Townie is the fourth studio album by American rock band X Ambassadors. It was released on April 5, 2024 by Virgin Records, following their third studio album The Beautiful Liar (2021).[1][2] The album revolves around band members Sam and Casey Harris' childhood living in Ithaca, New York. Stylistically, it deviates from the heavy electronic sound of The Beautiful Liar by incorporating acoustic guitar-led melodies and less production. The band embarked on the Townie Tour in promotion of the album.[3]
| Townie | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 5, 2024 | |||
| Studio | The Outlier Inn, Catskill, New York | |||
| Length | 47:06 | |||
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| Producer |
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| X Ambassadors chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Townie | ||||
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A follow up EP Townies was released on October 18, 2024 including four new tracks that were written before and after the creation of the main album.[4]
Background
editThe genesis for the creation of the album stemmed from Todd Peterson, music teacher and mentor of Sam and Casey Harris, passed away in 2021.[5] After returning to Ithaca for the first time in many years, the band began recording and producing the album with most songs being already written. It is also the first album self-produced by the band.[6]
Singles
edit"No Strings" was released as the lead single from Townie on January 19, 2024 alongside the announcement of the album.[7] A snippet of the demo of the song was released on the band's YouTube channel on January 2, 2023.[8] As the closer of the album, it describes the notion that you cannot escape from who you are.
"Your Town" was released as the second single on February 16, 2024.[9] The song is dedicated to the Harris' childhood music teacher and mentor Todd Peterson who passed away in 2021. It also contains a voicemail Sam Harris received from Peterson weeks before his passing.[5]
"Half-Life" was released as the third single on March 15, 2024.[10] It is a love song dedicated to Sam Harris' wife.
"Follow the Sound of My Voice" was released as the fourth and final single on March 29, 2024.[11] The song describes Casey Harris' blindness and his family's relationship with it.
Critical reception
editTownie received positive reviews from critics. Matt Collar of AllMusic gave the album a 4 out of 5 star-rating and wrote that "X Ambassadors may have left Ithaca in search of greater glory, but Townie shows just how much they've carried their hometown and its people with them on the way". He praised the songs "Sunoco", "Your Town", and "Follow the Sound of My Voice".[12]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Sam Harris, Casey Harris, Adam Levin, and Russ Flynn. All tracks are produced by X Ambassadors. Additional writers and producers are included below.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sunoco" | 4:33 | ||
| 2. | "Smoke On the Highway" | 4:13 | ||
| 3. | "Your Town" | 5:06 | ||
| 4. | "I'm Not Really Here" | 3:18 | ||
| 5. | "Rashad" | 3:47 | ||
| 6. | "(first dam)" | 2:30 | ||
| 7. | "Fallout" | 3:18 | ||
| 8. | "Women's Jeans" | Henry Was | Was | 3:07 |
| 9. | "Half-Life" |
| 3:13 | |
| 10. | "Follow the Sound of My Voice" | 5:50 | ||
| 11. | "Start a Band" | 4:33 | ||
| 12. | "No Strings" |
| Wincorn | 3:33 |
| Total length: | 47:06 | |||
Personnel
editX Ambassadors
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Production
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Townies EP
edit| Townies | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| EP by | ||||
| Released | October 18, 2024 | |||
| Length | 10:52 | |||
| Label | Nyle | |||
| Producer |
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| X Ambassadors chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Townies | ||||
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Following the release of the album and its respective tour the band began teasing new material on their Instagram with snippets of a new song entitled "Fragile."
"Fragile" would later be released as the lead single on October 18, 2024 alongside three new tracks for the band's sixth EP entitled Townies serving as a direct follow up to Townie. The band described it as the sonic bridge between The Beautiful Liar and Townie with it being written before and after the band officially worked on their fourth album.[13]
The EP would later be integrated to the beginning of the original album on digital releases.[14]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Upstate Boys" | Sam Harris | S. Harris | 2:30 |
| 2. | "Drive" |
| Wells | 2:59 |
| 3. | "Fragile" |
| 3:03 | |
| 4. | "Sticks and Stones" (with Rowan Drake and Saint Kid) |
|
| 2:18 |
| Total length: | 10:52 57:58 | |||
References
edit- ^ Fuller, Eric. "X Ambassadors Album 'Townie' Drops—It Turns Out You Can Go Home". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
- ^ Murray, Robin (2024-01-22). "X Ambassadors Announce New Album 'Townie' | News". Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews & Interviews. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
- ^ "X Ambassadors Are Headed on The Road with 'Townie' Release". www.melodicmag.com. 2024-04-05. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
- ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
- ^ a b "X Ambassadors: "What's driven us is the freedom to make whatever the fuck we want"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 2024-07-23.
- ^ Gokcemen, Yazzi (2024-02-16). "X Ambassadors are Returning to their Roots". Notion. Retrieved 2024-07-23.
- ^ White, Logan (2024-01-19). "X Ambassadors announce new album + share single "No Strings"". Substream Magazine. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
- ^ X Ambassadors (2023-01-02). no strings (demo)_ 2023. Retrieved 2024-07-22 – via YouTube.
- ^ Major, Michael. "X Ambassadors Unveil 'Your Town' From Much Anticipated 'Townie' LP". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
- ^ White, Logan (2024-03-15). "X Ambassadors unveil new single "Half-Life"". Substream Magazine. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
- ^ Limbo, Live in (2024-04-02). "Take A Listen To X Ambassadors' New Single "Follow The Sound of My Voice" - NEWS". LIVE IN LIMBO. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
- ^ Townie - X Ambassadors | Album | AllMusic, retrieved 2024-07-23
- ^ "Townies. The EP". Instagram. October 15, 2024. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
- ^ "Townies - Album by X Ambassadors". Apple Music. Retrieved October 23, 2024.