Græ

Græ is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Moses Sumney. The double album was released in two parts by Jagjaguwar. The first part was released digitally on February 21, 2020, followed by the full album, including its second part, on May 15, 2020.

For other uses, see Grae.
Græ
Studio album by
Moses Sumney
ReleasedMay 15, 2020 (2020-05-15)
Genre
Length65:44
LabelJagjaguwar
Producer
Moses Sumney chronology
Aromanticism
(2017)		 Græ
(2020)
Singles from Græ
  1. "Virile"
    Released: November 14, 2019
  2. "Polly"
    Released: December 13, 2019
  3. "Me in 20 Years"
    Released: January 6, 2020
  4. "Cut Me"
    Released: February 7, 2020
  5. "Bless Me"
    Released: May 11, 2020

Græ features contributions from a wide range of musicians, writers and producers, including Daniel Lopatin, Thundercat, Jill Scott, James Blake, Taiye Selasi, John Congleton, Rob Moose, Ezra Miller, Michael Chabon, Matthew Otto, Ian Chang, and FKJ.

The album was preceded by five singles: "Virile", "Polly", "Me in 20 Years", "Cut Me", and "Bless Me".

Background and recording

Some of the songs on Græ, including "Virile", were recorded by Sumney with drummer Ian Chang of Son Lux and producer/engineer Ben Baptie at Echo Mountain Recording in Asheville, North Carolina.[7] Sumney first lived in Asheville before and during the making of Aromanticism,[8][9] and Græ is Sumney's first album since officially relocating to Asheville from Los Angeles.[10] The album was mixed by Ben Baptie at Strongroom and mastered by Joe LaPorta at Sterling Sound.[11]

Release

"Virile" was released as the album's first single on November 14, 2019.[12] The album was announced the same day.[13]

"Polly" was released as the second single on December 13, 2019,[14] followed by "Me in 20 Years" on January 6, 2020,[15][16] and "Cut Me" on February 7.[17][18] Sumney made his US television debut with a performance of the latter track on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on February 11.[19][20][21] The album's first part was released digitally on February 21.

"Bless Me" was released as the album's fifth and final single on May 11, 2020,[22][23] with the full album released four days later.

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.4/10[24]
Metacritic90/100[25]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
The A.V. ClubB+[26]
DIY[4]
Entertainment WeeklyA[2]
The Independent[27]
NME[1]
The Observer (Part 1)[28]
(Part 2)[3]
Pitchfork8.6/10[29]
Q (Part 1)[30]
(Part 2)[31]
Uncut8/10[32]

Græ received rave reviews from contemporary music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 from reviews from mainstream critics, the album received a score of 90, based on 17 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[25] According to Metacritic, it was the 5th best-reviewed album of 2020.[33] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 8.4 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[24]

A. D. Amorosi of Variety praised the album, calling it a "magnificent, multi-genre mess in a dress of many colors" and "one of the year's boldest and best."[34] Jenessa Williams of DIY gave the album a perfect score, calling it "complex, unconventional and ultimately, essential."[4] Marcus J. Moore of Entertainment Weekly gave the album an A, writing, "græ finds him trying to be, well, everything, and through a convergence of folk, jazz, classical, and art-rock, along with his probing lyricism, Sumney has managed to produce a sonic marvel."[2]

Max Freedman of The A.V. Club praised Part 1 for showcasing Sumney "step outside previous comfort zones" with "Conveyor", "Neither/Nor", and "Virile". However, Freedman criticized Part 2 as lacking the stylistic and thematic variety of Part 1 and for occupying "shockingly familiar musical territory" to that of the songs on Aromanticism.[26]

Year-end lists
Year-end list accolades for Græ
Publication List Rank Ref.
The A.V. Club The 20 best albums of 2020
9
[35]
Clash Albums of the Year 2020
24
[36]
Double J The 50 best albums of 2020
22
[37]
Esquire (UK) The 50 Best Albums of 2020
5
[38]
Exclaim! 50 Best Albums of 2020
16
[39]
The Fader The 50 best albums of 2020
9
[40]
Gigwise 51 Best Albums of 2020
34
[41]
The Guardian The 50 best albums of 2020
10
[42]
The Independent The 40 best albums of 2020
5
[43]
The Line of Best Fit The Best Albums of 2020
5
[44]
Los Angeles Times The 10 best albums of 2020
7
[45]
Mojo The 75 Best Albums of 2020
13
[46]
The New York Times Jon Pareles' Best Albums of 2020
3
[47]
Paste The 50 Best Albums of 2020
10
[48]
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2020
3
[49]
Rolling Stone The 50 Best Albums of 2020
18
[50]
Slant Magazine The 50 Best Albums of 2020
35
[51]
Stereogum The 50 Best Albums of 2020
40
[52]
Uncut The Top 75 Albums of the Year
24
[53]
Under the Radar Top 100 Albums of 2020
2
[54]

Track listing

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Græ.[11]

Part 1
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Insula"
0:46
2."Cut Me"
  • Sumney
  • Adult Jazz
  • Lopatin
4:10
3."In Bloom"Sumney
3:02
4."Virile"
  • Sumney
  • YVETTE
  • Sumney
  • Andrew Chugg[a]
  • Ben Baptie[a]
  • Lopatin[a]
4:16
5."Conveyor"
  • Sumney
  • YVETTE
  • Sumney
  • Andrew Chugg[a]
  • Ben Baptie[a]
  • Lopatin[a]
3:23
6."Boxes"
  • Sumney
  • Lopatin[a]
1:22
7."Gagarin"
  • Sumney
  • Baptie[a]
5:54
8."Jill/Jack" (featuring Jill Scott)
  • Sumney
  • Lopatin[a]
1:33
9."Colouour"
  • FKJ
  • Sumney
  • Lopatin[a]
3:07
10."Also Also Also And And And"
  • FKJ
  • Sumney
  • Selasi
  • Miller
  • FKJ
  • Sumney
1:31
11."Neither/Nor"Sumney
5:26
12."Polly"
Sumney3:38
Total length:38:08
Part 2
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
13."Two Dogs"
  • Lopatin
  • Sumney
  • Lopatin
  • Sumney
3:56
14."Bystanders"
  • Sumney
  • Otto
  • Lopatin
  • Otto
  • Sumney
  • Lopatin[a]
4:14
15."Me in 20 Years"
  • Sumney
  • Otto
  • Otto
  • Sumney
  • Lopatin[a]
3:40
16."Keeps Me Alive"SumneySumney2:56
17."Lucky Me"
4:57
18."And So I Come to Isolation"
  • Selasi
  • Sumney
  • Sumney
  • Lopatin[a]
0:49
19."Bless Me"Sumney
  • Sumney
  • Congleton
4:59
20."Before You Go"
Sumney2:05
Total length:27:36

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies an additional producer.
  • "Insula", "Boxes", "Jill/Jack", "Also Also Also And And And", "And So I Come to Isolation" and "Before You Go" are stylized in all lowercase.
  • "Gagarin" contains elements from "Gagarin's Point Of View", written by Esbjörn Svensson, Dan Berglund and Magnus Öström.
  • "Jill/Jack" contains interpolations from "Cross My Mind", written by Jill Scott.

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Græ.[11]

Charts
Chart performance for Græ
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[55] 44
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[56] 8
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[57] 28

References
  1. Aubrey, Elizabeth (May 14, 2020). "Moses Sumney – 'grae' review: complex two-part double album defies boundaries and genre". NME. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  2. Moore, Marcus J. (May 14, 2020). "Moses Sumney's græ is a sonic marvel". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  3. Empire, Kitty (May 10, 2020). "Moses Sumney: Græ Part Two review – introspective magic". The Observer. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  4. Williams, Jenessa (May 14, 2020). "Moses Sumney – græ". DIY. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  5. Crone, David. "græ – Moses Sumney". AllMusic. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  6. "Moses Sumney Explores Identity and Isolation on the Dazzling græ | Paste Magazine". pastemagazine.com. 18 May 2020. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  7. "Moses Sumney Releases New Single and Video from Upcoming Album "græ"". Echo Mountain Recording. November 14, 2019. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  8. Wallace, Carvell (April 30, 2020). "Moses Sumney Is a Natural Wonder". Here Magazine. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  9. Easter, Makeda (April 12, 2018). "Moses Sumney is taking his 'space hammock' music to the Coachella stage". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  10. Edwin, Oliver (April 7, 2020). "Moses Sumney on fame, masculinity and new album græ". Russh. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  11. Græ (PDF) (booklet). Moses Sumney. Jagjaguwar. 2020. JAG348. Retrieved May 19, 2020.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. Kaye, Ben (November 14, 2019). "Moses Sumney announces double album græ, shares "Virile": Stream". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  13. Monroe, Jazz (November 14, 2019). "Moses Sumney Announces New Double Album græ, Shares New Song "Virile"". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  14. Breihan, Tom (December 13, 2019). "Moses Sumney – "Polly"". Stereogum. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  15. Renshaw, David (January 6, 2020). "Moses Sumney shares new song "Me in 20 Years"". The Fader. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  16. Sodomsky, Sam (January 6, 2020). "Listen to Moses Sumney's New Song "Me in 20 Years"". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  17. Bloom, Madison (February 7, 2020). "Moses Sumney Shares New Song "Cut Me": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  18. Corcoran, Nina (February 7, 2020). "Moses Sumney drops new song "Cut Me": Stream". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  19. Minsker, Evan (February 12, 2020). "Watch Moses Sumney Perform "Cut Me" on Colbert". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  20. Droke, Carolyn (February 12, 2020). "Moses Sumney Showcases His Incredibly Dynamic Vocal Range With A Performance Of 'Cut Me' On 'Colbert'". Uproxx. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  21. Jones, Austin (February 12, 2020). "Watch Moses Sumney Perform "Cut Me" on Colbert". Paste. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  22. Minsker, Evan (May 11, 2020). "Moses Sumney Shares New Song "Bless Me": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  23. Neale, Matthew (May 12, 2020). "Moses Sumney shares dreamy new track 'Bless Me'". NME. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  24. "græ by Moses Sumney reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  25. "græ by Moses Sumney Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  26. Freedman, Max (May 13, 2020). "Moses Sumney's ambitious Grae destroys binaries from within". The A.V. Club. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  27. O'Connor, Roisin; Bray, Elisa (May 14, 2020). "Album reviews: Perfume Genius, Sparks and Moses Sumney". The Independent. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  28. Empire, Kitty (March 1, 2020). "Moses Sumney: Grae review – double album's stunning first instalment". The Observer. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  29. Greene, Jayson (May 15, 2020). "Moses Sumney: græ Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  30. Howe, Rupert (May 2020). "The Promised Land". Q. No. 410. p. 102.
  31. Barton, Laura (July 2020). "Moses Sumney: Grae (Part 2)". Q. No. 412. p. 113.
  32. Anderson, Jason (June 2020). "Moses Sumney: Græ". Uncut. No. 277. p. 38.
  33. "The 40 Best Albums of 2020: græ by Moses Sumney". Metacritic. December 24, 2020. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  34. Amorosi, A. D. (May 14, 2020). "Moses Sumney's 'Græ': Album Review". Variety. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  35. "The 20 best albums of 2020". The A.V. Club. December 15, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  36. "Clash Albums Of The Year 2020". Clash. December 14, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  37. "The 50 best albums of 2020". Double J. December 9, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  38. Ovenden, Olivia (December 11, 2020). "The 50 Best Albums of 2020". Esquire (UK). Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  39. "Exclaim!'s 50 Best Albums of 2020". Exclaim!. December 2, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  40. "The 50 best albums of 2020". The Fader. December 15, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  41. "The Gigwise 51 Best Albums of 2020". Gigwise. December 1, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
  42. "The 50 best albums of 2020". The Guardian. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  43. "The 40 best albums of 2020, from Bob Dylan's Rough and Rowdy Ways to Taylor Swift's Folklore". The Independent. December 18, 2020. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  44. Holdsworth, Bryony (December 3, 2020). "The Best Albums of 2020 Ranked". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  45. Wood, Mikael (December 9, 2020). "The 10 best albums of 2020: Taylor Swift, Fiona Apple, more". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  46. "The 75 Best Albums Of 2020". Mojo. No. 326. January 2021. p. 52.
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  48. "The 50 Best Albums of 2020". Paste. November 20, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  49. Tolentino, Jia (December 8, 2020). "The 50 Best Albums of 2020". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  50. Bernstein, Jonathan (December 4, 2020). "The 50 Best Albums of 2020". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  51. "The 50 Best Albums of 2020". Slant Magazine. December 9, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  52. "The 50 Best Albums Of 2020". Stereogum. December 1, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  53. "The Top 75 Albums Of The Year". Uncut. No. 284. January 2021. p. 78.
  54. "Under the Radar's Top 100 Albums of 2020". Under the Radar. January 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  55. "Portuguesecharts.com – Moses Sumney – Græ". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  56. "Moses Sumney Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  57. "Moses Sumney Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
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