My Echo | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | October 23, 2020 | |||
Recorded | Tucker Martine's home studio, Portland, Oregon, U.S.[1] | |||
Length | 33:54 | |||
Label |
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Producer | Tucker Martine | |||
Laura Veirs chronology | ||||
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My Echo is the eleventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Laura Veirs, released on October 23, 2020 by Raven Marching Band.[2] The album received a positive reception from music critics.
On Valentine's Day 2020, Veirs released the song "I Was a Fool";[3] the song discusses her divorce as do the tracks on My Echo. Veirs calls My Echo "an album about disintegration".[4] The album was produced with longtime collaborator and Veirs' ex-husband Tucker Martine and was preceded by music videos for "Burn Too Bright" in July[5] and "Turquoise Walls" in August.[2]
Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Album of the Year | 80 out of 100[8] |
AnyDecentMusic? | 7.4 out of 10[6] |
Metacritic | 84 out of 100[7] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Exclaim! | 8 out of 10[10] |
Financial Times | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
musicOMH | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Paste | 7.7 out of 10[13] |
Slant Magazine | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
According to the review aggregator Metacritic, My Echo received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 84 out of 100 from eight critic scores.[7] Album of the Year sums up critical consensus as an 80 out of 100 based on five reviews[8] and AnyDecentMusic? considers My Echo a 7.4 out of 10, also based on five reviewers.[6]
Sara Chodos of Exclaim! gave the release an eight out of 10, praising the diversity of musicianship and instrumentation.[10] In New Statesman, Ellen Perison-Hagger declared Veirs "one of the greatest living American songwriters" for her ability to use music as catharsis.[15] Maeri Ferguson of No Depression's review emphasized the solitude in the album's lyrics and the Veirs' "stunningly spare" vocals, especially paired with Jim James.[16] In a 7.7 out of 10 review for Paste, Ben Salmon points out Veirs' comforting confronting the unknown in her lyrics as her personal relationship was deteriorating during recording.[13] Steve Horowitz of PopMatters discusses this disintegration and the "claustrophobic themes of confinement" in his review, ending it: "Love can't conquer all. Some disasters are just too big, and we end up singing to ourselves. That's why there is music."[17] Eric Mason of Slant Magazine considers the recording "an act of self-preservation" in a "backdrop of hopelessness brought about by personal heartbreak and global disasters".[14] In Financial Times, David Chesal gave My Echo four out of five stars for "a break-up album [that is] remarkably easy to listen to".[11] Ben Hogwood of musicOMH gave My Echo the same rating, noting the highly skilled musicians and summing up that this album is "sometimes difficult but never less than involving".[12]
Samantha Small of Under the Radar reviewed "Burn Too Bright" upon its release, naming it one of the songs of the week.[18] Concluding the review for AllMusic, Mark Deming claimed that "My Echo creates beauty out of fear and uncertainty, and it's among Laura Veirs' most personal and satisfying works to date."[9]
Credits are adapted from the My Echo liner notes.[19]