Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You is the twenty-first studio album by Bonnie "Prince" Billy, the stage name of American indie folk musician Will Oldham. It was released on August 11, 2023, through Drag City. The album was recorded in Oldham's home in Louisville, Kentucky, and preceded by the lead single "Bananas".[1]
| Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 11, 2023 | |||
| Length | 45:57 | |||
| Label | Drag City | |||
| Bonnie "Prince" Billy chronology | ||||
| ||||
Critical reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 84/100[2] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Exclaim! | 7/10[4] |
| Loud and Quiet | 8/10[5] |
| Pitchfork | 7.7/10[6] |
Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You received a score of 84 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on seven critics' reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[2]
Reviewing for the album for AllMusic, Fred Thomas called it, "the kind of record that gets played over and over until it feels like a part of the listener's personal history"[3] Mojo noted that it contains "a spare, homespun feel with its simple folk guitar", while Uncut deemed it "an open, compassionate record with a fierce spirit".[2]
Marko Djurdjic of Exclaim! remarked that "the music throughout is unsurprisingly eclectic, with flourishes of country and flamenco, balladry and folk, and Oldham is backed by a more-than-competent band", also describing it as "a private album for mourning the state of the world and ourselves in it".[4] Leo Lawton of Loud and Quiet concluded that "this record stands out because of its incredible thematic range. Such a well-rounded piece of work could only have been made by Bonnie Prince Billy himself, who has clearly lived life through his own fascinating, emotionally charged subjectivity".[5]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Will Oldham
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Like It or Not" | 5:08 |
| 2. | "Behold! Be Held!" | 3:25 |
| 3. | "Bananas" | 2:43 |
| 4. | "Blood of the Wine" | 4:24 |
| 5. | "Sing Them Down Together" | 2:14 |
| 6. | "Kentucky Is Water" | 4:06 |
| 7. | "Willow, Pine and Oak" | 3:44 |
| 8. | "Trees of Hell" | 4:00 |
| 9. | "Rise and Rule (She Was Born in Honolulu)" | 6:05 |
| 10. | "Queens of Sorrow" | 3:06 |
| 11. | "Crazy Blue Bells" | 4:28 |
| 12. | "Good Morning, Popocatépeti" | 2:34 |
| Total length: | 45:57 | |
Personnel
edit- Bonnie "Prince" Billy – guitars, vocals
- Sara Louise Callaway – violin
- Kendall Carter – keyboards
- Elisabeth Fuchsia – viola and violin
- Dave Howard – mandolin
- Drew Miller – saxophone
- Dane Waters – voice
- Emmett Kelly – "ding dongs"
- Nick Roeder – recording
- Carl Saff – mastering
Charts
edit| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[7] | 141 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[8] | 62 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[9] | 18 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[10] | 92 |
| UK Album Downloads (OCC)[11] | 40 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[12] | 7 |
References
edit- ^ Strauss, Matthew (May 22, 2023). "Bonnie "Prince" Billy Announces New Album, Shares Video for New Song "Bananas": Watch". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You by Bonnie "Prince" Billy Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
- ^ a b Thomas, Fred (August 10, 2023). "Bonnie "Prince" Billy - Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved August 17, 2023.
- ^ a b Djurdjic, Marko (August 9, 2023). "Bonnie "Prince" Billy's Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You Has Nothing to Hide". Exclaim!. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
- ^ a b Lawton, Leo (August 7, 2023). "Bonnie Prince Billy – Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You – Review". Loud and Quiet. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
- ^ Currin, Grayson Haver (August 14, 2023). "Bonnie "Prince" Billy: Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Bonnie 'Prince' Billy – Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Bonnie "Prince" Billy – Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
- ^ "Prince"+Billy&titel=Keeping+Secrets+Will+Destroy+You&cat=a "Swisscharts.com – Bonnie "Prince" Billy – Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
- ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 19, 2023.