A Reckoning

A Reckoning is the fourth studio album by New Zealand singer-songwriter Kimbra, and the first under the label Inertia and [PIAS], having previously been signed with the label Warner Records.[1] It was released on 27 January 2023.[2] The album was promoted with the singles "Save Me",[3] "Replay!"[4] and "Foolish Thinking".[5]

A Reckoning
Studio album by
Kimbra
Released27 January 2023 (2023-01-27)
Length40:51
LabelSelf-released
Kimbra chronology
Primal Heart
(2018)		 A Reckoning
(2023)
Singles from A Reckoning
  1. "Save Me"
    Released: 30 October 2022
  2. "Replay!"
    Released: 17 November 2022
  3. "Foolish Thinking"
    Released: 24 January 2023

Background

Kimbra began working on her fourth album 'A Reckoning' in 2018, co-producing it with Ryan Lott of Son Lux. When asked about the delay between 2018's 'Primal Heart' and 'A Reckoning' in an interview with Billboard, Kimbra explained "I went through a stage of really struggling to write. Maybe it was because I was struggling to articulate what I was feeling."[6]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
The Daily Telegraph[8]
The Sydney Morning Herald[9]
Sputnikmusic7.4/10[10]

A Reckoning was met with positive reception from music critics. AllMusic gave the album 4/5 stars, commenting "Kimbra's use of hip-hop and electronic music on A Reckoning fortifies her resilience". The Daily Telegraph also gave the album 4/5 stars, stating "Chunky piano chords pierce slithering, ghostly synths on the opening track, 'Save Me'. It is at once beautiful and malevolent, evolving into a further nine tracks exploring the nuances of cinematic and intimate reckonings". The Sydney Morning Herald gave a moderately positive rating of 3/5 stars for the album, stating "Kimbra has returned with A Reckoning - an album that smartly pares back the excesses of its predecessors and highlights the nuances of both her voice and her songwriting, without turning its back on formal and aesthetic weirdness", but later stated 'LA Type' and 'GLT', on which Kimbra raps, break the flow of the otherwise chic, streamlined album." Sputnikmusic believed that the experimentation was a positive aspect, and gave the album a 7.4/10, commenting "She took the liberty to branch out in whatever direction she felt needed and it actually gave the album an odd sense of cohesion."

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Kimbra. Additional lyricists noted below

A Reckoning
No.TitleLyricsMusicProducer(s)Length
1."Save Me" 
  • Kimbra
  • Zach Tenorio Miller
4:29
2."Replay!" 
  • Kimbra
  • Brux
  • Kimbra
  • Brux
  • Lott
3:57
3."Gun" 
  • Kimbra
  • Lott
3:22
4."The Way We Were" 
  • Kimbra
  • Lott
  • Andy Seltzer
  • Kimbra
  • Lott
3:45
5."New Habit"Justin Tranter
3:28
6."GLT" (featuring Erick the Architect)Erick the Architect
  • Kimbra
  • Erick the Architect
  • Timon Martin
  • Kimbra
  • Lott
  • Martin
3:14
7."LA Type" (featuring Tommy Raps and Pink Siifu)
  • Pink Siifu
  • Tommy Raps
  • Kimbra
  • Nate Mercereau
  • Pink Siifu
  • Tommy Raps
  • Kimbra
  • Lott
  • Mercereau[a]
4:12
8."Foolish Thinking" (featuring Ryan Lott) 
  • Kimbra
  • Lott
  • Kimbra
  • Lott
5:54
9."Personal Space" 
  • Kimbra
  • Lott
  • Dixon[a]
3:45
10."I Don't Want to Fight" 
  • Kimbra
  • Lott
  • Kimbra
  • Lott
4:52
Total length:40:51

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies an additional producer

Personnel

Musicians

  • Kimbra – lead vocals
  • Ryan Lott – string arrangements (tracks 1, 10); vocals, piano (8)
  • Rob Moose – viola, violin, string arrangements (1, 8)
  • Taylor Graves – synthesizer (6), keyboards (7)
  • Jacob Bergson – additional programming (6)
  • Spencer Zahn – electric bass (7)
  • Questlove – drums (7)

Technical

  • Twerk – mastering
  • Jon Castelli – mixing
  • Eli Crews – vocal engineering (1–3, 5, 7–9)
  • Spencer Zahn – vocal engineering (6, 10)
  • John Rooney – engineering (7)

References
  1. Brandle, Lars (20 October 2022). "Kimbra Sets New Album, Signs With Inertia Music & PIAS: Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  2. Meagher, John (4 January 2023). "New releases from the Murder Capital, Lana Del Ray and Gorillaz, and shows by Elton John, Bruce Springsteen and many more: Albums and gigs you won't want to miss in 2023". Irish Independent. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  3. "Kimbra returns with cerebral new single 'Save Me', announces fourth album". NME. 24 October 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  4. "Fousheé, Jack River, Adrian Dzvuke & More: This Week's Best New Music". The Music. 18 November 2022. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  5. "my next single 'foolish thinking' comes out january 24th. i know you can't hear it yet but i wanted to share a little bit about the song quickly". instagram. January 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  6. Stern, Bradley (16 February 2023). "Kimbra is Busier Than Ever After a Five-Year Recording Break: 'I'm Growing as a Person'". Billboard. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  7. Phares, Heather. Review of A Reckoning at AllMusic. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  8. "Kimbra, A Reckoning". The Daily Telegraph. 27 January 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  9. "Kimbra proves she's more than just somebody that you used to know". The Sydney Morning Herald. 27 January 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  10. Stanciu, Raul (27 January 2023). "Review Summary: Soul baring Kimbra". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 7 February 2023.


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