''Sorry I Haven't Called'' is the third studio album by Cameroon-born musician Laetitia Tamko, under the stage name

Vagabon Laetitia Tamko (born October 25, 1992), better known by her stage name Vagabon, is a Cameroonian-American self-taught multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and music producer based in New York City. Biography Early life Laetitia Tamko w ...

. It was released on September 15, 2023, through Nonesuch.

Background

Tamko moved to a remote village in

Northern Germany Northern Germany (, ) is a linguistic, geographic, socio-cultural and historic region in the northern part of Germany which includes the coastal states of Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Lower Saxony and the two city-states Hambur ...

in late 2021, where she wrote and recorded most of the album. The project is dedicated to collaborator Eric Littmann, who died in June 2021. However, she clarified that the music had nothing to do with her grief but being "full of life and energy". According to her, she did not intend to be "introspective" but just wanted to have fun with the album. The album was co-produced by Tamko herself and

Rostam Batmanglij Rostam Batmanglij (, ; born November 28, 1983), known mononymously as Rostam, is an American musician, producer and songwriter. He was a founding member of the band Vampire Weekend, whose first three albums he produced. He has been described by ...

Vampire Weekend Vampire Weekend are an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 2006 and currently signed to Columbia Records. The band was formed by lead vocalist and guitarist Ezra Koenig, multi-instrumentalist Rostam Batmanglij, drummer Chr ...

, who helped her finish the record in late 2022. Inspired by dance music, the record represents the way she communicates with her friends and lovers. She believes that "honesty and conversational songwriting can become poetry" without the use of "metaphors and without flowery imagery". She announced the album on June 15, 2023, and released the lead single "Can I Talk My Shit?", an "understated and blissfully chill track", the same day. Along with the record, Tamko announced a set of headlining shows in the United States and Europe with supporting act

Weyes Blood Natalie Laura Mering (born June 11, 1988), known professionally as Weyes Blood (pronounced , like "wise blood"), is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. She was primarily raised in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. She has been performing her o ...

starting in October 2023.

Critical reception

''Sorry I Haven't Called'' received a score of 79 out of 100 on review aggregator

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

based on eight critics' reviews, indicating a "generally favorable" reception. Jo Higgs at '' The Skinny'' could confirm the intentions behind the record and stated that the album is indeed "not premised on sorrow but instead delineates a pathway to joy", calling it another one of Tamko's "majestic reinventions". Likewise, '' DIY''s Jack Terry reiterated Tamko's sentiments when recording the album, calling it a "pursuit of happiness" without the use of "mysterious metaphors or lofty linguistics". Charles Lyons-Burt of ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...

'' thought Tamko delivered a "serviceable enough pop effort" but most of her "edges have been sadly sanded away", as she "leans in a more tonally upbeat direction than her previous releases". Reviewing the album for ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'', Mary Retta described it as a "bright, dewy electro-pop album

hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...

depicts growing up with candor and levity" as well as observing that it "illustrates a shift in Tamko's storytelling: She sidesteps diffuse, open-ended imagery for blunt, informal observations".

Track listing

Note * signifies an additional producer.

Personnel

Musicians * Laetitia Tamko – lead vocals (all tracks), samples (tracks 1, 5, 6), drum

programming Program (American English; also Commonwealth English in terms of computer programming and related activities) or programme (Commonwealth English in all other meanings), programmer, or programming may refer to: Business and management * Program m ...

(2, 8, 9), electric guitar (2, 7, 12), piano (5);

Mellotron The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which causes a length of magnetic tape to contact a Capstan (tape recorder), capstan, which pulls i ...

, voice samples (10); programming (11), drums (12) *

– synthesizer (1–3, 6, 7, 9–12), Mellotron (1, 9),

upright piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an action mechanism where hammers strike strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a chromatic scale in equal temper ...

(1, 12), drum programming (2–11), bass (2, 4, 9–11), electric guitar (2, 5), percussion (2, 7, 9), synthesizer programming (3, 4); harmonica, Juno synthesizer,

nylon-string guitar The classical guitar, also known as Spanish guitar, is a member of the guitar family used in classical music and other styles. An acoustic wooden string instrument with strings made of gut or nylon, it is a precursor of the modern steel-string a ...

, wah wah guitar (4); programming (6), machine drums (7),

Wurlitzer The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to as simply Wurlitzer, is an American company started in Cincinnati in 1853 by German immigrant (Franz) Rudolph Wurlitzer. The company initially imported stringed, woodwind and brass instruments ...

(9), drums (12) * Jack McLaine – drum programming (1, 5); bass, programming (2); synthesizer (5) * Julie Byrne – backing vocals, synthesizer (1) * Joey Messina-Doerning –

conga The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest ...

s, percussion (2); bass (12) * Andrew Tachine – drums (4, 7, 9) * Casey Manierka-Quaile – programming (4); organ, Wurlitzer (6); synthesizer (7, 10, 11), drum programming (10, 11) * Henry Solomon – saxophone (8) *

Teo Halm Teo Lucas Halm (born May 18, 1999) is an American record producer, songwriter, singer, and actor. As a producer and songwriter, Halm has contributed to several notable projects, including two tracks on SZA's acclaimed album ''SOS'', (Notice Me ...

– drum programming, samples (9) * Sadek Massarweh – electric guitar (9) * Jakob Hersch – programming, synthesizer (9); acoustic guitar, electric guitar (12) Technical * Chris Allgood – mastering *

Emily Lazar Emily B. Lazar is an American mastering engineer. She is the founder, president, and chief mastering engineer of The Lodge, an audio mastering facility that has operated in New York City's Greenwich Village since 1997. She won a Grammy Award for ...

– mastering * Andrew Maury – mixing * Rostam Batmanglij –

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

* Joey Messina-Doerning – engineering * Laetitia Tamko – engineering * Alex Tumay – additional mixing (2) * Jack McLaine – additional engineering (2, 5) * Jeremy Hatcher – additional engineering (4, 7) * Andrew Kim – mixing assistance (2) * Nacor Zuluaga – mixing assistance (2)

Charts

References

{{reflist , refs= {{citation, url=https://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/vagabon-sorry-i-havent-called/, title=Vagabon – Sorry I Haven't Called , publisher= Clash, website=clashmusic.com, author=Lauren Dehollogne, date=2023-09-18, access-date=2024-06-28 {{citation, url=https://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/vagabon-sorry-i-havent-called, title=Vagabon – Sorry I Haven't Called, publisher=

MusicOMH ''MusicOMH'' (stylized as ''musicOMH'') is a London-based online music magazine which publishes independent reviews, features and interviews from across all genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B. History ''MusicOMH'' was founded an ...

, website=musicomh.com, author=Ben Devlin, date=2023-09-15, access-date=2024-06-28 {{allMusic, id=sorry-i-havent-called-mw0004030882, title=Sorry I Haven't Called (review), author=Paul Simpson, access-date=2024-06-28 {{citation, url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/vagabon/vagabon-sorry-i-havent-called-review, title=Vagabon Dances Into Catharsis on ''Sorry I Haven't Called'', publisher=

Paste Paste is a term for any very thick viscous fluid. It may refer to: Science and technology * Adhesive or paste ** Wallpaper paste ** Wheatpaste, a liquid adhesive made from vegetable starch and water * Paste (rheology), a substance that behaves as ...

, website=pastemagazine.com, author=Simon Coates, date=2023-09-14, access-date=2024-06-28 {{citation, url=http://anydecentmusic.com/review/13761/Vagabon-Sorry-I-Havent-Called.aspx, title=Vagabon – Sorry I Haven't Called, publisher=AnyDecentMusic?, website=anydecentmusic.com, access-date=2024-06-28 {{citation, url=https://www.loudandquiet.com/reviews/vagabon-sorry-i-havent-called/, title=Vagabon – Sorry I Haven't Called, publisher=

Loud and Quiet ''Loud and Quiet'' is a British bi-monthly music magazine that focuses on new music from underground indie, alternative, electronic and hip hop artists. History and profile The magazine was founded in January 2005 by Stuart Stubbs as a home-print ...

, website=loudandquiet.com, author=Joe Goggins, date=2023-09-18, access-date=2024-06-28 2023 albums Nonesuch Records albums Vagabon albums