Hygiene is the fourth studio album by American post-hardcore band Drug Church. The album was released on March 11, 2022, through Pure Noise Records.

Hygiene
A beige square with a picture of an orange cut in half with a mitochondria model within the orange. Above the image reads "DRUG CHURCH" in black, all capital letters. Beneath the image reads "HYGIENE" in black, all capital letters.
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 11, 2022
RecordedAugust–October 2021
StudioThe Barbershop, Hopatcong, New Jersey
Savaria Studios, Brooklyn
Balboa Recording, Los Angeles
Genre
Length26:09
LabelPure Noise
ProducerJon Markson
Drug Church chronology
Tawny
(2021)
Hygiene
(2022)
Prude
(2024)
Singles from Hygiene
  1. "Million Miles of Fun"
    Released: November 11, 2021[1]
  2. "World Impact"
    Released: January 11, 2022[2]
  3. "Premium Offer"
    Released: February 10, 2022[3]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic82/100[4]
Review scores
SourceRating
The A.V. ClubB[5]
Kerrang!4/5[6]
Noizze9/10[7]
Pitchfork7.4/10[8]
PopMatters9/10[9]

Hygiene received widespread critical acclaim upon its release. On review aggregator website, Metacritic, Hygiene has an average critic score of 82 out of 100, indicating "universal acclaim based on four critic reviews".[4] Paul Travers writing for British publication Kerrang! gave Hygiene a four out of five-star rating, saying that the album is "as addictively seductive as ever and listening to Hygiene might just be one of the most satisfying things you can do in less than half an hour."[6]

Pitchfork writer, Brad Sanders, awarded Hygiene a 7.4 out of 10 calling it an album "filled with pithy one-liners and gigantic hooks".[8] Sanders compared the album to Turnstile, and specifically their 2021 album Glow On album as far accessibility hardcore music, but more specifically, Sanders said of Hygiene that it "is mired in modern, adult anxieties—the financial pressures of making a living doing what you love, the tough questions that lead to a coherent political view, the complicated friendships that require reexamination. It’s an intimacy built on commiseration rather than communal joy: Drug Church want you to know that they’re in the muck, too, trying to figure it out."[8]

In a positive, but slightly more mixed review, Alex McLevy of The A.V. Club summarized Hygiene called the album "a record wholly unconcerned about how derivative it sounds" and as "reimagined 90s alternative rock, with a hardcore edge". McLevy further described Hygiene as "a formula" with "the most overdriven and anthemic elements of grunge, apply a killer hook, and pour on singer Patrick Kindlon’s exhortatory, provocative hardcore vocals."[5]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Drug Church

Hygiene track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Fun's Over"1:52
2."Super Saturated"2:25
3."Plucked"2:44
4."Million Miles of Fun"2:10
5."Detective Lieutenant"3:26
6."Tiresome"3:05
7."World Impact"2:06
8."Premium Offer"2:53
9."Piss & Quiet"1:30
10."Athlete on Bench"3:58
Total length:26:09
Japanese edition bonus tracks [10]
No.TitleLength
11."Head-Off"3:05
12."Tawny"3:26
13."Bliss Out"1:53
14."Remember to Forget" (Arcwelder cover)2:56
Total length:37:29

Personnel

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Drug Church

  • Nick Cogan - electric guitar
  • Cory Galusha - electric guitar
  • Patrick Kindlon - vocals
  • Chris Villeneuve - drums
  • Patrick Wynne - bass

Additional personnel

  • Anne Elisabeth Grushecky - design
  • Mike Kalajian - mastering
  • Jon Markson - producing, recording, mixing
  • Alex Salter - engineering
  • Mitchell Wojcik - photography

Charts

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Chart performance for Hygiene
Chart (2022) Peak
position
Scottish Albums (OCC)[11] 71
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[12] 19
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[13] 10
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[14] 8

References

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  1. ^ Ehrlich, Brenna (November 11, 2021). "Drug Church Give Us an Antidote to the Onslaught of Bad News". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  2. ^ Carter, Emily (January 11, 2022). "Drug Church drop new single and video, World Impact". Kerrang!. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  3. ^ Breihan, Tom (February 10, 2022). "Drug Church – "Premium Offer"". Stereogum. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Hygiene by Drug Church Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  5. ^ a b McLevy, Alex (March 11, 2022). "Drug Church reimagines '90s alt-rock with a hardcore edge on the earnest and ass-kicking Hygiene". The A.V. Club. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  6. ^ a b Travers, Paul (March 10, 2022). "Album review: Drug Church – Hygiene". Kerrang!. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  7. ^ Simpson, Becton (March 15, 2022). "Drug Church – Hygiene | Album Review". Noizze. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  8. ^ a b c Sanders, Brad (March 15, 2022). "Drug Church: Hygiene Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  9. ^ Morgan, Tom (March 11, 2022). "Drug Church Make a Bid for Post-Hardcore Immortality With 'hygiene'". PopMatters. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  10. ^ "Hygeine" (in Japanese). ICE GRILL$. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  11. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  12. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  13. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  14. ^ "Heatseekers Albums: Week of March 26, 2022". Billboard. Retrieved March 24, 2022.