First Flower is the second studio album by American musician Molly Burch. It was released October 5, 2018 under Captured Tracks.[11]
| First Flower | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 5, 2018 | |||
| Studio | Cacophony Recorders, Austin, Texas[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 37:27 | |||
| Label | Captured Tracks | |||
| Producer |
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| Molly Burch chronology | ||||
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| Singles from First Flower | ||||
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| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.2/10[4] |
| Metacritic | 77/100[5] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [2] |
| American Songwriter | [6] |
| The Austin Chronicle | [7] |
| Clash | 8/10[8] |
| Loud and Quiet | 8/10[9] |
| Paste | 7.5/10[10] |
| Pitchfork | 6.7/10[3] |
Release
editOn July 26, 2018, Burch announced the release of her new album, along with the first single "Wild".[12] The music video to "Wild", which was directed by Luca Venter, was also released the same day.[13]
The second single "To The Boys" was released on August 21, 2018.[14] The music video for the single, which was directed by Emily Ann Hoffman, was released on September 17, 2018.[15]
On September 26, 2018, Burch release the third single "Candy".[1] The music video for the single, which was directed by American actress Noël Wells, was released on November 21, 2018.[16]
Critical reception
editFirst Flower was met with "generally favorable" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 77, based on 10 reviews. Aggregator Album of the Year gave the release a 75 out of 100 based on a critical consensus of 10 reviews.[17]
Hal Horowitz from American Songwriter said of the album: "Burch moves further towards a looser, jazzier feel on these 11 tracks. The songs often bubble on a light Latin/bossa nova bed, allowing Burch to swoop and slather her distinctive whispered yet tensile voice over the melodies. Molly Burch is a chanteuse, exploring the edges of noir songs with beauty, sadness, and an honest vulnerability that’s powerful yet strikingly understated"[6] Abby Johnston from The Austin Chronicle stated the difference between this album and Burch's previous album by saying: "Burch grapples with similarly universal themes of self-doubt and anxiety, and as with her first album, the ruminations are set over beachy, sepia-washed guitar rock. Gone, however, are the more muted vocal plays."[7] Mike Vinti from Loud and Quiet admired the vocals from Burch on the album, noting: "It’s not that this is any less personal than that first outing, but more that Burch has embraced the parts of her craft that set her apart, most obviously her unmistakable voice. Trained in Jazz Vocal Performance, Burch is able to conjure strange and powerful pronunciations and inflections like few of her peers."[9] Lee Zimmerman from Paste said: "much of the album sounds almost idyllic, its ambiance seemingly more airy than effusive. Burch has managed to find common ground between desire and determination and meld them with steady assurance."[10]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Candy" | 2:50 |
| 2. | "Wild" | 3:40 |
| 3. | "Dangerous Place" | 2:33 |
| 4. | "First Flower" | 3:24 |
| 5. | "Next to Me" | 2:28 |
| 6. | "Good Behavior" | 4:03 |
| 7. | "Without You" | 2:45 |
| 8. | "To the Boys" | 3:47 |
| 9. | "True Love" | 2:43 |
| 10. | "Nothing to Say" | 3:52 |
| 11. | "Every Little Thing" | 5:23 |
Personnel
edit|
Musicians
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Production
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References
edit- ^ a b c Korstanje, Emma (September 26, 2018). "Molly Burch Releases New Single, "Candy"". Paste. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- ^ a b c Donelson, Marcy. "AllMusic Review". AllMusic. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- ^ a b Jagota, Vrinda (October 20, 2018). "Pitchfork Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- ^ "AnyDecentMusic? Review". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- ^ "Metacritic Review". Metacritic. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- ^ a b Horowitz, Hal (October 8, 2018). "American Songwriter Review". American Songwriter. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- ^ a b Johnston, Abby (October 5, 2018). "The Austin Chronicle Review". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- ^ Rogerson, Johnny (October 12, 2018). "Clash Magazine Review". Clash. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- ^ a b Vinti, Mike (October 1, 2018). "Loud and Quiet Review". Loud and Quiet. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- ^ a b Zimmerman, Lee (October 2, 2018). "Paste Magazine Review". Paste. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- ^ Kaye, Ben (July 26, 2018). "Molly Burch announces new album, First Flower, shares "Wild"". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- ^ "Molly Burch announces new album". Remote Control Records. July 26, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
- ^ "Molly Burch - Wild". YouTube. July 25, 2018. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- ^ Morgan, Maybelle (August 21, 2018). "Molly Burch Premieres New Track". Wonderland. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- ^ "Molly Burch - To The Boys". YouTube. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- ^ "Molly Burch - Candy". YouTube. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- ^ "Album of the Year Review". Album of the Year. Retrieved August 30, 2020.