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Anus (album)

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Anus is the debut studio album by American drag queen Alaska Thunderfuck. It was released on June 23, 2015, through Sidecar Records. Musically, the album is compiled of pop and dance music, with electronic elements, and features appearances from fellow RuPaul's Drag Race contestants, season four contestant Willam, and season six contestants Courtney Act and Laganja Estranja.

Background

In November 2012, Honard was announced as one of the fourteen drag queens who would be competing on the fifth season of reality competition RuPaul's Drag Race, but would be known by the mononym Alaska, with the last name Thunderfuck omitted.[1] Honard performed well on the show, winning two challenges, and placing himself in a small group of contestants in the show's history to make it to the final without ever placing in the bottom two. In the season finale, Alaska was declared the joint runner-up of the season with Roxxxy Andrews, losing out on winning to Jinkx Monsoon. During the show, Honard provided lyrics for a charity single "Can I Get An Amen".[2] Shortly after filming RuPaul's Drag Race, Honard penned his first songs. The first, titled "Ru Girl", was released in December 2013,[3] although it ultimately didn't make the cut for Anus. Honard also wrote "Nails", which eventually was released as the second single from the album.[4]

Concerning the album's title, Honard stated “It was the only thing I could call it. There’s nothing else. There’s simply no other title.”[5]

Music and lyrics

RuPaul's Drag Race alumni Willam and Laganja Estranja both contribute vocals to Anus.

All songs on the album are issued with the explicit tag, indicating swearing, except the piano introduction to "Nails".[6]

The album's opening track, "Hieeee" incorporates one of Honard's signature catchphrases, the elongated pronunciation of the word Hi. Honard summed the song up as "drag 101", stating that it utilized many drag queen sayings normally used in bar and club culture, including phrases such as "the more you drink, the prettier we look". Honard cited the buildup compiled of Laganja Estranja quotes as his favorite part of the song.[7]

The sixth and seventh tracks on the album, "Nails (Piano Introduction)" and "Nails" run concurrently in the songs music video, but are split for the release of the album. "Nails" was one of the earliest tracks penned for Anus, written shortly after filming for RuPaul's Drag Race had concluded. The song was inspired by Honard's new found love for artificial nails, and the feeling they give you when wearing them. Honard described "Nails (Piano Introduction)" as "show tunes-y" Honard cites "cat scratch fever, look like Sigourney Weaver, are you June Cleaver or a Labrador Retriever?" as his favorite line from the track.[4]

The song "This Is My Hair", was originally a deep, politically-driven song discussing the economy and teenage prostitution, however the production company did not like the original version, and requested Honard re-write it. Upon re-listening to the beat, he was inspired by the offensive remark of somebody telling a drag queen that they love their wig, as opposed to them loving their hair. Honard revealed the reason he sang with a Croatian accent was because he had just finished performing there. He cites "I take my vitamins" as one of his favorite lyrics from the song.[8]

Singles

On June 10, 2014, "Your Makeup Is Terrible" was released as the first single from Anus.[9] Pitchfork Media named the song as the best song by a RuPaul's Drag Race contestant ever.[10] The video for "Your Makeup Is Terrible" was released on June 9, 2014, and was directed by Saša Numić.[11]

On December 9, 2014, "Nails" was released as the second single from the album.[12] Nails was also supported by the promotional separate release of the songs music video introduction, released on the same day as the main single.[13] Honard described the video in his Let the Music Play episode: "The video's really cool, and it starts out with the piano introduction, which is like, really sweet and like, show tunes-y. It's like, really sweet and serene and she's in outer space, and then, the spaceship crashes. She gets abducted by an evil, nefarious, secret agent-type man, who then takes her to an interrogation room and is like, ripping off her nails, with like, pliers".[4]

On June 9, 2015, "Hieeee" was released as the third single from Anus.[14] "Hieeee" charted at number five on the US Billboard Comedy Digital Tracks chart, becoming Honard's second appearance on a Billboard chart, the first being "American Apparel Ad Girls" with Courtney Act and Willam, which peaked at number ten on the same chart, respectively. "Hieeee" received negative reviews from critics, being regarded as the worst song by a RuPaul's Drag Race contestant in history by Pitchfork Media writer Andy Emmitt.[10] Two videos were released to promote the single, both released on June 8, 2015. One video was dubbed the "official" video,[15] and was filmed in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on the closing night of the Battle of the Seasons tour.[7] The other video was titled the "unofficial" video,[16] and featured Honard showcasing gifts he had received from fans during his career.

On June 23, 2015, the same day as the album's release, "This Is My Hair" was released as Anus's fourth single.[17]

In an interview with NOISEY, Honard stated that he plans to shoot music videos for the tracks "Anus", “The Shade of It All”, "Pussy", and "Gimme All Your Money".[18]

Release and promotion

The artwork and track listing for Anus was released on June 9, 2015.[19] The album received a worldwide released on June 23, 2015, via digital distributors.[6] The CD version of the album was released on July 21, 2015,[20] while an LP version was released on November 13, 2015.[21]

Similarly to how Sharon Needles and Adore Delano promoted their albums PG-13 and Till Death Do Us Party, Honard released a series of videos through the YouTube channel of World of Wonder, titled Let The Music Play.[22] During these videos, Honard would choose a different song each episode, and discuss the songs background, content and meaning in detail. The premiere episode focused on the then-recently released single "This Is My Hair".

The song "Everything Tonight" was featured as background music in a segment of Today.[23]

Commercial performance

Upon release, Anus topped the iTunes Dance albums chart.[24] For the week of July 11, 2015, Anus appeared on three Billboard charts. The albums debuted at number four on the Heatseekers,[25] an extension to the Billboard 200, number three on the Dance/Electronic Albums,[26] and number fourteen on the Independent Albums chart.[27] In comparison to other RuPaul's Drag Race alumni, Anus was a commercial success, out-peaking projects from fellow contestants Willam, Miss Fame, and Violet Chachki.

Critical reception

Anus received highly positive reviews from critics. In his review, John Hill for NOISY simply stated "Anus is a really fucking good album.".[18] Matthew Carenza for The Magic Critique gave the album four out of five stars, commenting that "Alaska's creative genius has continually been growing over the years, and her new album is a testament to that." Carenza went on to say that the album is "so incredibly different than any of the other queens' albums, and it's one hundred percent authentically Alaska. It's a labor of love for Alaska and everyone should grab a copy and support this queen because she's simply beyond."[28] Luis Gonzalez for Album Confessions awarded the album four out of five stars, commenting that "staying true to her devoted fan base and her drag aesthetic allows Alaska to go above and beyond musical expectations. While it's nice to hear that the performer has not lost her comedic chops or her likable and one-of-a-kind personality, the album easily maneuvers around serious subject matter and topics buried deep within the Drag Bible."[29]

Track listing

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Anus.

No.TitleWriter(s)ProducerLength
1."Hieeee"
  • Tomas Costanza
  • Paul Coultrup [a]
3:46
2."Anus"
  • Honard
  • Costanza
  • Levy
  • Costanza
  • Coultrup [a]
2:48
3."Pussy"
  • Honard
  • Costanza
  • Levy
  • Costanza
  • Coultrup [a]
2:37
4."Beard"
  • Honard
  • Costanza
  • Levy
  • Costanza
  • Coultrup [a]
3:06
5."This Is My Hair"
  • Honard
  • Costanza
  • Levy
  • Costanza
  • Coultrup [a]
3:00
6."Nails" (Piano Introduction) (featuring Jeremy Mark Mikush)
  • Honard
  • Mikush
Mikush1:05
7."Nails[b]"
  • Honard
  • Mikush
  • Costanza
  • Levy
  • Costanza
  • Coultrup [a]
3:16
8."Gimme All Your Money" (featuring Laganja Estranja)
  • Costanza
  • Coultrup [a]
3:36
9."Everything Tonight"
  • Honard
  • Costanza
  • Levy
  • Costanza
  • Coultrup [a]
3:34
10."Best Night Ever[b]"
  • Honard
  • Costanza
  • Levy
  • Costanza
  • Coultrup [a]
2:47
11."The Shade of It All" (featuring Courtney Act and Willam)
  • Costanza
  • Mikush
  • Coultrup [a]
4:41
12."Legendary"
  • Honard
  • Costanza
  • Levy
  • Costanza
  • Coultrup [a]
3:37
13."Killer"
  • Honard
  • Costanza
  • Levy
  • Costanza
  • Coultrup [a]
5:00
14."Your Makeup Is Terrible"
  • Honard
  • Mikush
  • Costanza
  • Levy
  • Costanza
  • Coultrup [a]
3:57
Total length:46:50
Notes
  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer
  • ^[b] "Nails" and "Best Night Ever" were excluded from the vinyl pressing [30]

Charts

Chart (2015) Peak
position
US Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[26] 3
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[25] 4
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[27] 14

Release History

Country Date Format Label Ref.
Worldwide June 23, 2015 Digital download Sidecar [31]
July 21, 2015 CD [20]
November 13, 2015 LP [21]

See also

References

  1. ^ Coughlan, Maggie (November 19, 2012). "RuPaul's Drag Race Season 5 Contestants Announced". People. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
  2. ^ "iTunes – Music – Can I Get an Amen? – Single by RuPaul (feat. The Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 5)". iTunes Store (US). Retrieved June 28, 2015.
  3. ^ "iTunes – Music – Ru Girl – Single by Alaska Thunderfuck". iTunes Store (US). Retrieved June 28, 2015.
  4. ^ a b c "Alaska Thunderfuck's "Nails" on Let The Music Play". YouTube. July 8, 2015. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
  5. ^ Reynolds, Daniel (June 24, 2015). "Why Alaska Thunderfuck Titled Her New Album Anus". The Advocate. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  6. ^ a b "iTunes – Music – Anus – Album by Alaska Thunderfuck". iTunes Store (US). Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  7. ^ a b "Alaska Thunderfuck's "Hieeee" on Let The Music Play". YouTube. June 30, 2015. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  8. ^ "Alaska Thunderfuck's "This Is My Hair" on Let The Music Play". YouTube. June 24, 2015. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
  9. ^ "iTunes – Music – Your Makeup Is Terrible – Single by Alaska Thunderfuck". iTunes Store (US). Retrieved June 28, 2015.
  10. ^ a b Emmitt, Andy (June 26, 2015). "The Best and Worst Music of RuPaul's Drag Divas". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  11. ^ "Alaska Thunderfuck – Your Makeup Is Terrible [Official]". YouTube. June 9, 2014. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
  12. ^ "iTunes – Music – Nails – Single by Alaska Thunderfuck". iTunes Store (US). Retrieved June 28, 2015.
  13. ^ "iTunes – Music – Nails (Piano Introduction) – Single by Alaska Thunderfuck". iTunes Store (US). Retrieved June 28, 2015.
  14. ^ "iTunes – Music – Hieeee – Single by Alaska Thunderfuck". iTunes Store (US). Retrieved June 28, 2015.
  15. ^ "Alaska Thunderfuck – Hieeee [Official]". YouTube. June 8, 2015. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  16. ^ "Alaska Thunderfuck – Hieeee [Unofficial]". YouTube. June 8, 2015. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  17. ^ "iTunes – Music – This Is My Hair – Single by Alaska Thunderfuck". iTunes Store (US). Retrieved June 28, 2015.
  18. ^ a b Hill, John (June 24, 2015). "Alaska Thunderfuck Makes Better Dance Music Than Your Vanilla Garbage". NOISEY. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
  19. ^ Avery, Dan (June 9, 2015). "Alaska Launches Music Video For "Hieeee," Announces New Album". NewNowNext. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  20. ^ a b "Alaska Thunderfuck Official Merchandise – Alaska Anus CD - Pre-order". AlaskaThunderfuck. Archived from the original on July 10, 2015. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  21. ^ a b "Alaska Thunderfuck Official Merchandise – Alaska Anus Vinyl - Pre-order". AlaskaThunderfuck. Archived from the original on July 27, 2015. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  22. ^ Zeff, Nigel (June 24, 2015). "Alaska Thunderfuck Spills The T Behind "This Is My Hair" On The Premiere Episode Of Let The Music Play!". World of Wonder. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
  23. ^ "theonlyalaska5000 – Ok so hear that music in the background ? That's #EverythingTonight from my new album #ANUS !! Thank you @TodayShow for playing me! 💜 Purchase my debut album using the link in my bio". Instagram.
  24. ^ Avery, Dan (June 23, 2015). "Alaska Releases Video For "This Is My Hair," Tops iTunes Dance Chart". NewNowNext. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  25. ^ a b "Heatseeker Albums – July 11, 2015 – Billboard Chart Archive". Billboard. Retrieved July 2, 2015. (subscription required)
  26. ^ a b "Top Dance/Electronic Albums – July 11, 2015 – Billboard Chart Archive". Billboard. Retrieved July 2, 2015. (subscription required)
  27. ^ a b "Independent Albums – July 11, 2015 – Billboard Chart Archive". Billboard. Retrieved July 2, 2015. (subscription required)
  28. ^ Carenza, Matthew (June 24, 2015). "'Anus' by Alaska Thunderfuck Album Review". The Magic Critique. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  29. ^ Gonzalez, Luis (June 28, 2015). "Alaska Thunderfuck 5000's "Anus" - Album Review". Album Confessions. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  30. ^ https://www.instagram.com/p/BAvZGyAybvf/
  31. ^ Release date references:

Official website for Alaska Thunderfuck

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