Romance Is Boring
Romance Is Boring | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 26 January 2010 | |||
Recorded | March–June 2009 at Carriage House Studios, Stamford, Connecticut; Two Sticks Audio, Seattle | |||
Genre | Indie pop, indie rock, noise pop | |||
Length | 48:22 | |||
Label | Wichita, Arts & Crafts | |||
Producer | John Goodmanson | |||
Los Campesinos! chronology | ||||
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Singles from Romance Is Boring | ||||
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Romance Is Boring is the third studio album by indie pop band Los Campesinos!. It was recorded in multiple locations in the United States and Wales and was produced by John Goodmanson.[1] It was released on 26 January 2010 in the United States and on 1 February in the United Kingdom.[2] It features guest appearances from Jamie Stewart of Xiu Xiu, Zac Pennington of Parenthetical Girls, and Jherek Bischoff of The Dead Science.[1] The album was described by frontman Gareth as being about "the death and decay of the human body, sex, lost love, mental breakdown, football and, ultimately, that there probably isn’t a light at the end of the tunnel". It is the band's final release to feature vocalist and keyboardist Aleksandra Campesinos!, who amicably left the band in August 2009, after the album had been recorded.
Vulture.com described the album as the band's "most divisive."[3]
A remastered 10th anniversary edition was released on 14 February 2020.
Album sound and influences[]
The album generally stays true to the band's original indie pop genre. However, they were also applauded for greatly expanding their sound. When speaking of the album's influences, guitarist Tom Campesinos! cited Pavement, Guided by Voices, Blur and Modest Mouse as major influences upon the album.[4] Gareth Campesinos! cites novelist B. S. Johnson as an influence and references some of his work in the lyrics on the album.
Reception[]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 75[5] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Chart | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Clash | (8/10)[8] |
Consequence of Sound | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Drowned in Sound | (8/10)[10] |
NME | (8/10)[11] |
Pitchfork Media | (8.3/10)[12] |
PopMatters | (9/10)[13] |
Spin | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Under the Radar | (7/10)[15] |
Initial critical response was generally positive. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 75, based on 24 reviews.[5] British music magazine NME gave the album a positive 8/10 review, naming it "a significant step forward", in comparison to previous material.[16] However, other reviews were less than positive, fellow British music magazine Uncut stated that "the band have beefed up their sound, at the expense of their spindly charm."[5]
Track listing[]
All lyrics are written by Gareth Campesinos! (apart from tracks four and eleven by Aleks Campesinos! and Gareth Campesinos!); all music is composed by Tom Campesinos!, all string arrangements by Harriet and Tom Campesinos!.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "In Medias Res" | 4:42 |
2. | "There Are Listed Buildings" | 2:54 |
3. | "Romance Is Boring" | 2:35 |
4. | "We've Got Your Back (Documented Minor Emotional Breakdown #2)" | 4:29 |
5. | "Plan A" | 2:02 |
6. | "200-102" | 0:53 |
7. | "Straight in at 101" | 3:55 |
8. | "Who Fell Asleep In" | 4:11 |
9. | "I Warned You: Do Not Make an Enemy of Me" | 2:47 |
10. | "Heart Swells/100-1" | 0:46 |
11. | "I Just Sighed. I Just Sighed, Just So You Know" | 4:38 |
12. | "A Heat Rash in the Shape of the Show Me State; or, Letters from Me to Charlotte" | 3:43 |
13. | "The Sea Is a Good Place to Think of the Future" | 4:24 |
14. | "This Is a Flag. There Is No Wind" | 3:28 |
15. | "Coda: A Burn Scar in the Shape of the Sooner State" | 2:52 |
Total length: | 48:22 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
16. | "Too Many Flesh Suppers" | 4:49 |
Total length: | 53:18 |
Personnel[]
- Aleksandra Campesinos! – lead vocals, keyboard
- Ellen Campesinos! – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Gareth Campesinos! – lead vocals, glockenspiel
- Harriet Campesinos! – violin, keyboard
- Neil Campesinos! – guitar, backing vocals
- Ollie Campesinos! – drums
- Tom Campesinos! – lead guitar, backing vocals
- Kim Campesinos! – shruti box, piccolo
- Zac Pennington – backing vocals
- Jamie Stewart – vocals
- Eric Corson – vocals, engineering
- Jherek Bischoff – vocals, trombone, double bass
- Izaak Mills – saxophone, flute
- Samantha Boshnack – trumpet, flugel horn
- John Goodmanson – production, recording, mixing
- Guy Davie – mastering
Charts[]
Charts (2010) | Peak position |
---|---|
UK Albums Chart | 92 |
US Top Heatseekers | 3[17] |
US Top Independent | 28[17] |
Release history[]
Date | Country | Label (Cat#) |
---|---|---|
26 January 2010 | United States/Canada | Arts & Crafts (A&C050) |
1 February 2010 | United Kingdom | Wichita Recordings (WEBB239) |
3 February 2010 | Japan | Hostess Entertainment |
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Los Campesinos! on Recording Romance Is Boring". EQ Magazine. 26 October 2009. Archived from the original on 22 November 2010. Retrieved 17 December 2009.
- ^ "Los Campesinos! announce new LP". Pitchfork Media. 26 October 2009. Retrieved 17 December 2009.
- ^ Ian Cohen; David Anthony; Nina Corcoran; Emma Garland; Brad Nelson (13 February 2020). "The 100 Greatest Emo Songs of All Time". Vulture.com. Vox Media. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
- ^ "Los Campesinos! :: The 12 Records that Influenced Romance Is Boring".
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Los Campesinos!:Romance Is Boring (2010):Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
- ^ Sendra, Tim. "Los Campesinos! - Romance Is Boring review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
- ^ Bryson, Scott (28 January 2010). "Chart review". Chartattack.com. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
- ^ Hollowday, Anne (22 January 2010). "Clash review". Clashmusic.com. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
- ^ Mandich, Bob (1 February 2010). "Consequence of Sound review". Consequenceofsound.net. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
- ^ Jay, Simon (25 January 2010). "Drowned in Sound review". Drownedinsound.com. Archived from the original on 27 January 2010. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
- ^ "NME review". Nme.com. 1 February 2010. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
- ^ "Pitchfork Media review". Pitchfork.com. 1 February 2010. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
- ^ Sargent, Jordan. "PopMatters review". Popmatters.com. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
- ^ Modell, Josh. "Spin review". Spin.com. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
- ^ Rytlewski, Evan. "Under the Radar review". Undertheradarmag.com. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
- ^ "Album review: Los Campesinos! - 'Romance Is Boring". NME.
- ^ Jump up to: a b https://www.billboard.com/music/los-campesinos!/chart-history/
- 2010 albums
- Los Campesinos! albums
- Arts & Crafts Productions albums
- Wichita Recordings albums
- Albums produced by John Goodmanson