Bleed Out (Mountain Goats album)

Bleed Out is the 21st studio album by indie folk band the Mountain Goats, released on August 19, 2022, through Merge Records. The album was written between December 2020 and January 2021, and recorded immediately following this at Betty's in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Bleed Out was produced by Alicia Bognanno of Bully. The album was preceded by the lead single "Training Montage".[11]

Bleed Out
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 19, 2022 (2022-08-19)
RecordedJanuary 2021[1]
StudioBetty's
(Chapel Hill, North Carolina, US)
GenreAlternative rock[1]
Length47:22
LabelMerge
ProducerAlicia Bognanno
The Mountain Goats chronology
Dark in Here
(2021)
Bleed Out
(2022)
Jenny from Thebes
(2023)
Singles from Bleed Out
  1. "Training Montage"
    Released: June 1, 2022
  2. "Wage Wars Get Rich Die Handsome"
    Released: July 11, 2022
  3. "Mark on You"
    Released: August 2, 2022
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic74/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
And It Don't StopA[4]
The Guardian[5]
Mojo[6]
Paste7.4/10[7]
Pitchfork7.6/10[8]
Record Collector[9]
Uncut7/10[10]

Background and recording

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Mountain Goats frontman John Darnielle took inspiration from action films from the 1960s to the 1980s that he watched at his home in North Carolina towards the end of 2020. He then began writing songs, and in January 2021, was joined by bandmates Peter Hughes, Jon Wurster, and Matt Douglas at Betty's Studios near his home in Chapel Hill, where recording was completed within a week.[12]

Music and lyrics

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According to music critic Robert Christgau, Bleed Out relies more heavily on electric guitars than Darnielle's preceding work, while the logically "allusive" lyrics portray characters, "good [or] bad", who are generally "on some edge or other in a culture stretched near the breaking point by greed and violence that have become commonplaces.[4]

Track listing

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All lyrics and music are written by John Darnielle except where otherwise noted. Writing credits are taken from the album's liner notes.

Bleed Out track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Training Montage"  4:28
2."Mark on You"  2:21
3."Wage Wars Get Rich Die Handsome" 
  • Darnielle
  • Matt Douglas
2:30
4."Extraction Point"  5:20
5."Bones Don't Rust"  2:25
6."First Blood"  3:06
7."Make You Suffer"  3:29
8."Guys on Every Corner"  3:13
9."Hostages"  7:10
10."Need More Bandages"  3:42
11."Incandescent Ruins"  2:29
12."Bleed Out"
 7:09
Total length:47:22

Charts

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Chart performance for Bleed Out
Chart (2022) Peak
position
Scottish Albums (OCC)[13] 73
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[14] 33
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[15] 22
US Folk Albums (Billboard)[16]
[17]
8
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[18]
[19]
37
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[20]
[21]
10
US Vinyl Albums (Billboard)[22]
[23]
9

References

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  1. ^ a b "Bleed Out". Bandcamp. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  2. ^ "Bleed Out by The Mountain Goats Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  3. ^ Deming, Mark. "The Mountain Goats - Bleed Out Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (September 14, 2022). "Consumer Guide: September, 2022". And It Don't Stop. Substack. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  5. ^ Hann, Michael (August 19, 2022). "The Mountain Goats: Bleed Out review – a concept album that leads with bloody revenge". The Guardian. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  6. ^ McNair, James (September 2022). "The Mountain Goats – Bleed Out". Mojo. No. 346. p. 95.
  7. ^ Danton, Eric R. (August 15, 2022). "The Mountain Goats Seek Revenge on Bleed Out". Paste. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  8. ^ Helman, Peter (August 23, 2022). "The Mountain Goats: Bleed Out Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
  9. ^ Dalton, Nick (August 2022). "The Mountain Goats – Bleed Out". Record Collector. No. 534. p. 108.
  10. ^ Anderson, Jason (September 2022). "The Mountain Goats – Bleed Out". Uncut. No. 304. pp. 28–29.
  11. ^ Whitaker, Marisa (June 2, 2022). "Watch The Mountain Goats Warm-Up For A Big Show In 'Training Montage' Video". Spin. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  12. ^ Bloom, Madison (June 2, 2022). "The Mountain Goats Announce New Album Bleed Out, Share Video for New Song: Watch". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  13. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  14. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  15. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  16. ^ "The Mountain Goats Chart History (Top Americana/Folk Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  17. ^ "Americana/Folk Albums: Week of September 3, 2022". Billboard. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  18. ^ "The Mountain Goats Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  19. ^ "Independent Albums: Week of September 3, 2022". Billboard. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  20. ^ "The Mountain Goats Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  21. ^ "Top Album Sales: Week of September 3, 2022". Billboard. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  22. ^ "The Mountain Goats Chart History (Vinyl Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  23. ^ "Vinyl Albums: Week of September 3, 2022". Billboard. Retrieved August 31, 2022.