Peaceful as Hell is the fourth studio album by Canadian noise pop duo Black Dresses. It was released on April 13, 2020, the two-year anniversary of their first studio album Wasteisolation, under Blacksquares Records.[1][2] It was preceded by the lead single of the album "Creep U" which was released on April 7.[1][3] The album was the duo's last album before their announced disbandment in May 2020 due to harassment of the band following their unexpected success on platforms such as TikTok.[4][5][6] Despite this, they released a follow-up record, Forever in Your Heart, the following year.[7]
| Peaceful as Hell | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 13, 2020 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 46:40 | |||
| Label | Blacksquares | |||
| Black Dresses chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Peaceful as Hell | ||||
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Style and themes
editMusically, Peaceful as Hell is an electronic album with elements of industrial, noise, glitch, indie rock, pop and pop-punk music.[1][2][3][8] The album contains features such as heavy metal riffs, white noise, compression, and narration.[2][3][8] It also explores themes such as apocalypse, self-knowledge, being transgender, dissociation, climate change, and social connection.[1][2]
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Pitchfork | 7.6/10[2] |
| The Needle Drop | 9/10[9] |
In a positive review for Pitchfork, Leah Mandel felt the album was more accessible than previous Black Dresses albums and described it as "fun and loud as hell", concluding "Especially with the world’s hellishness currently blaring at us, every social disparity spotlighted and exacerbated, loneliness and doubt deepened to an extreme degree, Peaceful as Hell is perfect medicine."[2] The album was Canadian rapper Backxwash's favourite album of 2020. Writing for Complex, she described the album as "incredibly sincere and very deliberate" and said that "The lyrical content can be unsettling at times, but the instrumentation gives you hope, as a listener, almost as if it is saying, "Life can be hard, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.""[10] Anthony Fantano of The Needle Drop said of the album "Black Dresses mercilessly kills us with kindness on Peaceful as Hell",[9] later placing it in third place on his list of the best albums of 2020.[11]
The song "Mirrorgirl" was included in The Fader's 20 best electronic songs April 2020 list.[12]
Accolades
edit| Publication | Accolade | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artforum | Sasha Geffen on the Best Music of 2020 | 9
|
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| The Needle Drop | 50 Best Albums of 2020 | 3
|
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| Spin | Spin's 30 Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year | — |
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Left Arm of Life" | 4:08 |
| 2. | "Damage Suppressor" | 2:55 |
| 3. | "Angel Hair" | 2:44 |
| 4. | "Beautiful Friendship" | 2:40 |
| 5. | "I'm a Freak Cause I'm Always Freaked Out" | 3:11 |
| 6. | "Bliss and Stupidity" | 4:36 |
| 7. | "Mirrorgirl" | 2:17 |
| 8. | "Maybe This World Is Another Planet's Hell?" | 3:47 |
| 9. | "Scared 2 Death" | 2:36 |
| 10. | "Express Yourself" | 2:33 |
| 11. | "Sharp Halo" | 2:49 |
| 12. | "Impossible Dream" | 1:21 |
| 13. | "Please Be Nice" | 3:03 |
| 14. | "Creep U" | 5:07 |
| 15. | "666" | 2:46 |
| Total length: | 46:40 | |
References
edit- ^ a b c d Rettig, James (April 13, 2020). "Stream Black Dresses' New Album Peaceful As Hell". Stereogum. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f Mandel, Leah (April 24, 2020). "Pitchfork Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
- ^ a b c Rettig, James (April 7, 2020). "Black Dresses - "CREEP U"". Stereogum. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
- ^ Minsker, Evan (May 27, 2020). "Black Dresses Break Up, Citing "Extended Harassment" From Fans". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
- ^ Skinner, Tom (May 27, 2020). "Black Dresses break up following TikTok dispute with fans". NME. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
- ^ Ross, Alex Robert (May 27, 2020). "Black Dresses disband citing "hurtful and frightening" fan behavior". The Fader. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
- ^ Darville, Jordan (February 15, 2021). "Black Dresses return with new album Forever In Your Heart". The Fader. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
- ^ a b c "The 30 Best Albums of 2020". Spin. May 21, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
- ^ a b Fantano, Anthony (May 1, 2020). "Black Dresses - Peaceful as Hell". The Needle Drop. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
- ^ Gheciu, Alex Nino (December 22, 2020). "25 Canadian Rappers Pick Their Favourite Albums of 2020". Complex. Archived from the original on July 14, 2021. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
- ^ a b Fantano, Anthony (December 24, 2020). "50 Best Albums of 2020". The Needle Drop. Retrieved August 27, 2021 – via YouTube.
- ^ Darville, Jordan (April 30, 2020). "The 20 best electronic songs right now". The Fader. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
- ^ Geffen, Sasha (December 2020). "Sasha Geffen on the Best Music of 2020". Artforum. Vol. 59, no. 3. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
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