| Stranger in the Alps | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 22, 2017 | |||
| Studio | Zeitgeist, Los Angeles, CA | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 44:15 | |||
| Label | Dead Oceans | |||
| Producer |
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| Phoebe Bridgers chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Stranger in the Alps | ||||
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Stranger in the Alps is the debut studio album by American musician Phoebe Bridgers, released by Dead Oceans on September 22, 2017.
Stranger in the Alps was produced by Tony Berg and Ethan Gruska. [2] Bridgers recorded the album in between tours over 2016 at Berg's studio in Brentwood, Los Angeles. [3] The album's title is a reference to the edited-for-TV version of the film The Big Lebowski , which changed Walter Sobchak's (John Goodman) line "Do you see what happens when you fuck a stranger in the ass?" to "Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?" [4] Bridgers opted to use the phrase because she found it to be "kind of poetic on accident". [5] [6]
Bridgers signed a recording contract with Dead Oceans in June 2017, [7] and the album was scheduled for release on September 22. [8] The album received a limited edition 5th anniversary galaxy colored vinyl pressing on September 22, 2022. [9]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.8/10 [10] |
| Metacritic | 82/100 [11] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [12] |
| The A.V. Club | A [13] |
| Consequence of Sound | A− [14] |
| Exclaim! | 9/10 [15] |
| The Irish Times | [16] |
| Mojo | [17] |
| NME | [18] |
| Pitchfork | 7.0/10 [19] |
| Q | [20] |
| Uncut | 6/10 [21] |
Stranger in the Alps received acclaim from critics; review aggregator Metacritic gave the album a weighted average score of 82/100 based on 16 critic reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". [11]
Josh Modell of The A.V. Club gave the album a perfect score, saying, "Stranger in the Alps alchemizes sorrow into redemptive beauty. It's never about wallowing, but about slowly moving through it. That difference, played out over some incredible, wise-beyond-her-years songwriting, makes it one of the best albums of the year." [13] Writing for Pitchfork , Sam Sodomsky said that the album is "a collection of songs about intimacy, documenting how our relationships affect the way we view ourselves and interact with others... Bridgers' voice has a breezy, conversational flutter [that] sounds best when she double-tracks it in layers of light falsetto", rating the album 7.0/10. [19]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Smoke Signals" |
| 5:24 |
| 2. | "Motion Sickness" |
| 3:49 |
| 3. | "Funeral" | Bridgers | 3:52 |
| 4. | "Demi Moore" |
| 3:18 |
| 5. | "Scott Street" |
| 5:05 |
| 6. | "Killer" | Bridgers | 3:09 |
| 7. | "Georgia" | Bridgers | 4:07 |
| 8. | "Chelsea" | Bridgers | 4:42 |
| 9. | "Would You Rather" |
| 3:19 |
| 10. | "You Missed My Heart" | 6:57 | |
| 11. | "Smoke Signals (Reprise)" |
| 0:33 |
| Total length: | 44:15 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "It'll All Work Out" | Tom Petty | 2:46 |
| 13. | "Motion Sickness" (demo) |
| 4:24 |
| Total length: | 51:25 | ||
Credits adapted from liner notes. [23]
Musicians
| Production
Artwork
|
| Chart (2017–2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Scottish Albums (OCC) [24] | 97 |
| UK Americana Albums (OCC) [25] | 5 |
| UK Album Downloads (OCC) [26] | 84 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC) [27] | 23 |
| US Billboard 200 [28] | 82 |
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) [29] | 13 |
| US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard) [30] | 6 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard) [31] | 13 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) [32] | 10 |
| US Folk Albums (Billboard) [33] | 4 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI) [34] | Silver | 60,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA) [35] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
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