We Buy Diabetic Test Strips

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We Buy Diabetic Test Strips
Studio album by
Armand Hammer
ReleasedSeptember 29, 2023 (2023-09-29)
Genre
Length53:12
LabelFat Possum
Producer
Armand Hammer chronology
Haram
(2021) 		We Buy Diabetic Test Strips
(2023)
Singles from We Buy Diabetic Test Strips
  1. "Trauma Mic"
    Released: August 2, 2023
  2. "Woke Up and Asked Siri How I'm Gonna Die"
    Released: August 29, 2023
  3. "The Gods Must Be Crazy"
    Released: September 26, 2023

We Buy Diabetic Test Strips is the sixth studio album by American hip hop duo Armand Hammer (Billy Woods, Elucid). It was released on September 29, 2023, through Fat Possum. The album features guest appearances by JPEGMafia, Moor Mother, El-P, Pierce Jordan of Soul Glo, Pink Siifu, Junglepussy, Curly Castro and Cavalier. It is the first Armand Hammer album to not be released under the Backwoodz Studioz label. It was met with critical acclaim.

Background and promotion[edit]

On July 3, 2023, Billy Woods revealed that their next studio album was almost done, saying that they took a "pretty different" approach and that Elucid was still working on the record. Collaborator and producer Kenny Segal thought that the album was "ridiculous" and looking to "knock Maps off the album-of-the-year list".[1] About two weeks later, mysterious postcards and flyers with phone numbers that lead to album and pre-order details were spotted.[2] Fans would also receive postcards delivered to them with a tracklist and phone number.[3] The duo announced the album on August 2. A session with Jazz musician Shabaka Hutchings, producer/keyboardist Child Actor, engineer Willie Green and Elucid helped set up the foundation of the album.[4][5] The latter described the recording process as an assembly of talented rappers meeting for the first time in the studio to jam "to pre-recorded beats before splintering off into new directions". The opportunity to watch them drift off into their own "sonic worlds" was a clear "magical moment" for him.[6]

Release[edit]

The album was preceded with three singles: "Trauma Mic" featuring Pink Siifu, released on August 2,[7][8] "Woke Up and Asked Siri How I'm Gonna Die" featuring JPEGMafia, released on August 29,[9][10] and "The Gods Must Be Crazy", featuring El-P, released three days before the album's release.[11][12]

The duo embarked on the We Buy Diabetic Test Strips Tour in support of the album, starting on October 1, 2023 in Kingston and concluding on February 24, 2024 in Atlanta.[6][7]

On February 27, 2024, an updated version of the album was released, which featured a bonus track, "Doves" featuring Benjamin Booker, and removed Junglepussy's verses from "Y'all Can't Stand Right Here" and "Empire BLVD" for unknown reasons.[13][14][15]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic87/100[16]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[17]
Beats Per Minute92%[18]
HipHopDX[19]
Exclaim!9/10[20]
The Line of Best Fit8/10[21]
Mojo[22]
The Observer[23]
Pitchfork8.1/10[24]
PopMatters8/10[25]
The Quietus[26]

We Buy Diabetic Test Strips received a score of 87 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on twelve critics' reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[16] Mojo stated that "ultimately, it's Woods and Elucid who provide the intense, erudite, funny through-line",[22] while Uncut opined that "the music reflects this stark, witty chronicle of precarious modern living with a queasy tableau of churning beats, one minute harsh and industrial, the next lush and dreamy".[27] Pitchfork's Matthew Ismael Ruiz called it a "success—it can feel like being tugged by dozens of different hands yet still being pulled forward" as well as "moody, unsettling, sharply observed album balancing moments of self-reflection with vivid snapshots of societal dysfunction".[24]

Concluding the review of the album for AllMusic, Paul Simpson claimed that, "We Buy Diabetic Test Strips feels like a step forward from a duo whose discography has been consistently innovative from the start."[17]

Year-end lists[edit]

Select year-end rankings of We Buy Diabetic Test Strips
Critic/Publication List Rank Ref.
Beats Per Minute BPM’s Top 50 Albums of 2023
14
[28]
BrooklynVegan BrooklynVegan's Top 55 Albums of 2023
2
[29]
Crack The Top 50 Albums of the Year
47
[30]
Gorilla vs. Bear Gorilla vs. Bear’s Albums of 2023
23
[31]
PopMatters The 80 Best Albums of 2023
23
[32]
The Ringer The 27 Best Albums of 2023
7
[33]
Slant Magazine The 50 Best Albums of 2023
34
[34]
Paste The 50 Best Albums of 2023
46
[35]
Vulture The Best Albums of 2023
6
[36]

Track listing[edit]

We Buy Diabetic Test Strips track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Landlines"
JPEGMafia2:58
2."Woke Up and Asked Siri How I'm Gonna Die" (featuring JPEGMafia)
  • Elucid
  • Woods
  • JPEGMafia
JPEGMafia2:41
3."The Flexible Unreliability of Time & Memory"
Child Actor3:21
4."When It Doesn't Start with a Kiss"
  • Elucid
  • Woods
  • JPEGMafia
  • Pudge
  • JPEGMafia
  • Pudge
3:23
5."I Keep a Mirror in My Pocket" (featuring Cavalier)
Preservation3:43
6."Trauma Mic" (featuring Pink Siifu)
  • Elucid
  • Woods
  • DJ Haram
  • Pink Siifu
DJ Haram2:34
7."Niggardly (Blocked Call)"
  • Elucid
  • Woods
  • August Fanon
August Fanon4:01
8."The Gods Must Be Crazy" (featuring El-P)
El-P3:00
9."Y'all Can't Stand Right Here" (featuring Money Nicca)
  • Elucid
  • Woods
  • Steel Tipped Dove
  • Messiah Musik
  • Steel Tipped Dove
2:31
10."Total Recall"
Kenny Segal4:21
11."Empire BLVD" (featuring Curly Castro)
  • Elucid
  • Woods
  • Curly Castro
  • Green
Green3:19
12."Don't Lose Your Job" (featuring Pink Siifu and Moor Mother)
  • Black Noise
  • Jeff Markey
4:25
13."Supermooned" (featuring DJ Haram)
  • Elucid
  • Woods
  • DJ Haram
  • DJ Haram
  • Elucid
2:54
14."Switchboard"
  • Elucid
  • Woods
  • Sebb Bash
Sebb Bash4:02
15."The Key Is Under the Mat" (featuring JPEGMafia)
  • Elucid
  • Woods
  • JPEGMafia
JPEGMafia4:13
16."Doves" (featuring Benjamin Booker)
  • Elucid
  • Woods
  • Segal
  • Benjamin Booker
  • Benjamin Booker
  • Segal
8:56
Total length:61:57

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for We Buy Diabetic Test Strips
Chart (2023) Peak
position
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[37] 32
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[38] 44
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[39] 5

References[edit]

  1. ^ Hudson, Alex (July 3, 2023). "Armand Hammer's New Album Is Nearly Done, Will "Knock 'Maps' Off the Album-of-the-Year List"". Exclaim!. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  2. ^ Monroe, Jazz (July 25, 2023). "Armand Hammer Announce New Album We Buy Diabetic Test Strips Via Teasers". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  3. ^ Brodsky, Rachel (July 24, 2023). "Armand Hammer Tease New Album We Buy Diabetic Test Strips Feat. Soul Glo's Pierce Jordan, Pink Siifu, Moor Mother, More". Stereogum. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  4. ^ Lejarde, Arielle Lana (August 2, 2023). "Armand Hammer announce new album with lead single "Trauma Mic"". The Fader. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  5. ^ Moore, Marcus J. (September 26, 2023). "Armand Hammer Keeps a Foot in the Past, but Its Eyes on the Future". The New York Times. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Vito, Jo (August 2, 2023). "Armand Hammer Announce New Album We Buy Diabetic Test Strips, 2023-2024 Tour Dates". Consequence. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  7. ^ a b Sacher, Andrew. "Armand Hammer share "Trauma Mic" ft. Pink Siifu, announce tour". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
  8. ^ Lana LeJarde, Arielle (August 2, 2023). "Armand Hammer announce new album with lead single "Trauma Mic"". The FADER. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
  9. ^ Damara Kelly, Tyler (August 29, 2023). "Armand Hammer releases JPEGMAFIA-produced single, "Woke Up and Asked Siri How I'm Gonna Die"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
  10. ^ McMullen, Chase (August 31, 2023). "Armand Hammer share the isolated beauty of "Woke Up and Asked Siri How I'm Gonna Die", produced by JPEGMAFIA". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
  11. ^ Horvath, Zachary (September 26, 2023). "Armand Hammer Thinks "The Gods Must Be Crazy" On El-P Produced Track". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
  12. ^ Anderson, Carys (September 26, 2023). "Armand Hammer Share New Song "The Gods Must Be Crazy," Produced by El-P". Consequence. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
  13. ^ Corcoran, Nina (February 27, 2024). "Armand Hammer Share Video for New Song "Doves" Featuring Benjamin Booker". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
  14. ^ Breihan, Tom (February 27, 2024). "Armand Hammer Team Up With Benjamin Booker On New Song "Doves": Listen". Stereogum. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
  15. ^ Small, TeeJay (March 19, 2024). "Why Did Armand Hammer Remove Junglepussy from "We Buy Diabetic Test Strips"?". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  16. ^ a b "We Buy Diabetic Test Strips by Armand Hammer Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  17. ^ a b Simpson, Paul (September 29, 2023). "Armand Hammer -We Buy Diabetic Test Strips Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  18. ^ Wohlmacher, John (October 3, 2023). "Album Review: Armand Hammer – We Buy Diabetic Test Strips". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  19. ^ Malone, Anthony (October 16, 2023). "Armand Hammer 'We Buy Diabetic Test Strips' Tries To Make Sense Of Our World After Covid". HipHopDX. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  20. ^ "Armand Hammer's 'We Buy Diabetic Test Strips' Is Conspiratorial and Commanding". Exclaim!. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  21. ^ "Armand Hammer: We Buy Diabetic Test Strips Review - beguiling and impressive | Rap". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  22. ^ a b "Armand Hammer – We Buy Diabetic Test Strips". Mojo. November 2023. p. 93.
  23. ^ Empire, Kitty (October 1, 2023). "Armand Hammer: We Buy Diabetic Test Strips review – an exceptional record". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  24. ^ a b Ruiz, Matthew Ismael (October 3, 2023). "Armand Hammer: We Buy Diabetic Test Strips Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  25. ^ "Abstract Hip-Hop Duo Armand Hammer Return With Superb New LP". PopMatters. October 9, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  26. ^ "The Quietus | Reviews | Armand Hammer". The Quietus. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  27. ^ "Armand Hammer – We Buy Diabetic Test Strips". Uncut. November 2023. p. 25.
  28. ^ Hakimian, Rob; McMullen, Chase; Pickard, Joshua; Wohlmacher, John; Finlayson, Ray; Amen, John; Kohner, Kyle; Early, J. T.; Thomas, Carlo (December 29, 2023). "BPM's Top 50 Albums of 2023". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  29. ^ Staff, BrooklynVegan. "BrooklynVegan's Top 55 Albums of 2023". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  30. ^ "Best albums of 2023: Our pick of the top records". Crack Magazine. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  31. ^ ChrisChris (November 30, 2023). "Gorilla vs. Bear's Albums of 2023". GORILLA VS. BEAR. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  32. ^ "The 80 Best Albums of 2023". PopMatters. December 23, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  33. ^ Staff, The Ringer (December 6, 2023). "The 27 Best Albums of 2023". The Ringer. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  34. ^ Slant Staff (December 7, 2023). "The 50 Best Albums of 2023". Slant Magazine. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  35. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2023". Paste Magazine. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  36. ^ Jenkins, Craig (December 5, 2023). "The Best Albums of 2023". Vulture. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  37. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  38. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  39. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
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