The New Romance
| The New Romance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 9, 2003 | |||
| Recorded | Bear Creek Studio, April 2002 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 39:41 | |||
| Label | Matador Records | |||
| Producer | Phil Ek | |||
| Pretty Girls Make Graves chronology | ||||
| ||||
The New Romance is the second studio album from Pretty Girls Make Graves, released on September 9, 2003 on the label Matador Records.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| The A.V. Club | (favorable)[2] |
| Drowned in Sound | 9/10[3] |
| Pitchfork | (8.3/10) |
| Rolling Stone |  [4] |
| Stylus Magazine | B–[5] |
| Tiny Mix Tapes |   [6] |
Composition
[edit]Musically, The New Romance has been aligned with the post-punk revival,[2] as well as emo,[1] indie rock, post-hardcore,[7] math rock, and punk rock.[4]
Critical reception and legacy
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Punknews.org | (2012)[8] |
| Spectrum Culture | 70% (2024)[9] |
In recent years, Romance has been seen as an overlooked record in several genres. In a 2010 Drowned in Sound article, Robert Cooke glowingly wrote of its place in the post-punk & new wave revivals occurring at its time of release. He wrote that it predated the revivals' mid-2000s popularity, which groups like Bloc Party and Franz Ferdinand would receive. However, he believed that "near perfection [had] already been achieved" through Romance before either of their debut works came out. Though noting their significance, Cooke dubbed Romance "so bold, so beautiful, [and] so much better than its acclaimed successors".[10] In 2012, Punknews.org's Joe Pelone wrote that, within post-hardcore, it wasn't held in the esteem that classic albums by At the Drive-In and Bear vs. Shark had. He deemed it "just as passionate [and] just as explosive" and that it "certainly deserves a spot" amongst them.[8]
On a 2016 Pitchfork list, Romance placed #40 out of the Pacific Northwest's 50 best indie rock albums.[7]
In celebration of its 20th anniversary, Matador Records reissued Romance for vinyl in November 2023.[11] Spectrum Culture's Holly Hazelwood gave it a generally positive review the next year. She deemed it "the apex of [the group's] career," applauding it as "such a fantastic portrait of a band finding a harmonious balance between creativity and talent."[9]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Something Bigger, Something Brighter" | 5:09 |
| 2. | "The Grandmother Wolf" | 2:58 |
| 3. | "Mr. Club" | 0:48 |
| 4. | "All Medicated Geniuses" | 3:24 |
| 5. | "Blue Lights" | 3:03 |
| 6. | "Chemical, Chemical" | 2:39 |
| 7. | "7." | 0:36 |
| 8. | "The Teeth Collector" | 4:07 |
| 9. | "Holy Names" | 3:57 |
| 10. | "The New Romance" | 4:10 |
| 11. | "This Is Our Emergency" | 3:43 |
| 12. | "A Certain Cemetery" | 5:07 |
Personnel
[edit]- Andrea Zollo – vocals
- Nick Dewitt – drums, samples, keyboards, vocals
- Derek Fudesco – bass guitar, vocals
- Nathan Thelen – guitar, vocals
- J. Clark – guitar, keyboards, samples
References
[edit]- ^ a b link
- ^ a b Murray, Noel (September 29, 2003). "The New Romance". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
- ^ Adams, Sean (October 21, 2003). "Album Review: Pretty Girls Make Graves - The New Romance / Releases / Releases // Drowned in Sound". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
- ^ a b Eliscu, Jenny (September 13, 2003). "Rolling Stone : Pretty Girls Make Graves : The New Romance : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
- ^ Estefan, Kareem (September 9, 2003). "Pretty Girls Make Graves - The New Romance - Review - Stylus Magazine". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
- ^ Wolfman (n.d.). "Pretty Girls Make Graves - The New Romance | Music Review | Tiny Mix Tapes". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
- ^ a b Pitchfork staff (September 6, 2016). "The 50 Best Indie Rock Albums of the Pacific Northwest". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
- ^ a b Pelone, Joe (May 1, 2012). "Pretty Girls Make Graves - The New Romance". Punknews.org. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
- ^ a b Hazelwood, Holly (January 31, 2024). "Pretty Girls Make Graves: The New Romance (Revisionist History Edition)". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
- ^ Cooke, Robert (September 3, 2010). "Favourite 50: Pretty Girls Make Graves The New Romance (chosen by Robert Cooke) / In Depth // Drowned in Sound". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
- ^ Treble staff (September 7, 2023). "Pretty Girls Make Graves announce 20th anniversary reissue of The New Romance". Treble. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
