Shadow Offering is the fourth studio album by Canadian experimental pop/art rock band Braids. It was originally slated to be released on April 24, 2020, but was delayed to June 19 of that year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1][5][6]

Shadow Offering
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 19, 2020 (2020-06-19)
Length45:10
LabelSecret City
ProducerChris Walla[1]
Braids chronology
Deep in the Iris
(2015)
Shadow Offering
(2020)
Singles from Shadow Offering
  1. "Eclipse"
    Released: November 21, 2019[2]
  2. "Young Buck"
    Released: January 31, 2020[3]
  3. "Just Let Me"
    Released: April 30, 2020[4]

The album was produced by former Death Cab for Cutie guitarist Chris Walla.[7]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic77/100[8]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [9]
Clash8/10[10]
Exclaim!7/10[11]
The Line of Best Fit9/10[12]
Loud and Quiet7/10[13]
MusicOMH     [14]
NME     [15]
Under the Radar8.5/10[16]

Shadow Offering was met with generally favorable reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 78, based on 13 reviews.[8] Aggregator Album of the Year gave the album 75 out of 100 based on a critical consensus of 15 reviews.[17]

Accolades

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Accolades for Shadow Offering
Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
Stereogum Stereogum's 50 Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year
28
Under the Radar Under the Radar's Top 100 Albums of 2020
24

Track listing

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Shadow Offering track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Here 4 U"3:51
2."Young Buck"3:53
3."Eclipse"4:56
4."Just Let Me"5:15
5."Upheaval II"5:03
6."Fear of Men"4:30
7."Snow Angel"9:00
8."Ocean"3:49
9."Note to Self"4:29

References

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  1. ^ a b Ismael Ruiz, Michael (January 30, 2020). "Braids Detail New Album Shadow Offering". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  2. ^ Minsker, Evan (November 21, 2019). "Braids Announce New Album, Share New Song". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  3. ^ Roberts, Christopher (January 31, 2020). "Braids Announce New Album, Share Video for New Song "Young Buck"". Under the Radar. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  4. ^ Gregory, Allie (April 30, 2020). "Watch Braids' New Video for "Just Let Me"". Exclaim. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  5. ^ Roberts, Christopher (March 26, 2020). "Braids Share Video for Nine-Minute New Song "Snow Angel" and Postpone Album Release Date". Under the Radar. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  6. ^ Thiessen, Brock (January 30, 2020). "Braids Unveil New Album 'Shadow Offering'". Exclaim!. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  7. ^ Graves, Wren (January 31, 2020). "Braids announce new album Shadow Offering, share lead single". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  8. ^ a b "Metacritic Review". Metacritic. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  9. ^ Phares, Heather. "AllMusic Review". AllMusic. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  10. ^ Edwards, Caroline (June 15, 2020). "Clash Magazine Review". Clash.
  11. ^ Rodgers, Ian (June 18, 2020). "Braids Grapple with Personal, Political and Artistic Struggles on 'Shadow Offering'". Exclaim!. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  12. ^ Padin, Malvika (June 15, 2020). "Braids find hope in heartbreak on a gloriously intricate fourth outing". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  13. ^ Darlington, Susan (June 15, 2020). "Loud and Quiet Review". Loud and Quiet. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  14. ^ Johnson, Chloe (June 17, 2020). "MusicOMH Review". MusicOMH. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  15. ^ Hunt, El (June 18, 2020). "Braids – 'Shadow Offering' review: beleaguered band take on the big issues, but tie themselves in knots". NME. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  16. ^ McDuffie, Candace (January 15, 2021). "Braids: Shadow Offering". Under the Radar. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  17. ^ "Album of the Year Review". Album of the Year. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  18. ^ "Best Albums of 2020 So Far". Stereogum. June 10, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  19. ^ "Under the Radar's Top 100 Albums of 2020". Under the Radar. January 15, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2021.