Smoke & Fiction
| Smoke & Fiction | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 2, 2024 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | Punk rock | |||
| Length | 28:31 | |||
| Label | Fat Possum | |||
| Producer | Rob Schnapf | |||
| X chronology | ||||
| ||||
"[Recording Smoke & Fiction] was taxing. I'm not sure we have the will or energy to do another. As for touring, I never want us to be a shadow of what we were, I want us to go out on top."
—X bassist and vocalist John Doe on the decision to end recording and touring[1]
Smoke & Fiction is the ninth and final studio album by American punk rock band X. It was released on August 2, 2024. The band also promoted this release with the farewell tour The End Is Near,[2] slated to last into 2025.[3] The album was preceded by the singles "Big Black X" and "Ruby Church".
Reception
[edit]Peter Larsen of Los Angeles Daily News called this release "a terrific record... with the band sounding as strong and inspired as ever, its 10 songs harking back lyrically to the band's early history, its sound closely following suit".[3] Discussing lead single "Big Black X" at Stereogum, Tom Breihan stated that it "flashes back to the freewheeling, rockabilly-infused punk rock of their early records" and that "Exene Cervenka's voice sounds as intense and titanic as ever".[4]
Track listing
[edit]- "Ruby Church" – 2:07
- "Sweet Til the Bitter End" – 2:31
- "The Way It Is" – 3:29
- "Flipside" – 3:00
- "Big Black X" – 3:34
- "Smoke & Fiction" – 3:04
- "Surreal" – 2:19
- "Winding Up the Time" – 2:52
- "Face in the Moon" – 3:04
- "Baby & All" – 2:31
Personnel
[edit]X
- DJ Bonebrake – drums, percussion
- Exene Cervenka – vocals
- John Doe – bass guitar, vocals
- Billy Zoom – guitar, bass guitar
Additional personnel
- Mark Chalecki – audio mastering at Little Red Book Mastering, Los Angeles, California, United States
- Rob Schnapf – production
- Matt Schuessler – audio engineering
Charts
[edit]| Chart (2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[5] | 49 |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Chick, Stevie (July 17, 2024). "LA punk legends X: 'The violence didn't bother me as much as the spitting!'". Music. The Guardian. ISSN 1756-3224. OCLC 60623878. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
- ^ Brannigan, Paul (June 26, 2024). "Los Angeles punk veterans X announce final album Smoke & Fiction". Louder Sound. Future plc. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
- ^ a b Larsen, Peter (July 17, 2024). "For legendary LA punk band X, there's a final album and tour, but not a farewell". Things to Do > Music + Concerts. Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
- ^ Breihan, Tom (June 25, 2024). "X Announce Final Album & Farewell Tour". New Music. Stereogum. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
- ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
External links
[edit]- Smoke & Fiction at MusicBrainz (list of releases)
