Length 57:10 Release date 17 March 2015 | Artist Modest Mouse Label Epic/Sony Records | |
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Released March 17, 2015 (2015-03-17) Recorded 2014
Ice Cream Party
Portland, Oregon Genres Indie rock, Alternative rock, Art rock Producers Isaac Brock, Tucker Martine, Brian Deck, Andrew Weiss Similar Modest Mouse albums, Indie rock albums | ||
Strangers to Ourselves is the sixth album by American alternative rock band Modest Mouse, which was released on March 17, 2015, two weeks after its initially announced release date of March 3. The album was leaked to the internet on March 7, 2015. On March 16, 2015, the day before the album's official release date, Strangers to Ourselves was prematurely made available for download on Amazon.com (free for Prime) and the iTunes Store.
Contents
It is the band's first studio album since We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, released in 2007, marking the longest gap between studio albums in their career. Modest Mouse recorded two albums worth of material in their sessions, though the second album still has several songs incomplete.
Joe Zook, who mixed We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, also mixed Strangers To Ourselves.
The album's cover features an aerial image of Venture Out RV Resort, located in Mesa, Arizona.
Singles
The first single from the album, "Lampshades on Fire", was made available on December 15, 2014 for streaming and digital download. Another song from the album, "Coyotes", was made available for download on January 20, 2015. Inspired by the true story about a coyote that rode Portland, Oregon's MAX light rail train on February 13, 2002. The third song to be made available, "The Best Room", was released on February 3, 2015, alongside the album's track listing. A fourth track from the album, "The Ground Walks, with Time in a Box", was released on February 16, 2015. On March 3, a fifth song from the album was released, the album's final track, "Of Course We Know".
Reception
Reviews of Strangers to Ourselves represent a diverse mix of opinions on the album. The album holds a score of 70 out of 100 from Metacritic based on "generally favorable reviews". While some lament the title's lack of experimentation and growth, other reviewers see the album as evidence of the band's evolution. Kyle Mcgovern of Spin Magazine calls the album "a rudderless 15-song set that slightly improves the standing of 2007's middle-of-the-moat We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank." Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic emphasises the strengths of the album's songs individually, but adds that "it's an album where the trees matter more than the forest."
Track listing
All lyrics written by Isaac Brock, except "God Is an Indian and You're an Asshole" lyrics by Jeremiah Green. All music composed by Modest Mouse.
Modest Mouse
Additional instrumentation
Songs
1Strangers to Ourselves3:25
2Lampshades on Fire3:08
3Shit in Your Cut4:44