''Untethered Moon'' is the eighth studio album by American
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
band
Built to Spill
Built to Spill is an American indie rock band that formed in Boise, Idaho, in 1992. Centered on lead vocalist and guitarist Doug Martsch, the only permanent member, Built to Spill has released nine albums since its inception.
Martsch originall ...
. The album was released on vinyl for
Record Store Day
Record Store Day is a semi-annual event established in 2008 to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". Held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November, the day brings together f ...
on April 18, 2015, and on CD and digital format on April 21, 2015.
It is the band's first album in nearly six years, since 2009's ''
There Is No Enemy'', making it the band's longest delay between studio albums up to that point.
Frontman
Doug Martsch explained:
It is the first album to feature Steve Gere (drums) and Jason Albertini (bass), replacing
Scott Plouf and
Brett Nelson respectively, who both left the group in 2012.
The album was announced on February 5, 2015, along with a tour schedule beginning in March. The track "Living Zoo" was released via
SoundCloud
SoundCloud is a German audio streaming service owned and operated by SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG. The service enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is ...
on February 24, 2015. The official music video for “Living Zoo” premiered on
Noisey
''Vice'' (stylized in all caps) is a Canadian-American magazine focused on lifestyle, arts, culture, and news/politics. It was founded in 1994 in Montreal as an alternative punk magazine, and its founders later launched the youth media company ...
on March 25, 2015.
Critical reception
The album has received praise, with critics and fans alike noting a revived energy within the band as well as Doug Marstch's consistently impressive guitar work.
At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, ''Untethered Moon'' has received an average score of 76, based on 18 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Cam Lindsay of ''
Exclaim!
''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...
'' wrote that ''Untethered Moon'' is "arguably the most enjoyable Built to Spill album since 1999's pivotal ''
Keep It Like A Secret''," citing "a directness to these songs that has been missing for a few albums."
Track listing
All music written by Built to Spill and all lyrics by Built to Spill with Karena Youtz
References
{{Authority control
2015 albums
Built to Spill albums
Warner Records albums