Freewave Lucifer F<ck F^ck F>ck is the eighteenth studio album by American indie rock band of Montreal, released on July 29, 2022, through Polyvinyl Record Co. It received generally positive reviews from critics.
| Freewave Lucifer F<ck F^ck F>ck | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 29, 2022 | |||
| Genre | Dance-rock | |||
| Length | 33:53 | |||
| Label | Polyvinyl | |||
| Producer | Kevin Barnes | |||
| Of Montreal chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background edit
The sense of isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic was an inspiration for the record,[1] which takes a cut-up technique approach to its lyrics and titles.[2]
Critical reception edit
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 68/100[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [3] |
| Pitchfork | 6.8/10[2] |
| PopMatters | 5/10[4] |
| Under the Radar |   [5] |
Freewave Lucifer F<ck F^ck F>ck received a score of 68 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on five critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception.[1] Reviewing the album for Pitchfork, Jude Noel described it as "another snapshot of the band in a state of manic deconstruction, retooling 2020's hooky, '80s-inspired Ur Fun into a labyrinthine dance-rock collage" as well as "unabashedly geeky, restless, and stuffed with enough Barnesian minutiae to satisfy even the most dedicated fan".[2] Marcy Donelson of AllMusic remarked that the album "organizes its patchwork segments into a more digestible seven tracks, even if they do play out like a continuous DJ mix somewhere around the midway point", also calling it "a shape-shifting and ultimately surprisingly (if not entirely) listenable and cathartic sequence of tracks".[3]
Scott Dransfield of Under the Radar wrote, "imagine, if you will, a newly consistent cannabis high, crossed with pandemic paranoia, with a dash of overindulgent avant-garde art consumption and the ADHD spectrum, and you might get close to the mindset that produced Freewave Lucifer F<ck F^ck F>ck".[5] Ryan Dillon of Glide Magazine summed the album up as a "7-track expedition that has the Georgia-bred artist experimenting with dark tones and new textures".[6] PopMatters' Chris Conaton found it to be "not the sort of record that is going to appeal to a wide audience. Even among Of Montreal fans, it's likely listeners who enjoyed the esoteric experimentation of albums like Paralytic Stalks and White Is Relic/Irrealis Mood will be fully into this one".[4]
Track listing edit
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Marijuana's a Working Woman" | 5:27 |
| 2. | "Ofrenda-Flanger-Ego-à Gogo" | 3:21 |
| 3. | "Blab Sabbath Lathe of Maiden" | 5:48 |
| 4. | "Après Thee Dèclassè" | 5:19 |
| 5. | "Modern Art Bewilders" | 4:04 |
| 6. | "Nightsift" | 4:40 |
| 7. | "Hmmm" | 5:14 |
| Total length: | 33:53 | |
References edit
- ^ a b c "Freewave Lucifer F<ck F^ck F>ck by of Montreal Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
- ^ a b c Noel, Jude (August 1, 2022). "Of Montreal: Freewave Lucifer F<ck F^ck F>ck Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
- ^ a b Donelson, Marcy (August 23, 2022). "Of Montreal – Freewave Lucifer Album Review". AllMusic. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
- ^ a b Conaton, Chris (August 23, 2022). "Of Montreal's Pandemic-Fueled Freewave Lucifer Is a Challenging Listen". PopMatters. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
- ^ a b Conaton, Chris (August 23, 2022). "Of Montreal: Freewave Lucifer F<ck F^ck F>ck (Polyvinyl) – review". Under the Radar. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
- ^ Dillon, Ryan (July 27, 2022). "Of Montreal Continue Domination Of Left Field Pop Via Freewave Lucifer F>ck F^ck F<ck (Album Review)". Glide Magazine. Retrieved November 4, 2023.