| The OOZ | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | King Krule |
| Cover: | The Ooz King Krule.jpg |
| Alt: | A pink contrail cloud streaking across a clear blue sky. |
| Genre: | |
| Prev Title: | A New Place 2 Drown |
| Prev Year: | 2015 |
| Next Title: | Man Alive! |
| Next Year: | 2020 |
The Ooz (stylised as The OOZ) is the third studio album by English singer-songwriter Archy Marshall, and his second album under the stage name King Krule. It was released on 13 October 2017 via True Panther Sounds and XL Recordings. The album incorporates elements of trip hop, R&B, punk rock, and jazz.
"Czech One" was released in August 2017 as the first King Krule song in four years.[1] Archy Marshall subsequently announced the release of The Ooz in September 2017, with its title and release date being first reported in The New York Times fall preview guide.[2] [3] The album is Marshall's first studio album as King Krule since 2013's 6 Feet Beneath the Moon.[4]
At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, The Ooz received an average score of 80, based on 21 reviews, indicating "generally positive reviews". In a review for AllMusic, Andy Kellman compared the album to its predecessor stating that "the songwriting is more refined and the sounds are more disparate, resulting in a sort of controlled chaos, a scuzzy mix of nervy neo-rockabilly projectiles, howling dirges, and noodling dive-lounge tunes." Pitchfork gave The Ooz their "Best New Music" designation, with Jayson Greene complimenting the diversity of musical styles used on the album, as well as the distinctive sounds and textures. He wrote that the album "is the richest and most immersive album the London singer-songwriter has made yet" and that it is "a masterpiece of jaundiced vision from one of the most compelling artists alive." Alexis Petridis of The Guardian was more ambivalent, acknowledging the diverse musical styles while also considering the album to be "frustrating" and "a difficult listen." Though he recommends the album, Petridis considers the album's length to be a detraction, writing, "But self-indulgence is also its biggest drawback...The Ooz lasts more than an hour and virtually every track is allowed to ramble on for longer than it needs to." It was nominated for the 2018 Mercury Prize.[5]
| Publication | Accolade | Rank | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard | Billboards 50 Best Albums of 2017: Critics' Picks | |||
| Clash | Clash Albums of the Year 2017 | |||
| Consequence of Sound | Top 50 Albums of 2017 | |||
| Drowned in Sound | Favourite Albums of 2017 | |||
| The Best Albums of 2017 | ||||
| 30 Best Albums of 2017 | ||||
| NME | NMEs Albums of the Year 2017 | |||
| Pitchfork | The 50 Best Albums of 2017 | |||
| Spin | 50 Best Albums of 2017 | |||
| Vice | The 100 Best Albums of 2017 |
| Publication | Accolade | Rank | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Treble | Top 150 Albums of the 2010s | |||
| Pitchfork | The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s | |||
| Gorilla vs. Bear | Albums of the Decade |
Notes
Musicians
Production