Untethered Moon
Studio album by
Built to Spill
ReleasedApril 18, 2015
GenreIndie rock
Length45:49
LabelWarner Bros.
ProducerDoug Martsch, Sam Coomes
Built to Spill chronology
There Is No Enemy
(2009) 		Untethered Moon
(2015) 		Built to Spill Plays the Songs of Daniel Johnston
(2020)

Untethered Moon is the eighth studio album by American rock band Built to Spill. The album was released on vinyl for Record Store Day on April 18, 2015, and on CD and digital format on April 21, 2015.[1] It is the band's first album in nearly six years, since 2009's There Is No Enemy, making it the band's longest delay between studio albums up to that point. Frontman Doug Martsch explained:

In 2012, I was a bit burned out on my ability to make new music. We actually recorded an album that year, and then we went on tour. The rhythm section guys quit the band, so we started over … it actually felt really good to start fresh.[2]

It is the first album to feature Steve Gere (drums) and Jason Albertini (bass), replacing Scott Plouf and Brett Nelson respectively, who both left the group in 2012.

The album was announced on February 5, 2015, along with a tour schedule beginning in March.[3] The track "Living Zoo" was released via SoundCloud on February 24, 2015.[4] The official music video for “Living Zoo” premiered on Noisey on March 25, 2015.[5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic76/100[6]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[7]
aNewRisingMusic[8]
Rolling Stone[9]
Pitchfork Media7.1/10[10]
Exclaim!8/10[11]

The album has received praise, with critics and fans alike noting a revived energy within the band as well as Doug Marstch's consistently impressive guitar work.[11] At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, Untethered Moon has received an average score of 76, based on 18 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[6] Cam Lindsay of Exclaim! wrote that Untethered Moon is "arguably the most enjoyable Built to Spill album since 1999's pivotal Keep It Like A Secret," citing "a directness to these songs that has been missing for a few albums."

Track listing

All music written by Built to Spill and all lyrics by Built to Spill with Karena Youtz

No.TitleLength
1."All Our Songs"6:15
2."Living Zoo"4:22
3."On the Way"4:25
4."Some Other Song"4:26
5."Never Be the Same"3:15
6."C.R.E.B."4:21
7."Another Day"3:10
8."Horizon to Cliff"2:44
9."So"4:28
10."When I'm Blind"8:23 [1]

References

  1. ^ a b Gordon, Jeremy (February 24, 2015). "Built to Spill Detail New Album Untethered Moon, Share "Living Zoo"". Pitchfork.
  2. ^ Miasnikov, Cassandra (April 9, 2015). "Built to Spill's New Album Was a Long Time Coming". The Independent.
  3. ^ White, Caitlyn (February 5, 2015). "Built To Spill Announce New Album Untethered Moon". Stereogum.
  4. ^ "Built to Spill "Never Be the Same"". SoundCloud. February 24, 2015.
  5. ^ Bernstein, Jonathan (March 25, 2015). "Let Built to Spill's Video for "Living Zoo" Take You on the Weirdest Camping Trip of Your Life". Vice.
  6. ^ a b "Untethered Moon Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More". Metacritic. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
  7. ^ Sendra, Tim. "Untethered Moon - Built to Spill". AllMusic. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  8. ^ Hayden, Will (June 1, 2015). "Album Review Built To Spill Untethered Moon". aNewRisingMusic. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  9. ^ Grow, Kory (April 28, 2015). "Untethered Moon". Rolling Stone.
  10. ^ Greene, Jayson (April 21, 2015). "Built to Spill: Untethered Moon Album Review". Pitchfork.
  11. ^ a b Lindsay, Cam (April 17, 2015). "Built to Spill - Untethered Moon". Exclaim!. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
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