Hug of Thunder is the fifth studio album by Canadian indie rock musical collective Broken Social Scene.[1] It was released by the Arts & Crafts record label on July 7, 2017.[2]
Hug of Thunder | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | July 7, 2017 | |||
Genre | Indie rock, baroque pop | |||
Length | 52:19 | |||
Label | Arts & Crafts | |||
Producer |
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Broken Social Scene chronology | ||||
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After declaring a hiatus in September 2011, Broken Social Scene performed at the Field Trip Arts & Crafts Music Festival in 2013 and played a few other festivals in 2015, which prompted band members Kevin Drew, Brendan Canning, Charles Spearin, Justin Peroff, and Andrew Whiteman to discuss recording new material. "When we're working, we understand that there will be a lot more input, so we leave space in the music as we're writing it," Spearin said. "We would send out invitations for all the usual crew, and say, 'Hey, we're doing this again. Would you be interested in being part of this?'" In the end, eighteen musicians were credited on Hug of Thunder. During sessions for the album, Feist conceived the idea for the title track, her first lead vocal on a Broken Social Scene song since 2006.[3] Drew explained that the title represents "exactly who we are. That is our show. We're trying to create that hug of thunder. That sound. That embrace amongst the chaos."[4]
Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 7.3/10[5] |
Metacritic | 76/100[6] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
The A.V. Club | B+[7] |
The Guardian | [8] |
The Independent | [9] |
The Irish Times | [10] |
Mojo | [11] |
Pitchfork | 8.4/10[12] |
Q | [13] |
Rolling Stone | [14] |
Uncut | 8/10[15] |
Hug of Thunder received positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 76, based on 30 reviews.[6]
Publication | Accolade | Year | Rank | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Diffuser | Top 25 Albums of 2017 | 2017
|
9
|
|
Drowned in Sound | Top 100 Albums of 2017 | 2017
|
58
|
|
Time Out New York | Top 29 Albums of 2017 | 2017
|
9
|
|
Under the Radar | Top 100 Albums of 2017 | 2017
|
11
|
|
Vulture | Top 10 Albums of 2017 | 2017
|
10
|
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Sol Luna" |
| 1:20 |
2. | "Halfway Home" | 4:41 | |
3. | "Protest Song" |
| 4:18 |
4. | "Skyline" |
| 4:10 |
5. | "Stay Happy" |
| 4:10 |
6. | "Vanity Pail Kids" |
| 4:01 |
7. | "Hug of Thunder" |
| 4:54 |
8. | "Towers and Masons" |
| 4:01 |
9. | "Victim Lover" |
| 4:55 |
10. | "Please Take Me with You" |
| 4:54 |
11. | "Gonna Get Better" |
| 5:11 |
12. | "Mouth Guards of the Apocalypse" |
| 5:44 |
Musicians
Technical
Chart (2017) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (ARIA Hitseekers)[21] | 3 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[22] | 102 |
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[23] | 14 |
Scottish Albums (OCC)[24] | 51 |
US Billboard 200[25] | 96 |
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[26] | 3 |
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[27] | 11 |
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[28] | 17 |