MASSEDUCTION Tracklist
Masseduction (mass-seduction, stylized as MASSEDUCTION) is the fifth studio album by Annie Clark under the name “St. Vincent”, released on October 13, 2017, through Loma Vista Recordings.
The lead single, “New York” was released on the 30th of June, 2017. On the 6th of September the record was available for pre-order. Additionally, the second single “Los Ageless” was released the same day.
St. Vincent has said that the record is “all about sex and drugs and sadness.”
In an interview with i-D Meets, St Vincent said this about the record:
Every record I’ve made has had more or less some archetype. Strange Mercy was, like, housewife on pills and the record I did with David Byrne was Beauty and the Beast. The last record was, like, near-future cult leader.
And then this record’s like dominatrix at the mental institution. Sexy, but very arch, and very very absurd too. This record’s about power, the seduction on a big scale and on a little scale, you know. The political seduction or the sexual seduction or the seduction of chemicals and drugs and all that. It’s kind of a broad stroke of a record.
She revealed to BBC in October 2017 that the entire album was officially completed on July 10, 2017, which also happened to be the ten year anniversary of her debut album Marry Me.
“MASSEDUCTION” Q&A
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What has the artist said about the album?
St. Vincent:It’s an incredibly sad album. Quite manic and painful. I listen to it, and some points of the album are so sad it makes me laugh. It’s just so tragic. But that’s human life.
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Why is the album called MASSEDUCTION?
St. Vincent:The seduction part references the kind of forces in people or in nature that can swallow you whole, that are standing just outside the reach of the black hole. When I say the album is about love, I just mean that seduction, power, all that stuff, are the things we kind of reach for when what we’re really looking for is love.
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What has producer Jack Antonoff said about working on the record?
Jack Antonoff:In many ways, [Annie Clark is] closer to a more familiar part of me than others. It’s funny, in many ways, working on that album with her is closer to who I am than anything I’ve done.
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What has St. Vincent said about working with Jack Antonoff on the record?
St. Vincent:Jack Antonoff [and I] were merciless with making sure every song was as airtight as it could be. Every word and every note was thoughtfully labored over […] I love [Jack] so much. He’s a wonderful person. He’s one of the luminous ones.
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Has the album received any accolades?
MASSEDUCTION was awarded with the GRAMMY for Best Recording Package at the 2019 GRAMMY Awards:
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How did the album perform amongst critics?
Based on 38 reviews from mainstream sources, the album received universal acclaim and an average Metacritic rating of 88.
Writing for DIY Magazine, El Hunt said:
Along with the equally exceptional St. Vincent which came before it, this is the moment that St. Vincent enters the fabled realm reserved for the greats.
Writing for Rolling Stone, Brittany Spanos said:
This album, a partnership with top pop whisperer Jack Antonoff, is a masterpiece of confrontational intimacy, and Clark lays herself bare as only a woman who has seen her life suddenly become tabloid fodder can.
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How did album perform on the charts?
MASSEDUCTION peaked at #10 on the Billboard 200 during the chart week of November 4, 2017.
The album also peaked at #3 on both the Billboard US Top Alternative Albums and US Top Rock Albums during the chart week of November 4, 2017.
