Sadness Sets Me Free is the eighth studio album by Welsh musician Gruff Rhys, released on 26 January 2024 through Rough Trade Records. It was recorded in three days in March 2022 in Paris, and received positive reviews from critics.
| Sadness Sets Me Free | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 26 January 2024 | |||
| Recorded | March 2022 | |||
| Studio | La Frette, Paris, France | |||
| Genre | Psych-pop | |||
| Length | 42:37 | |||
| Label | Rough Trade | |||
| Producer |
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| Gruff Rhys chronology | ||||
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Recording
editRecording took place at La Frette studio in Paris, France,[1] where Rhys and his band recorded the album in three days in March 2022.[2]
Critical reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 85/100[3] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| The Arts Desk | |
| The Irish Times | |
| Louder Than War | 4/5[6] |
| Mojo | |
| MusicOMH | |
| Uncut | |
Sadness Sets Me Free received a score of 85 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on four critics' reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[3] Mojo's James McNair wrote that "though it stops well short of the ardent self-loathing that fired Radiohead's Creep, a pronounced seam of self-criticism runs through" the album, despite concluding that "the music is often uplifting; a stoical and pro-active salve against troubles local and global".[7] Uncut's Pete Paphides observed that "on an album of songs that 'feel melancholic or... deal with shit things,' it's important to state that, at no point, does the listener feel like they're taking a holiday in someone else's misery".[1] Reviewing the album for The Irish Times, Siobhán Kane felt that the album "can sound both disconcerting and comforting".[5]
Joe Muggs of The Arts Desk found the songs to have a "subdued nature" but called them "so damn good, they could take a lot more lavishness and sparkle. As it is, though, this is a weird, inspiring and very lovely record".[4] Nathan Whittle of Louder Than War wrote that on Sadness Sets Me Free, "Gruff Rhys delivers a spellbindingly oxymoronic display; the low-key nature of the songs results in grandness, the darkness of the content providing hope".[6] MusicOMH's Ben Hogwood opined regarding the song titles that "on paper, songs of this ilk should be weighing the listener down, but the reality is different as Rhys realises his ideas in music of blissful freedom".[2]
Year-end lists
edit| Publication/critic | Accolade | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| MOJO | 75 Best Albums of 2024 | 21 | [8] |
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Gruff Rhys
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sadness Sets Me Free" | 5:23 |
| 2. | "Bad Friend" | 2:54 |
| 3. | "Celestial Candyfloss" | 3:58 |
| 4. | "Silver Lining (Lead Balloons)" | 3:58 |
| 5. | "On the Far Side of the Dollar" | 4:54 |
| 6. | "They Sold My Home to Build a Skyscraper" | 3:04 |
| 7. | "Peace Signs" | 5:05 |
| 8. | "Cover Up the Cover Up" | 5:48 |
| 9. | "I Tendered My Resignation" | 5:07 |
| 10. | "I'll Keep Singing" | 2:26 |
| Total length: | 42:37 | |
Personnel
edit- Gruff Rhys – vocals, production
- Maxime Kosinetz – production, mixing
- Chab – mastering
- Gwenllian Hâf MacDonald – studio musician
- Huw V. Williams – studio musician
- Jess Feaver – studio musician
- Kliph Scurlock – studio musician
- Martin Gwilym-Jones – studio musician
- Osian Gwynedd – studio musician
- Rebecca Jones – studio musician
- Rhodri Brooks – studio musician (tracks 1, 8, 9)
- Kate Stables – studio musician (tracks 1, 8, 10)
- Pedro Barrios – studio musician (tracks 3, 6, 7)
- Gavin Fitzjohn – studio musician (tracks 4, 10)
Charts
edit| Chart (2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[9] | 7 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[10] | 22 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[11] | 5 |
References
edit- ^ a b c Paphides, Pete (12 January 2024). "Gruff Rhys – Sadness Sets Me Free". Uncut. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ a b c Hogwood, Ben (25 January 2024). "Gruff Rhys – Sadness Sets Me Free | Album Reviews". MusicOMH. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ a b "Sadness Sets Me Free by Gruff Rhys Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ a b Muggs, Joe (24 January 2024). "Album: Gruff Rhys – Sadness Sets Me Free review – Dreamy, low key agit prop from the enduringly exploratory Super Furry Animal". The Arts Desk. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ a b Kane, Siobhán (24 January 2024). "Gruff Rhys: Sadness Sets Me Free – Cosmic loneliness has rarely sounded so good". The Irish Times. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ a b Whittle, Nathan (24 January 2024). "Gruff Rhys: Sadness Sets Me Free – Album Review". Louder Than War. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ a b McNair, James (25 January 2024). "Gruff Rhys Sadness Sets Me Free Review: Confessional box ruminations meet jukebox melodies on the former Super Furry Animal's latest". Mojo. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ "MOJO's 75 Best Albums of 2024". albumoftheyear.org. 11 November 2024. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 February 2024.