Whole Damn Body

Whole Damn Body is an extended play (EP) by Welsh indie rock band Los Campesinos!, released independently on 7 May 2021. It is a compilation of songs recorded from the sessions of their fourth studio album, Hello Sadness (2011), most of which had only been released via the band's zine or fan website. Whole Damn Body was released digitally and on cassette to coincide with the record's tenth anniversary.[1]

Whole Damn Body
A low-quality picture of a gymnast laying on a blue mat. A hand-drawn yellow sun is in the top right corner with the title written in yellow capital letters.
Compilation album by
Los Campesinos!
Released7 May 2021
Recorded2011
Studio
  • MusicLan Studios, Girona, Spain
  • ElectroKitty, Seattle, US
  • John's House, Seattle, US
  • Tom and Rob's House, Cardiff, Wales
Genre
Length26:30
LabelHeart Swells
Producer
Los Campesinos! chronology
Sick Scenes
(2017)		 Whole Damn Body
(2021)

Release

Throughout 2011 and 2012, Los Campesinos! issued a bi-annual zine titled Heat Rash, where subscribers would receive a 7-inch single featuring two exclusive, unreleased tracks in each drop.[2] Six out of the seven tracks on Whole Damn Body are derived from this programme.[3] The other song, "Tiptoe Through the True Bits", was released independently in 2012 on the band's blog.[4]

Whole Damn Body was surprise-released via Bandcamp on 7 May 2021, coinciding with the tenth anniversary of their fourth studio album, Hello Sadness (2011).[5] The EP's only physical version was oncassette.

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Far Out8.6/10[6]
Pitchfork7.3/10[7]

Writing for Far Out, Tyler Golsen called the record "seven tracks of high energy no bullshit rock and roll", demonstrating "the band at their wittiest, catchiest, and thoughtful best". He continued that the EP "barely gives you time to breathe, much less take in all that’s happening on the relatively short run time", praising its complex themes and imagery.[6]

Abby Jones of music publication Pitchfork commended the record's lyricism and thematic consistency with their back catalogue, "filled with the band’s sticky hooks and guttural vocals".[7] Nick Matthopoulos of Atwood Magazine praised Whole Damn Body for presenting "beautifully and poetically miserable highs and lows", containing "clever and emotional lyrics, a range of energy and dynamics, and equally expressive instrumentation".[8]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Gareth Paisey and Tom Bromley; tracks 5–6 co-written by Neil Turner

No.TitleProducerLength
1."Allez Les Blues"John Goodmanson3:50
2."Dumb Luck"Goodmanson3:03
3."She Crows (Documented Minor Emotional Breakdown #4)"
  • Goodmanson
  • Tom Bromley
4:01
4."Tiptoe Through the True Bits"Goodmanson5:17
5."Four Seasons"Bromley3:23
6."To the Boneyard"
  • Goodmanson
  • Bromley
3:44
7."Light Leaves, Dark Sees, Pt. I"Bromley3:09
Total length:26:30

Original releases

  • Heat Rash edition No. 1 (April 2011) contained "Light Leaves, Dark Sees, Pt. I" and "Four Seasons"
  • Heat Rash edition No. 3 (June 2012) contained "Allez Les Blues" and "Dumb Luck"
  • Heat Rash edition No. 4 (November 2012) contained "She Crows" and "To the Boneyard".

Personnel

Musicians

  • Los Campesinos!, specifically:
    • Tom Bromley – writing; producer, mixing, recording (3, 5–7), brass arrangement
    • Gareth Paisey – writing, vocals
    • Neil Turner – writing (5–6), guitar
    • Rob Taylor – artwork
    • Harriet Coleman – vocals (4–5, 7), violin (5, 7)
  • Samantha Boshnack – trumpet, flugelhorn (4)
  • Nelson Bell – trombone, tuba (4)
  • Jherek Bischoff – brass arrangement

Technical

Release history
Release formats for Whole Damn Body
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various 7 May 2021
Heart Swells [1][9]

References
  1. "Whole Damn Body". Bandcamp. 7 May 2021. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  2. "Los Campesinos! Unveil Heat Rash 'Zine". DIY. 9 December 2010. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  3. Corcoran, Nina (7 May 2021). "Los Campesinos! surprise release new EP Whole Damn Body: Stream". Consequence. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  4. Fitzmaurice, Larry (30 May 2012). "Los Campesinos!: 'Tiptoe Through the True Bits'". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  5. Lavin, Will (8 May 2021). "Los Campesinos! share surprise EP 'Whole Damn Body'". NME. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  6. Golsen, Tyler (21 May 2021). "Los Campesinos! return in top form on 'Whole Damn Body'". Far Out. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  7. Jones, Abby (26 May 2021). "Los Campesinos!: Whole Damn Body EP". Pitchfork. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  8. Matthopoulos, Nick (8 June 2021). "Review: Reigning UK Emo Champs Los Campesinos! Really Do It Again with 'Whole Damn Body'". Atwood Magazine. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  9. Los Campesinos! - Whole Damn Body, Discogs, 5 November 2021, retrieved 1 March 2023{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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