Crumbling (Korean무너지기; RRMuneojigi) is the second studio album by South Korean folktronica artist Mid-Air Thief. The album features vocals by South Korean indie singer-songwriter Summer Soul.[2] It was released on July 31, 2018. It was nominated at the Korean Music Awards in 2019 in the categories "Album of the Year" and "Best Dance & Electronic Album" and won the latter.[3][1]

Crumbling
Studio album by
ReleasedJuly 31, 2018 (2018-07-31)
GenreFolktronica[1]
Length44:04
Language
  • Korean
  • English
LabelSelf-released
ProducerMid-Air Thief
Mid-Air Thief chronology
Gongjoong Doduk
(2015)
Crumbling
(2018)
Flood Format
(2022)

Background edit

The album gained attention from online music communities such as Album of The Year and Rate Your Music,[4] where on the former, it is currently the 3rd highest-rated album of 2018 and on the latter, the 4th highest.[5][6]

Release edit

Crumbling was released independently in South Korea on July 31, 2018[7] and in United States on August 7, 2018.[8] It was released in Japan on December 4, 2018 by Botanical House.[9] The album was reissued on September 20, 2019 by Topshelf Records.[10]

Critical reception edit

Weiv described Crumbling as "the power of faint sounds."[11] Reggie MT of Tiny Mix Tapes declared that the album is "much like its spiritual predecessor, alternately chillaxed and maximalist, calming and rousing."[2] It ranked on Pretty Much Amazing's 2018: Year in Review list at number 22, while the writer stated that "at first listen, Mid-Air Thief sounds like a Grizzly Bear clone, but upon further listening, this is pacific island pop you didn't know you wanted."[12]

Track listing edit

All lyrics written by Mid-Air Thief and Summer Soul; all music written by Mid-Air Thief.

No.TitleLength
1."Why?" ("왜?")4:41
2."Ahhhh, These Chains!" ("쇠사슬")5:07
3."Gameun Deut" ("감은 듯")5:03
4."Curve and Light" ("곡선과 투과광")4:20
5."Crumbling Together" ("함께 무너지기")9:38
6."Protector" ("수호자")5:22
7."Dirt" ("흙")6:21
8."No Answer" ("무소식")3:32

Personnel edit

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Crumbling.[13]

References edit

  1. ^ a b Enis, Eli (January 8, 2019). "Mid-Air Thief Made A Beloved, Award Winning Album And Still Hasn't Shown His Face". MTV. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  2. ^ a b Reggie MT (September 21, 2018). "공중도둑 (Mid-Air Thief) - 무너지기 | LISTEN". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  3. ^ Kim, Su-jeong (February 27, 2019). "BTS, 한국대중음악상 '올해의 음악인' 수상… "상 의미 잘 안다"". No Cut News (in Korean). Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  4. ^ Ghosh, Sayan (October 21, 2018). "Sayan Ghosh: Mid-Air Thief accrues online following". The Michigan Daily. University of Michigan. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  5. ^ "Top Albums of 2018 - Rate Your Music". Rate Your Music. Sonemic, Inc. Archived from the original on December 29, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
  6. ^ "Best Albums of 2018 by User Score". Album of The Year.
  7. ^ "앨범 정보 > 공중도둑 – 무너지기". Melon. July 31, 2018. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  8. ^ "무너지기 (Crumbling) | 공중도둑 (Mid-Air Thief)". Bandcamp. Mid-Air Thief. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  9. ^ "Crumbling | Botanical House". Bandcamp. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  10. ^ Topshelf Records. "Mid-Air Thief - Crumbling". Topshelf Records. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
  11. ^ 공중도둑 – 무너지기 (2018). Weiv (September 23, 2018). Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  12. ^ "Pretty Much Amazing's 2018: Year in Review | Albums of the Year". Pretty Much Amazing. January 4, 2019. Archived from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  13. ^ Crumbling (liner notes). Mid-Air Thief. 2018.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)