Faith Crisis Pt 1 Explained

Faith Crisis Pt 1
Type:studio
Artist:Middle Kids
Cover:Middle Kids Faith Crisis Pt 1.jpg
Alt:Middle Kids frontwoman Hannah Joy holding a pamphlet with the album title on it, looking upwards to her left, in front of a yellow background.
Released:16 February 2024
Length:36:35
Label:Lucky Number
Prev Title:Today We're the Greatest
Prev Year:2021

Faith Crisis Pt 1 is the third studio album by Australian alternative rock band Middle Kids. It was released on 16 February 2024 via Lucky Number Music, and debuted at number 20 on the ARIA Albums Chart. It was recorded in Eastbourne, United Kingdom, and produced by Jonathan Gilmore. Preceded by five singles including "Bootleg Firecracker", "Highlands" and "Dramamine", the band will embark on tour of Australia and the United States in May 2024 to promote the album.

Background and composition

In March 2021, Middle Kids released their second studio album, Today We're the Greatest. It won Best Rock Album at the 2021 ARIA Music Awards, and peaked at number five on the ARIA Charts.

Faith Crisis Pt 1 was recorded in five weeks from June 2022 in Eastbourne, United Kingdom, alongside producer Jonathan Gilmore. In these sessions, the band experimented with synths and organs for the first time.[1] Frontwoman Hannah Joy said that – unlike their previous albums, which were very intertwined with their daily lives, with "snippets written in sound checks, visiting a studio whilst on the road [and] recording vocals after doing the dishes at home" – in making Faith Crisis Pt 1, they sought separation from daily life and the going-ons of society by "carv[ing] out the space and world for making this record, which, yeah, was awesome – but absolutely fried the mainframes".[2]

The lyrical themes on Faith Crisis Pt 1 explore the role of belief, particularly in a society deprived of hope, according to Joy. Despite admitting the album title "could neg some people", she said it alludes to an "expectation there will be a 'Pt 2' (or more) to the crisis."

Release and promotion

On 30 May 2023, the lead single "Bootleg Firecracker" was released alongside a music video. Described as a song about "the power, magic, and risk of intimacy", it marked a sonic departure from their previous work.[3] A "nighttime piano" version of the track would later be released on streaming platforms.[4] The second single, "Highlands", was issued on 26 July. The track was musically inspired by frontwoman Hannah Joy's Scottish heritage.[5] "Dramamine" was released as the third single on 20 October, when the album's title, artwork and release date was officially announced.[6] [7] "Bend" followed on 30 November,[8] with "Terrible News" released as the fifth and final single on 11 January 2024.[9]

Beginning from May 2024, Middle Kids will embark on a tour of Australia and the United States to promote the album.[10]

Reception

Writing for The AU Review, Dylan Marshall said Faith Crisis Pt 1 is relatable, reliable and "filled with hits and choruses that will be stuck in your head for days on end," predicting it will appear on several year-end lists. Matt Young of The Line of Best Fit praised the album's themes, and wrote that "[d]espite the existential territory that informs the lyrical and musical direction the trio do manage to wring many buoyant melodies and arrangements from the pain." He also noted that with Gilmore as producer, his influence from working with the 1975 trickled into Middle Kids' work.

Personnel

Musicians

Additional personnel

Charts

Chart (2024)! scope="col"
Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[11] 20

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Stokes . Grace . 30 August 2022 . Middle Kids Discuss Recording Their New Unreleased Album, Touring With Friends & Eating Dodgy Pies . 16 October 2023 . Scenestr . en-gb.
  2. Web site: Radas . Zoë . 13 February 2024 . Middle Kids interview: Hannah Joy on faith, hope, and that 'human trampoline' . 14 February 2024 . . en.
  3. Web site: Deville . Chris . 30 May 2023 . Middle Kids – 'Bootleg Firecracker' . 16 October 2023 . Stereogum.
  4. Web site: 19 September 2023 . Bootleg Firecracker (Nighttime Piano Version), by Middle Kids . 16 October 2023 . en . Bandcamp.
  5. Web site: Lochrie . Conor . 27 July 2023 . Middle Kids Make 'Yearncore' Music on New Single 'Highlands' . 16 October 2023 . Rolling Stone Australia.
  6. Web site: Taylor . Sam . 18 October 2023 . Middle Kids have announced their new album, 'Faith Crisis Pt 1' . 18 October 2023 . Dork . en-US.
  7. Web site: Breihan . Tom . 18 October 2023 . Middle Kids Announce New Album 'Faith Crisis Pt. 1', Share New Single 'Dramamine': Listen . 19 October 2023 . . en.
  8. Web site: Chelosky . Danielle . 30 November 2023 . Middle Kids Share New Song 'Bend': Listen . 3 January 2024 . Stereogum . en.
  9. Web site: 11 January 2024 . Middle Kids Share 'Terrible News' As Final Single Before Album Release . 11 January 2024 . Music Feeds . en-US.
  10. Web site: Fry . Courtney . 14 February 2024 . Middle Kids announce national album tour . 14 January 2024 . Triple J . en-AU.
  11. Web site: ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart. Australian Recording Industry Association. 26 February 2024. 23 February 2024.