I Like Fun is the twentieth studio album from New York City-based alternative rock band They Might Be Giants, released on January 19, 2018.

I Like Fun
Studio album by
ReleasedJanuary 19, 2018
RecordedApril 2017
Studio
  • Reservoir (Manhattan)
  • The Governor's Bluff (Sullivan County)
  • Collyer Brothers (Brooklyn)
GenreAlternative rock
Length40:51
LabelIdlewild
ProducerPat Dillett, They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants chronology
Phone Power
(2016)
I Like Fun
(2018)
My Murdered Remains
(2018)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic74/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Paste8.9/10[3]

Background

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The band began recording on April 3, 2017,[4] at Reservoir Studios (former site of Skyline Studios),[5] using the same studio space the band used to record Flood.[6] In October 2017, the band confirmed the album was scheduled to be released on January 19, 2018, along with the return of their Dial-A-Song service.[7]

The album's track listing was revealed on October 23, alongside an early download of the track "I Left My Body".[8]

Release

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Before the release of the full album, three songs—one with a music video—were uploaded to YouTube, with uploads to iTunes following shortly afterward. The songs were, in order of release, "I Left My Body",[9] "Last Wave" (December 1, 2017),[10] and "All Time What" (January 3, 2018), the latter of which featured a video.[11]

I Like Fun was available for pre-release streaming on January 11, 2018.[12] The album was released physically and digitally on January 19, 2018.[13]

After the release of the full album, as part of Dial-A-Song 2018, They Might Be Giants continued to release videos for all but three of the songs. A music video for the title track "I Like Fun" was created by Canadian artist Joren Cull.[14][15]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by They Might Be Giants, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Let's Get This Over With" 3:07
2."I Left My Body" 2:36
3."All Time What" 2:29
4."By the Time You Get This" 2:17
5."An Insult to the Fact Checkers" 2:34
6."Mrs. Bluebeard" 2:43
7."I Like Fun" 3:00
8."Push Back the Hands" 3:00
9."This Microphone" 2:36
10."The Bright Side" 2:29
11."When the Lights Come On" 3:17
12."Lake Monsters" 2:56
13."McCafferty's Bib" 2:35
14."The Greatest"They Might Be Giants, Christopher Albert Anderson1:48
15."Last Wave" 3:24
Total length:40:51

Personnel

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Credits adapted from CD liner notes.[16]

They Might Be Giants

Additional musicians

Technical

Charts

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Chart (2018) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[17] 108

References

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  1. ^ "I Like Fun by They Might Be Giants Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic.
  2. ^ Phares, Heather. "They Might Be Giants - I Like Fun Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic.
  3. ^ Salmon, Ben (January 24, 2018). "They Might Be Giants: I Like Fun - Paste Magazine". Paste.
  4. ^ They Might Be Giants [@tmbg] (March 30, 2017). "We formally start recording our next album on Monday. Until then..." (Tweet). Retrieved January 12, 2018 – via Twitter.
  5. ^ "ABOUT". reservoirstudiosnyc.com. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  6. ^ "I Like Fun Download". They Might Be Giants. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  7. ^ Reed, Ryan. "They Might Be Giants Preview New LP With Jovial Power-Pop Song". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 12, 2018. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  8. ^ "I Like Fun - Album by They Might Be Giants - Apple Music". Apple Music. January 19, 2018. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  9. ^ They Might Be Giants (October 23, 2017). They Might Be Giants - I Left My Body (Official Audio) (YouTube video). ParticleMen. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  10. ^ They Might Be Giants (December 1, 2017). They Might Be Giants - Last Wave (Official Audio) (YouTube video). ParticleMen. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  11. ^ They Might Be Giants (January 3, 2018). They Might Be Giants - All Time What (Official Video) (YouTube video). ParticleMen. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  12. ^ Moon, Tom (January 11, 2018). "First Listen: They Might Be Giants, 'I Like Fun'". NPR. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  13. ^ "I Like Fun - They Might Be Giants". Bandcamp. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  14. ^ Salisbury, Drew (January 17, 2018). "Video: They Might Be Giants – "I Like Fun"". Spin. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  15. ^ They Might Be Giants (January 17, 2018). They Might Be Giants - I Like Fun (Official Video) (YouTube video). ParticleMen. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  16. ^ They Might Be Giants (2018). I Like Fun (CD liner notes). Palisades, New York: Idlewild Recordings. IDLE 144.
  17. ^ "They Might Be Giants Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2018.