Elastic Days is the third solo studio album by Dinosaur Jr. frontman J Mascis. It was released through Sub Pop Records on November 9, 2018.[4][5][6]

Elastic Days
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 9, 2018 (2018-11-09)
StudioBisquiteen Studio
Length41:00
LabelSub Pop
ProducerJ Mascis
J Mascis chronology
Tied to a Star
(2014)
Elastic Days
(2018)
What Do We Do Now
(2024)
Singles from Elastic Days
  1. "See You at the Movies"
    Released: August 21, 2018[1]
  2. "Everything She Said"
    Released: September 18, 2018[2]
  3. "Web So Dense"
    Released: October 16, 2018[3]

Release

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On August 21, 2018, Mascis announced the release of his new album, along with the first single "See You at the Movies".[1] The second single "Everything She Said" was released on September 18, 2018.[7][2] The third single "Web So Dense" was released on October 16, 2018.[3]

Production

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The album was recorded at Mascis' Bisquiteen Studio in Amherst, Massachusetts, and features vocal contributions by Pall Jenkins, Mark Mulcahy and Zoë Randell.[8]

Tour

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In support of the album, Mascis went on a North American tour, starting on November 7, 2018 in Vancouver, British Columbia and finished on December 15, 2018 in Portland, Maine.[9]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic75/100[10]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [11]
Clash8/10[12]
DIY     [13]
Drowned in Sound7/10[14]
Exclaim!8/10[15]
The Line of Best Fit7.5/10[16]
Loud and Quiet6/10[17]
MusicOMH     [18]
Paste8.3/10[19]
Pitchfork7.3/10[20]

Elastic Days was met with "generally favorable" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 75, based on 17 reviews.[10] Aggregator Album of the Year gave the release a 75 out of 100 based on a critical consensus of 21 reviews.[21]

Mark Deming from AllMusic explained that Mascis' vocals on the album sound "more lucid, better focused and more conscious of what he has to say; the performances have a depth of feeling he doesn't always reveal in Dinosaur Jr.."[11]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by J Mascis

No.TitleLength
1."See You at the Movies"3:22
2."Web So Dense"3:36
3."I Went Dust"3:48
4."Sky Is All We Had"3:06
5."Picking Out the Seeds"3:26
6."Give It Off"2:50
7."Drop Me"3:50
8."Cut Stranger"3:24
9."Elastic Days"3:32
10."Sometimes"3:34
11."Wanted You Around"3:30
12."Everything She Said"3:30
Total length:41:00
Japan deluxe version[22]
No.TitleLength
13."Say It On"3:43

Personnel

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Charts

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Chart performance for Elastic Days
Chart (2018) Peak
position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[23] 78
US Billboard 200[24] 63
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[25] 63
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[26] 11
US Vinyl Albums (Billboard)[27] 10

References

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  1. ^ a b Murray, Robin (August 21, 2018). "J Mascis Announces New Album 'Elastic Days'". Clash. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Blistein, Jon (September 18, 2018). "Hear J Mascis Reminisce, Rip Solos on New Song 'Everything She Said'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on September 4, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Kenneally, Cerys (October 16, 2018). "J Mascis shares compassionate ballad 'Web So Dense'". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  4. ^ "January UK Tour Announced!". J Mascis. 18 September 2018. Retrieved 2019-12-03.
  5. ^ "J Mascis, Elastic Days". mescalina.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2019-12-03.
  6. ^ "Recensione: J Mascis - Elastic Days". ImpattoSonoro - Webzine musicale e culturale indipendente (in Italian). 2018-11-12. Retrieved 2019-12-03.
  7. ^ Murray, Robin (September 18, 2018). "J Mascis Shares New Solo Cut 'Everything She Said'". Clash. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  8. ^ Slingerland, Calum (August 21, 2018). "J Mascis Announces Solo LP 'Elastic Days'". Exclaim!. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  9. ^ Reed, Ryan (August 21, 2018). "Hear J Mascis' Folky 'See You at the Movies' From New LP". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  10. ^ a b "Metacritic Review". Metacritic. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  11. ^ a b Deming, Mark. "AllMusic Review". AllMusic. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  12. ^ Murray, Robin (November 8, 2018). "Clash Magazine Review". Clash. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  13. ^ Goggins, Joe (8 November 2018). "DIY Magazine Review". DIY. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  14. ^ MacMillan, Peter (November 14, 2018). "Drowned in Sound Review". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on April 23, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  15. ^ Garcia, Brad (November 7, 2018). "Exclaim! Review". Exclaim!. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  16. ^ Howieson, Craig (November 7, 2018). "J Mascis distills his masterful songcraft on Elastic Days". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  17. ^ Gatward, Tristan (November 6, 2018). "Loud and Quiet Review". Loud and Quiet. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  18. ^ Murphy, John (November 17, 2018). "MusicOMH Review". MusicOMH. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  19. ^ Edelstone, Steven (November 7, 2018). "Paste Magazine Review". Paste. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  20. ^ Berman, Stuart (November 12, 2018). "Pitchfork Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  21. ^ "Album of the Year Review". Album of the Year. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  22. ^ "Elastic Days - Jas Masic". CDJapan.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  23. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – J Mascis – Elastic Days" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  24. ^ "J Mascis Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  25. ^ "J Mascis Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  26. ^ "J Mascis Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  27. ^ "J Mascis Chart History (Vinyl Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 20, 2020.