Cruel Country is the twelfth studio album by American indie rock band Wilco. It was released on May 27, 2022, by dBpm Records. It is a double album.
Cruel Country | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | May 27, 2022 | |||
Studio | The Loft, Chicago, Illinois, US | |||
Genre | Country[1][2][3][4] | |||
Length | 77:04 | |||
Label | dBpm | |||
Producer |
| |||
Wilco chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Cruel Country | ||||
| ||||
Cruel Country features twenty-one songs written by frontman Jeff Tweedy. The double album consists primarily of live takes recorded at The Loft, the band's recording studio in Chicago.[5] The sessions included all six Wilco members together in The Loft for the first time since The Whole Love (2011).[6] With minimal overdubbing, Tweedy compared their recording approach on Cruel Country to that which they last employed on Sky Blue Sky (2007).[5]
The album sees the band fully embracing their country music leanings. In a letter published upon the album's announcement, Jeff Tweedy wrote, "I think there's been an assumption over the years that Wilco is some sort of country band. There's a lot of evidence to support that way of thinking about our band because there have been elements of country music in everything we've ever done. But to be honest, we've never been particularly comfortable with accepting that definition of the music we make. With this album though, I'll tell you what, Wilco is digging in and calling it country."[7] Tweedy explained that the genre provided an ideal space to explore United States history: "Because it is the country I love, and because it's country music that I love, I feel a responsibility to investigate their mirrored problematic natures. I believe it's important to challenge our affections for things that are flawed."[5]
Tweedy first announced he was at work on a new Wilco album through his Substack newsletter in February 2022.[8] The album was officially announced on April 28, 2022, with the single "Falling Apart (Right Now)" released the same day.[9] The second single, "Tired of Taking It Out on You", was released on May 10, 2022.[10] The album was released digitally on May 27, 2022, by dBpm Records, and a physical release on CD and LP is planned for a later date due to the supply chain crisis.[11] The album's release coincided with the band's Solid Sound Festival at MASS MoCA in North Adams, Massachusetts. The album was performed in full at the festival.[9]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 7.9/10[12] |
Metacritic | 83/100[13] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Clash | 9/10[2] |
Exclaim! | 8/10[14] |
Mojo | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
NME | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Observer | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Paste | 7.9/10[17] |
Pitchfork | 7.2/10[4] |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Uncut | 9/10[19] |
Cruel Country was met with critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 83, based on 17 reviews.[13] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.9 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[12]
Jon Pareles of The New York Times deemed it an "understated magnum opus", writing, "A song can only do so much, and on Cruel Country Wilco offers no grand lesson or master plan, only observations, feelings and enigmas. Many of the album's best moments are wordless ones."[20]
All tracks are written by Jeff Tweedy.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "I Am My Mother" | 2:35 |
2. | "Cruel Country" | 3:26 |
3. | "Hints" | 3:38 |
4. | "Ambulance" | 3:11 |
5. | "The Empty Condor" | 3:53 |
6. | "Tonight's the Day" | 3:26 |
7. | "All Across the World" | 3:42 |
8. | "Darkness Is Cheap" | 3:19 |
9. | "Bird Without a Tail / Base of My Skull" | 5:04 |
10. | "Tired of Taking It Out on You" | 3:36 |
11. | "The Universe" | 3:33 |
Total length: | 39:23 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Many Worlds" | 7:52 |
2. | "Hearts Hard to Find" | 3:27 |
3. | "Falling Apart (Right Now)" | 3:16 |
4. | "Please Be Wrong" | 3:01 |
5. | "Story to Tell" | 4:08 |
6. | "A Lifetime to Find" | 4:07 |
7. | "Country Song Upside Down" | 2:46 |
8. | "Mystery Binds" | 3:08 |
9. | "Sad Kind of Way" | 2:48 |
10. | "The Plains" | 3:08 |
Total length: | 37:41 |
Wilco
Additional personnel
Chart (2022) | Peak position |
---|---|
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[21] | 141 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[22] | 100 |
UK Digital Albums (OCC)[23] | 23 |
| |
---|---|
| |
Studio albums | |
Live albums | |
With Billy Bragg |
|
EPs | |
Compilations | Alpha Mike Foxtrot: Rare Tracks 1994 - 2014 |
DVDs | |
Related articles |
|
Authority control ![]() |
|
---|