The Whaler
A line drawing of a whale strung up on telephone poles over a small body of water
Studio album by
Home Is Where
ReleasedJune 16, 2023 (2023-06-16)
Recorded2022
StudioAtomic Garden East, Oakland, California, United States[1]
GenreEmo
Length35:00
LanguageEnglish
LabelWax Bodega
ProducerJack Shirley
Home Is Where chronology
Dissection Lesson
(2022)		 The Whaler
(2023)

The Whaler is a 2023 studio album by American emo band Home Is Where, their first full-length release. The album has received positive reviews from critics.

Reception

Writing for BrooklynVegan, Andrew Sacher writes about the diversity of the sounds on The Whaler as they "recall... anything from Neutral Milk Hotel to Fugazi to pageninetynine, often within the same song" and the lyrics are "about subject matter that feels real and authentic and depressing and I'd imagine it's widely relatable to anyone that's given up hope for a better world".[2] A discussion of the album track-by-track in Consequence of Sound has author Jonah Kreuger characterizing the musical diversity as "frantically jump[ing] around different tempos, genres, and volumes, resulting in danceable sing-alongs fit for the apocalypse".[3] Paste's Natalie Marlin gave this album an 8.0 out of 10, writing that this release "excels when it feels like Home Is Where are at its slipperiest as a band, conjuring something capable of breaking beyond a simple genre signifier".[4] On June 19, that magazine ranked the best albums of the year so far, placing this at eleventh for "MacDonald’s commanding howls and yelps, alongside her jagged lyrical descriptiveness, that anchor each maneuver, complemented by guitarist Tilley Komorny’s fluid shifts in accentuating every disparate narrative".[5] Stereogum named The Whaler Album of the Week, with critic Ian Cohen noting the depth of the lyrics, discussion personal and political themes and writing that the music has "a whimsy that turns both surly and surreal".[6]

In Exclaim!, this was rated the 32nd best album of 2023.[7] Paste included this among the 30 best rock albums of 2023.[8] Editors at BrooklynVegan included this on their list of the 55 best albums of 2023.[9]

Track listing

All songs written by Home Is Where, with lyrics by Brandon MacDonald.

  1. "skin meadow" – 5:17
  2. "lily pad pupils" – 5:21
  3. "yes! yes! a thousand times yes!" – 3:54
  4. "whaling for sport" – 3:19
  5. "everyday feels like 9/11" – 3:31
  6. "9/12" – 1:49
  7. "daytona 500" – 3:44
  8. "chris farley" – 2:06
  9. "nursing home riot" – 3:21
  10. "floral organs" – 2:31

Personnel

Home Is Where

  • Josiah Gardella – drums, tambourine, backing vocals
  • Tilley Komorny – guitar, piano, organ, backing vocals, banjo, tambourine, jingle bells, mandolin, tape loops
  • Brandon MacDonald – singing, harmonica, singing saw, piano, organ, tambourine, jingle bells, mandolin, tape loops
  • Connor "Fat Slaps" O'Brien – bass guitar, tambourine, backing vocals

Additional personnel

See also

References

  1. ↑ Corcoran, Nina (2023-04-05). "Home Is Where Announce New Album The Whaler, Share Video for New Song". News. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2023-06-16.
  2. ↑ Sacher, Andrew (2023-06-16). "Notable Releases of the Week (6/16)". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  3. ↑ Kreuger, Jonah (2023-06-16). "Home Is Where Break Down New Album The Whaler Track by Track: Exclusive". Track by Track. Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  4. ↑ Marin, Natalie (2023-06-16). "Home Is Where Chart New Seas on the whaler". Music > Reviews. Paste. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  5. ↑ Marlin, Natalie (2023-06-19). "The 25 Best Albums of 2023 (So Far)". Music > Lists > Best Albums. Paste. ISSN 1540-3106. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  6. ↑ Cohen, Ian (2023-06-13). "Album Of The Week: Home Is Where The Whaler". Album of the Week. Stereogum. Retrieved 2023-06-16.
  7. ↑ "Exclaim!'s 50 Best Albums of 2023". Features. Exclaim!. 2023-11-30. ISSN 1207-6600. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  8. ↑ "The 30 Best Rock Albums of 2023". Music > Lists > Best Albums. Paste. 2023-12-10. ISSN 1540-3106. Retrieved 2023-12-10.
  9. ↑ "BrooklynVegan's Top 55 Albums of 2023". BrooklynVegan. 2023-12-18. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
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