). She wrote the song with its producer, Aaron Dessner. A folk and soft rock tune with elements of indie folk, "The 1" sets Swift's conversational vocals over a production consisting of piano and percussion. In its lyrics, the narrator fondly introspects a failed romance and details the time when she found "the one" who never came to be. Republic Records released the song for download in Germany on October 9, 2020.
Good Woman is the fourth studio album by the English band the Staves. It was released on 5 February 2021 by Atlantic Records UK in the UK and Nonesuch Records worldwide.
Rosegold is the fifth solo studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Ashley Monroe, released April 30, 2021, via Mountainrose Sparrow and Thirty Tigers. It follows her 2018 solo release Sparrow, as well as her album Interstate Gospel as part of the country group Pistol Annies from the same year.
I Know I'm Funny Haha is the fourth studio album by American singer Faye Webster, released on June 25, 2021 through Secretly Canadian.
"Skate" is a song by American superduo Silk Sonic, which consists of Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak. It was released on July 30, 2021, by Aftermath Entertainment and Atlantic Records as the second single from their debut studio album An Evening with Silk Sonic (2021). The song was written by the artists alongside James Fauntleroy, Domi & JD Beck, and Dernst "D'Mile" Emile II, who produced it with Mars. An R&B, disco, and funk song, it was inspired by music from the 1970s disco period. The song's lyrics discuss roller skating and include an invitation to a dance floor.
