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Aromanticism (album)

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For the romantic orientation, see Aromanticism.
Aromanticism
Studio album by
Moses Sumney
ReleasedSeptember 22, 2017
Genre
Length34:46
LabelJagjaguwar
Producer
  • Moses Sumney
  • Joshua Willing Halpern
  • Cameron Osteen
  • Gueorgui Linev
  • Matthew Otto
  • Ludwig Göransson
Moses Sumney chronology
Lamentations
(2016) 		Aromanticism
(2017)
Singles from Aromanticism
  1. "Doomed"
    Released: June 27, 2017
  2. "Quarrel"
    Released: August 11, 2017
  3. "Indulge Me"
    Released: September 5, 2017

Aromanticism is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Moses Sumney. It was released on September 22, 2017 by Jagjaguwar.[1] It is a concept album about "lovelessness as a sonic dreamscape" that "seeks to interrogate the idea that romance is normative and necessary."[2] The record was written and produced by Sumney, with assistance from numerous musicians. It features new versions of two previously-released songs, "Plastic" and "Lonely World".

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.9/10[3]
Metacritic85/100[4]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Chicago Tribune[6]
Clash8/10[7]
Consequence of SoundA−[8]
Exclaim!8/10[9]
The Guardian[10]
The Observer[11]
Pitchfork8.6/10[12]
Uncut8/10[13]
Under the Radar8/10[14]

Aromanticism received widespread acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 85, based on 15 reviews.[4] Brian Josephs of Spin gave a positive review, stating, "The dreamy project leaves the snide social critiques and radicalisms to the wayside for 36 minutes that feel of its own realm, where the dichotomies and bodily desire feel self-contained. The intimacy is never lost within the set’s high concept: For an album centered on lonesomeness, Aromanticism feels warm."[15] Aromanticism was named "Best New Music", with Pitchfork reviewer Jason King calling it "a musical detoxification from the exhausting stream of information that now constitutes a normal day of news."[12] In his review, Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune states, "The songs run together, serene yet troubled, beautiful yet bruised. They are built to linger."[6] Nina Corcoran of Consequence of Sound praised the album, stating, "It requires multiple listens. In turn, that helps the listener grow, revealing spaces where their own narrative and experiences can intertwine with his — not in a romantic sense, but in an educational sense. As a result, Aromanticism already has become and promises to remain one of the most emotionally therapeutic albums of the year."[8]

The Los Angeles Times called it "breathtakingly beautiful", writing, "Sumney places layer upon layer of his voice into tracks until he achieves Beach Boys-esque harmony."[16] Anna Alger of Exclaim! said, "With Aromanticism, Moses Sumney creates a harmonious world in which he speaks from a position that isn't often recognized. Sumney approaches the complexities of relationships, power structures and an inability to experience romantic love with a quiet, powerful confidence."[9] Harriet Gibsone of The Guardian wrote: "When music sounds this complete and absorbing, it’s a wonder we waste our lives chasing coexistence with sweaty, needy humans anyway."[10] Kitty Empire of The Observer gave the album a positive review, calling Sumney's falsetto "celestial" but felt the underuse of his lower register was a drawback.[11] Shahzaib Hussain of Clash echoed the same sentiment, calling Sumney's lower register "a cottony, sinewy part of his arsenal reduced to a mere cameo."[7]

Accolades

Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
Bandcamp Daily The Best Albums of 2017
1
[17]
Consequence of Sound Top 50 Albums of 2017
12
[18]
Exclaim! Top 10 Soul and R&B Albums of 2017
6
[19]
The New York Times Jon Pareles' Best Albums of 2017
3
[20]
NPR The 50 Best Albums of 2017
14
[21]
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2017
6
[22]
PopMatters The 60 Best Albums of 2017
46
[23]
Spin 50 Best Albums of 2017
10
[24]
Stereogum The 50 Best Albums of 2017
19
[25]

Track listing

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Man on the Moon (Reprise)"Moses SumneySumney0:36
2."Don't Bother Calling"SumneySumney3:59
3."Plastic"Sumney
  • Sumney
  • Joshua Willing Halpern
3:08
4."Quarrel"
  • Sumney
  • Cameron Osteen
  • Paris Strother
  • Sumney
  • Cam O'bi
  • Willing Halpern
6:45
5."Stoicism"SumneySumney1:02
6."Lonely World"
  • Sumney
  • Gueorgui Linev
  • Willing Halpern[a]
  • Trayer Tryon[a]
4:48
7."Make Out in My Car"Sumney
  • Sumney
  • Willing Halpern
  • Matt Otto
2:35
8."The Cocoon-Eyed Baby"SumneySumney1:09
9."Doomed"
  • Sumney
  • Otto
  • Sumney
  • Otto
4:27
10."Indulge Me"SumneySumney3:16
11."Self-Help Tape"
  • Sumney
  • Göransson
3:01
Total length:34:46

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies an additional producer.

Personnel

  • Moses Sumney – songwriter, production, vocals, bass guitar (track 2), guitar (tracks 3, 7, 10, 11), synth (tracks 6, 10), engineer (tracks 8, 10)
  • Tosin Abasi – guitar (track 6)
  • Miguel Atwood-Ferguson – string arrangement (track 3), strings (track 3)
  • Ben Baptie – mixing engineer (tracks 2–4, 6, 7, 9–11)
  • Tyler Barstow – liner notes
  • Rashaan Carter – double bass (track 4), engineer (track 4)
  • Ian Chang – drums (track 6)
  • Ludwig Göransson – guitar (track 11), bass guitar (track 11), synth (track 11), production (track 11)
  • Julian Gross – design
  • Eric Gyamfi – photography
  • Michael Harris – engineer (track 4)
  • Ted Jensen – mastering engineer
  • Gueorgui Linev – engineer (track 6), production (track 6)
  • Nicole Miglis – flute (track 7)
  • Bill Mims – engineer (track 6)
  • Rob Moose – string arrangement (track 2), strings (track 2)
  • Cam O'bi – production (track 4)
  • Matthew Otto – engineer (tracks 2, 10), production (tracks 7, 9), synth (track 9)
  • Mike Rocha – horns (tracks 5, 6)
  • Paris Strother – piano arrangements (track 4), synth arrangements (track 4)
  • Thundercat – bass guitar (tracks 4, 6)
  • Trayer Tryon – engineer (track 6), additional production (track 6)
  • Sean Walker – additional photography (pages 13, 14)
  • Tracy Wannomae – clarinet (track 7), flute (track 7)
  • Jamire Williams – drums (track 4)
  • Joshua Willing Halpern – engineer (tracks 1–7, 9, 10), guitar (tracks 4–6, 8), mixing engineer (tracks 1, 5), production (tracks 3, 4, 7), additional production (track 6)
  • Brandee Younger – harp (track 4)
  • Jonathan Zawada – artwork

Charts

Chart (2017) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[26] 139

References

  1. ^ Monroe, Jazz (July 10, 2017). "Moses Sumney Announces New Album Aromanticism". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  2. ^ Sumney, Moses (September 16, 2017). "On Aromanticism". Tumblr. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
  3. ^ "Aromanticism by Moses Sumney reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  4. ^ a b "Aromanticism by Moses Sumney Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  5. ^ Prunes, Mariano. "Aromanticism – Moses Sumney". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  6. ^ a b Kot, Greg (September 22, 2017). "Moses Sumney's debut 'Aromanticism' built to haunt". Chicago Tribune. Chicago. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  7. ^ a b Hussain, Shahzaib (October 17, 2017). "Moses Sumney – Aromanticism". Clash. London. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  8. ^ a b Corcoran, Nina (September 25, 2017). "Moses Sumney – Aromanticism". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  9. ^ a b Alger, Anna (September 20, 2017). "Moses Sumney: Aromanticism". Exclaim!. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  10. ^ a b Gibsone, Harriet (September 21, 2017). "Moses Sumney: Aromanticism review – warmly absorbing meditation on lovelessness". The Guardian. London. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  11. ^ a b Empire, Kitty (September 24, 2017). "Moses Sumney: Aromanticism review – a single-minded star". The Observer. London. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  12. ^ a b King, Jason (September 27, 2017). "Moses Sumney: Aromanticism". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  13. ^ "Moses Sumney: Aromanticism". Uncut (245). London: 40. October 2017.
  14. ^ Stanley, Laura (September 20, 2017). "Moses Sumney: Aromanticism (Jagjaguwar) Review". Under the Radar. Los Angeles. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  15. ^ Josephs, Brian (September 29, 2017). "Review: Moses Sumney's Warm, Expressive AROMANTICISM Is Easy to Love". Spin. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  16. ^ "All of the L.A. arts events and exhibitions to check out this fall". Los Angeles Times. September 7, 2017. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  17. ^ "The Best Albums of 2017: #20 – #1". Bandcamp Daily. December 15, 2017. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
  18. ^ "Top 50 Albums of 2017". Consequence of Sound. November 27, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  19. ^ Exclaim! Staff (Nov 30, 2017). "Top 10 Soul and R&B Albums of 2017". Exclaim!. Retrieved Jan 9, 2018.
  20. ^ Jon Caramanica and Jon Pareles (December 6, 2017). "The Best Albums of 2017". The New York Times. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  21. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2017". NPR. December 12, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  22. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2017". Pitchfork. December 12, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  23. ^ "The 60 Best Albums of 2017". PopMatters. December 11, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  24. ^ "50 Best Albums of 2017". Spin. December 18, 2017. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  25. ^ Stereogum Staff (December 5, 2017). "The 50 Best Albums of 2017". Stereogum. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  26. ^ "Ultratop.be – Moses Sumney – Aromanticism" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
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