| The Art of Pretending to Swim | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 21 September 2018 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 41:21 | |||
| Label | Domino | |||
| Villagers chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from The Art of Pretending to Swim | ||||
| ||||
The Art of Pretending to Swim is the fourth studio album by Irish band Villagers. It was released on 21 September 2018 under Domino Recording Company.[2]
Release
On 12 June 2018, the band announced the release of their new album, along with the single "A Trick Of The Light".[2]
The second single "Fool" was released on 20 August 2018.[3]
The third single "Again" was released on 10 September 2018.[4]
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 77/100[5] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| Clash | 8/10[6] |
| DIY | [7] |
| Drowned in Sound | 8/10[8] |
| Exclaim! | 5/10[9] |
| The Line of Best Fit | 8/10[10] |
| Loud and Quiet | 6/10[11] |
| MusicOMH | [12] |
| NME | [13] |
The Art of Pretending to Swim was met with "generally favorable" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 77, based on 15 reviews.[5] Aggregator Album of the Year gave the release a 75 out of 100 based on a critical consensus of 15 reviews.[14]
Mark Deming from AllMusic wrote about the album: "This music feels warmer and more naturalistic than his earlier experiments with one-man recording, and there's a gentle swing in the rhythms that suggests he's been listening to some smooth R&B lately. [The album] is a strong example of how one man with an unlimited number of tracks to fill can create a compelling and revealing collection of songs.[1]
Accolades
| Publication | Accolade | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rough Trade | Top 100 Albums of 2018 | 95
|
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Again" | 4:28 |
| 2. | "A Trick of the Light" | 4:08 |
| 3. | "Sweet Saviour" | 4:36 |
| 4. | "Long Time Waiting" | 5:09 |
| 5. | "Fool" | 3:18 |
| 6. | "Love Came With All That It Brings" | 5:29 |
| 7. | "Real Go-Getter" | 3:25 |
| 8. | "Hold Me Down" | 4:38 |
| 9. | "Ada" | 6:10 |
Charts
| Chart (2018 | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[16] | 64 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[17] | 31 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[18] | 116 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[19] | 76 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[20] | 175 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[21] | 55 |
| Irish Albums (OCC)[22] | 2 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[23] | 21 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[24] | 48 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[25] | 28 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[26] | 4 |
Personnel
|
Musicians
|
'Production
|
References
- ^ a b c d Deming, Mark. "AllMusic Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
- ^ a b Murray, Robin (12 June 2018). "Villagers Announce New Album 'The Art Of Pretending To Swim'". Clash. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
- ^ Murray, Robin (20 August 2020). "Villagers Share Moving New Cut 'Fool'". Clash. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
- ^ "Villagers Share New Track". DIY. 10 September 2018. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
- ^ a b "Metacritic Review". Metacritic. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
- ^ Himsworth, James (17 October 2018). "Clash Magazine Review". Clash. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
- ^ Jeakins, Dan (21 September 2018). "DIY Magazine Review". DIY. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
- ^ Byrne, Anna (24 September 2018). "Drowned in Sound Review". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 15 February 2020. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
- ^ Garcia, Brad (18 September 2018). "Exclaim! Review". Exclaim!. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
- ^ Ward, Sean (20 September 2018). "The Art of Pretending to Swim is Villagers' most essential release to date". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
- ^ Konemann, Liam (19 September 2018). "Loud and Quiet Review". Loud and Quiet. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
- ^ Murphy, John (21 September 2018). "MusicOMH Review". MusicOMH. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
- ^ McMillan, George (21 September 2018). "NME Review". NME. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
- ^ "Album of the Year Review". Album of the Year. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
- ^ "Rough Trade's Albums of the Year 2018". Roughtrade.com. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Villagers – The Art of Pretending to Swim" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Villagers – The Art of Pretending to Swim" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Villagers – The Art of Pretending to Swim" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Villagers – The Art of Pretending to Swim" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Villagers – The Art of Pretending to Swim". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Villagers – The Art of Pretending to Swim" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
- ^ "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Villagers – The Art of Pretending to Swim". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
- ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
This page was last edited on 4 October 2023, at 07:04