What Matters Most | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | June 2, 2023 | |||
Recorded | 2022 | |||
Studio | Middletree (Nashville) | |||
Genre | Chamber pop [1] | |||
Length | 38:36 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer | Joe Pisapia | |||
Ben Folds chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from What Matters Most | ||||
|
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 70/100 [2] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [3] |
American Songwriter | [4] |
Glide Magazine | 70/100 [5] |
Mojo | [2] |
MusicOMH | [6] |
PopMatters | 6/10 [7] |
Slant Magazine | [8] |
Sputnik Music | 2/5 [9] |
Under the Radar | [10] |
What Matters Most is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Ben Folds. Released on June 2, 2023, by New West Records, it was preceded by So There in 2015. [11] [12]
The album was announced on February 15, 2023, along with the release of the first single from the album, "Winslow Gardens". Folds toured the U.S. and Europe starting on March 24, 2023, in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and ending on December 4, 2023, in Essen, Germany. [13]
In an interview Folds called his album his most "true" to date, saying "I come from the vinyl era, and this perhaps more than any record I've made is a true album. There's a very specific sequence and arc to each side, all building up to this almost surreal positive finale, and that structure was really important to me." In the same interview, he says "Sonically, lyrically, emotionally, I don't think it's an album I could have made at any other point in my career." [14]
Two more singles were released with "Exhausting Lover" being released on April 12, 2023, and "Back to Anonymous" being released on May 19, 2023.
All tracks are written by Ben Folds, except where noted
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "But Wait, There's More" | 3:42 | |
2. | "Clouds with Ellipses" | 3:01 | |
3. | "Exhausting Lover" | 3:36 | |
4. | "Fragile" | 3:36 | |
5. | "Kristine from the 7th Grade" | 5:23 | |
6. | "Back to Anonymous" | 4:21 | |
7. | "Winslow Gardens" | 3:26 | |
8. | "Paddleboat Breakup" | 4:49 | |
9. | "What Matters Most" | 4:11 | |
10. | "Moments" (featuring Tall Heights) |
| 3:53 |
Total length: | 39:58 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
11. | "Happy Clapper" | 4:03 | |
12. | "Why Did You Tell Me Everything" |
| 3:45 |
13. | "A Million Years or So" | Roger Miller | 2:27 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "The Ghost in You" | 4:02 | |
Total length: | 4:02 |
Chart (2023) | Peak position |
---|---|
Scottish Albums (OCC) [15] | 24 |
UK Album Downloads (OCC) [16] | 12 |
UK Americana Albums (OCC) [17] | 7 |
UK Independent Albums (OCC) [18] | 12 |
US Top Album Sales (Billboard) [19] | 13 |
Ben Folds Five was an American alternative rock trio formed in 1993 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The group comprises Ben Folds, Robert Sledge and Darren Jessee. The group achieved success in the alternative, indie and pop music scenes. Their single "Brick" from the second album, Whatever and Ever Amen (1997), gained airplay on many mainstream radio stations.
Benjamin Scott Folds is an American singer-songwriter from Greensboro, North Carolina. After playing in several small independent bands throughout the late 80s and into the early 90s, Folds came to prominence as the eponymous frontman and pianist of the alternative rock trio Ben Folds Five from 1993 to 2000, and again during their reunion from 2011 to 2013. He has recorded a number of solo albums – the most recent of which, What Matters Most, was released in June 2023. He has also collaborated with musicians such as Regina Spektor, "Weird Al" Yankovic, and yMusic, and undertaken experimental songwriting projects with actor William Shatner and authors such as Nick Hornby and Neil Gaiman. Since May 2017, he has been the first artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
Some Cities is the third studio album by the British indie rock band Doves. The album was released by Heavenly Recordings on 21 February 2005, and became the band's second consecutive album to top the UK Albums Chart at number 1. Some Cities was conceived as a rawer, stripped-down record, and conceptually touches upon the physical changes of the band's hometown of Manchester, as well as emotional transformations.
Songs for Silverman is the second studio album by Ben Folds, released in April 2005 by Epic Records. The album reached No. 13 on the Billboard 200, making it Folds' highest-charting album until the release of Way to Normal in 2008.
Trustfall is the ninth studio album by American singer Pink. It was released on February 17, 2023, through RCA Records. Her first studio album since Hurts 2B Human (2019), Pink worked on the production and lyrics with Fred Again, David Hodges, Max Martin, Johnny McDaid, and Shellback, and others. The Lumineers, Chris Stapleton and First Aid Kit feature as guest vocalists. Sonically, Trustfall is a dance-pop record, with inclusion of various subgenres, such as pop rock and folk. Lyrically, it speaks of various subjects, including motivation, self-acceptance, loss and love.
Lines, Vines and Trying Times is the fourth studio album by the Jonas Brothers. It was released June 16, 2009, in the US. The album received mixed reviews from critics and fans. In its first week, the album sold 247,000 copies, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200. It was their third and last album released under Hollywood Records, and their last before a hiatus, which lasted from October 2013 to March 2019.
Insides is the third studio album by English musician and producer Jon Hopkins. Released on 5 May 2009, it reached No. 15 on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Album Chart in 2009. PopMatters listed the album as one of the top ten electronic albums of 2009.
The Sound of the Life of the Mind is the fourth studio album by Ben Folds Five, released on September 18, 2012. It is the group's first release since 1999's The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner.
Painting is the tenth studio album by Ocean Colour Scene, released on 11 February 2013. The album charted at number 49 in the UK in its first week of release, making it their lowest-charting studio album since their 1992 debut. In September 2021 the album was released on white vinyl for the very first time.
I Forget Where We Were is the second album by British singer-songwriter Ben Howard, released on 20 October 2014.
The Devil's Walk is a studio album by Apparat. It was released on Mute Records on 27 September 2011.
Wildness is the seventh studio album by Northern Irish-Scottish rock band Snow Patrol. The album was released on 25 May 2018. It is their first album with Johnny McDaid as a full member of the band, after his involvement as a guest musician and songwriter on Fallen Empires and participation in its tour. It was also the last album feature bassist Paul Wilson and drummer Jonny Quinn who both left the band in September 2023.
Noonday Dream is the third album by British singer-songwriter Ben Howard, released on 1 June 2018.
Citizen of Glass is the third studio album by Danish singer-songwriter Agnes Obel, released on 21 October 2016 by PIAS Recordings. Four tracks were selected as singles: "Familiar", "Golden Green", "It's Happening Again", and "Stretch Your Eyes". Obel launched a European tour at the end of October 2016, followed by a North American tour in February 2017.
Drift Code is the second studio album by English musician and former Talk Talk bassist Paul Webb, under his moniker Rustin Man. It was released on 1 February 2019 through Domino Recording Company.
Father of All Motherfuckers is the thirteenth studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on February 7, 2020, through Reprise Records. Produced by Butch Walker, Chris Dugan, and the band, the album marks a complete departure from the band's traditional punk rock sound, incorporating garage rock elements similar to their tenth studio album, ¡Dos!.
R.Y.C. is the second studio album by Guernsey-born music producer Alex Crossan, under his alias Mura Masa. It was released on 17 January 2020 by Polydor Records and Anchor Point Records. The album has guest features by Clairo, Slowthai, Tirzah and Ellie Rowsell.
Fantasy is the ninth studio album by French band M83, released on 17 March 2023 through Virgin Records France and Mute Records. It was announced on 10 January 2023 alongside the release of the lead single "Oceans Niagara". The band toured North America and Europe in support of the album from April to August 2023.
Angel Face is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Stephen Sanchez, released on September 22, 2023, through Mercury and Republic Records.
Dark Rainbow is the fifth studio album by British rock band Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes, released on 26 January 2024 through International Death Cult and AWAL. It received positive reviews from critics.