Wild Loneliness
A photo of a goat looking out the window of a small plastic children's play house
Studio album by
Superchunk
ReleasedFebruary 25, 2022 (2022-02-25)
Length38:30
LabelMerge
Superchunk chronology
What a Time to Be Alive
(2018) 		Wild Loneliness
(2022) 		Misfits & Mistakes: Singles, B-Sides & Strays 2007–2023
(2023)

Wild Loneliness is the twelfth studio album by the American indie rock band Superchunk. It was released on February 25, 2022,[1] by Merge Records. Ahead of the album release, the band put out three singles: "Endless Summer",[2][3] "This Night",[4] and "On the Floor".[5]

The album was recorded under COVID lockdown in the band's home state of North Carolina. It was mixed by Wally Gagel, who also mixed the band's fifth album, Here's Where the Strings Come In (1995).[3] Guest artists featuring on the record include Sharon Van Etten, Norman Blake and Raymond McGinley of Teenage Fanclub, Mike Mills of R.E.M., Andy Stack of Wye Oak, and Tracyanne Campbell of Camera Obscura.[6]

Reception

Wild Loneliness ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.6/10[7]
Metacritic81/100[8]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
The A.V. ClubB+[10]
Exclaim!8/10[11]
Kerrang!4/5[12]
PopMatters7/10[13]

Wild Loneliness received positive reviews from critics.[8] Writing for Pitchfork, Steve Kandell summarized the album as a “moodier” and “more subdued” work by the band that “get[s] to the heart of some fun topics like fear and ambivalence in the face of environmental and societal ruin”, overall giving it a 7.9 out of 10 rating.[14]

Alex McLevy of The A.V. Club gave the album a B+ and wrote: "So many bands settle into a rut as they mature, but what has always kept Superchunk so invigorating through the years is how the music and lyrics have continued to evolve in ways befitting an indie-rock group whose sound has served as the template for a million imitators", and describing it as "one of the long-running group's most tender albums".[10]

PopMatters critic Kevin Kearney called the album a "a course correction after 2018's uneven What a Time to Be Alive, giving it a 7/10.[13]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Superchunk

Wild Loneliness track listing
No.TitleLength
1."City of the Dead"4:25
2."Endless Summer"4:14
3."On the Floor"3:38
4."Highly Suspect"4:38
5."Set It Aside"2:20
6."This Night"4:36
7."Wild Loneliness"3:03
8."Refracting"2:51
9."Connection"4:39
10."If You're Not Dark"4:08
Total length:38:30
Japanese edition bonus tracks[15]
No.TitleLength
11."Wild Loneliness" (acoustic demo)2:25
12."This Night" (acoustic demo)4:17
Total length:45:18

Personnel

References

  1. ^ "Wild Loneliness - Merge Records". Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  2. ^ Hussey, Allison (December 7, 2021). "Superchunk Announce New Album Wild Loneliness, Share New Song "Endless Summer": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Russell, Scott (December 7, 2021). "Superchunk Announce New Album Wild Loneliness, Share "Endless Summer"". Paste. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  4. ^ Natanawan, Grace (January 19, 2022). "Superchunk Share Latest Single 'This Night' From Wild Loneliness". Spin. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  5. ^ Soutar, Elise (February 7, 2022). "Superchunk Share New Single, "On the Floor"". Paste. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  6. ^ Pearis, Bill (December 7, 2021). "Superchunk announce guest-filled new album & 2022 tour (listen to "Endless Summer")". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  7. ^ "Wild Loneliness by Superchunk reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Wild Loneliness by Superchunk Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  9. ^ Thomas, Fred. "Wild Loneliness – Superchunk". AllMusic. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  10. ^ a b McLevy, Alex (February 22, 2022). "Superchunk's Wild Loneliness reaffirms the band's place in the pantheon of indie-rock greats". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  11. ^ Khanna, Vish (February 23, 2022). "Superchunk Wage War Against Wild Loneliness with Infectious Sweetness". Exclaim!. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  12. ^ Sutherland, Mark (February 22, 2022). "Album review: Superchunk - Wild Loneliness". Kerrang!. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  13. ^ a b Kearney, Kevin (February 25, 2022). "Superchunk Try to Imagine a Brighter Future on Wild Loneliness". PopMatters. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  14. ^ "Superchunk: Wild Loneliness". Pitchfork.
  15. ^ "Superchunk | Big Nothing / Wild Loneliness". ビッグ・ナッシング / ワイルド・ロンリネス (in Japanese). Retrieved January 30, 2023.
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