Relatives in Descent

Relatives in Descent
Studio album by Protomartyr
Released 8 September 2017 (2017-09-08)
Recorded 64 Sound in Los Angeles
Genre Post-punk
Length 43:35
Label Domino Recording Company
Producer Protomartyr and Sonny DiPerri
Protomartyr chronology
The Agent Intellect
(2015)The Agent Intellect2015		 Relatives in Descent
(2017)
Singles from Relatives in Descent
  1. "A Private Understanding"
    Released: July 10, 2017 (2017-07-10)
  2. "Don't Go to Anacita"
    Released: October 27, 2017 (2017-10-27)

Relatives in Descent is the fourth studio album by American post-punk band Protomartyr released in September 2017. Their first to be released through Domino Recording Company, the album is much darker and more philosophical than its predecessors.

Background & Recording

The band hired Sonny DiPerri to co-produce this album (known for his work with Animal Collective). In an interview, lead singer Joe Casey said that "we knew we wanted to go someplace different to record than the previous two records, so we wouldn’t get in a rut [...] what was so great about Sonny was that he was very locked in to what we wanted."[1] He said that the band "wanted to record somewhere warm and we went to California. Usually, we are recording in Michigan and it is characteristically cold."[2]

According to Casey, the change in recording location also helped them write more complicated songs than before.[3] Guitarist Greg Ahee "was kind of enthralled with a certain kind of violin sound we heard [...] on a Raincoats record called Odyshape and then he wanted violin on the record. At first we heard it, and we all just thought, ‘Ah shit, I don’t know if that’s going to work or not.’"[4] He was also influenced by Mica Levi's score to Under the Skin[5]. Asked on the source of the album's direction, Casey said: "For this record, we had just come off the road after doing a lot of touring. There were a lot of aches and pains so there was a lot of references to guts and generally feeling unwell. After the tour, my house also flooded. Before then, it had this smell of smoke and dust. Now I’ve got this mildew smell on top of that and the combination of these sensations and smell kind of infected the record."[6]

According to NPR, the album is "a collection of lyrically dense, deeply philosophical [...] songs that grapple with some of life's thorniest questions: What does it mean to be human? What is truth? What is the nature of good and evil?"[7]. Casey refuses to classify the album as "an anti-Trump album [...] I don’t think this album is any more political than our previous records, but people are picking up on it more because it’s a constant bombardment”[8] despite being "half informed by America, post-election"[9]. "A Private Understanding", which is "almost a worldwide proclamation about the dire state of things (with apocalyptic trumpets even)", references Elvis Presley's vision of Jesus in a desert and the Flint water crisis[10]. "Here is The Thing" is "repeat of the same feeling but with a more personal, local take", the titular "Thing" being "unfettered capitalism at the expense of humanity."[11] The song "My Children" deals with "legacy and what we leave behind: offspring, stone monuments, genetics [...]" and includes a reference to David Bowie[12]. "Windsor Hum" references a real phenomenon in its title, "a very low frequency hum [...] described as a massive refrigerator running. It’s constant, so if you do hear it, you can’t get it out of your head and it can drive you crazy" that one can hear emanating from Windsor "across the river"[13]. "Caitriona" references the main character of Cré na Cille by Máirtín Ó Cadhain and describes "an afterlife of comically complaining in your coffin about everything, including your stupid son, for all eternity."[14] "The Chuckler" "is about trying to get through the day-to-day grind of living with all its loneliness and frustrations while the shadow of global meltdown darkens your door. I would describe the chuckle of the main character as being very, very hollow."[15] The imaginary titular city in "Don't Go To Anacita" is a pseudo-homophonic pun for “any city”[16] that has been described "as an affluent suburb that looks quaint and respectable but maybe has too many cops for the population size."[17] "Up The Tower", a "fantasy folk song about a craven, money-hungry troll that lived at the top of a golden tower and the heroic townspeople that would eventually dethrone him", was influenced by Charley Pride's cover of "Crystal Chandelier" and contains a reference to The English Mail-Coach by Thomas De Quincey[18]. The song "Male Plague" deals with "weird toxic male attitude" he had witnessed from his experience in the "music iundustry [sic]".[19] "Corpses In Regalia" incorporates dream imagery and is influenced by Our Lady of Darkness by Fritz Leiber[20]. The closing track "Half Sister" is a "swaggering, misanthropic song in which Casey tells three (fictional) tales from different points in history all regarding the idea of 'truth'"[21], ending with the refrain "She's just trying to reach you" which also ends the opening track "A Private Understanding", hence bringing the album "full circle" with the sense that "hope isn’t quite dead, but it’s also no closer than when we started."[22]

Release

The album was released on the 29th of September 2017 through Domino Recording Company.[23] The tracks "A Private Understanding", "My Children" and "Don't Go To Anacita" were released as singles on July 10th, August 15th and October 27th respectively. The videos for the "A Private Understanding" (directed by Tony Wolski and Trevor Naud) and "Don't Go To Anacita" (directed by Yoonha Park) were uploaded through the band's official YouTube channel on the aforementioned dates of their release.[24][25][26]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic85/100[27]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[28]
Pitchfork6.9/10[29]
The Guardian[30]
Chicago Tribune[31]
Drowned in Sound9/10[32]
The A.V. ClubB+[33]
Consequence of SoundB+[34]
NME[35]
Paste8.9/10[36]
Spin[37]

The album, like its predecessors, received critical acclaim from several sources[38]. According to Metacritic, the album has a "metascore" of 85 based on 25 reviews.[39] It also has a score of 8.2 based on 21 reviews on the site AnyDecentMusic?.[40]

Accolades

Publication Accolade Year Rank Ref.
NME NME's Albums of the Year 2017
2017
42
Esquire (Ben Ratliff) 20 Best Albums of 2017
2017
-
Loud and Quiet Top 40 Albums of 2017
2017
1
OOR 10 Best Albums of 2017
2017
8
State 50 Best Albums of 2017
2017
3
The Guardian Best Albums of 2017
2017
24
Sound Opinions (Greg Kot) 10 Best Albums of 2017
2017
6
Newsweek 17 Best Albums of 2017
2017
11
Rolling Stone (Rob Sheffield) 20 Best Albums of 2017
2017
7

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."A Private Understanding"5:18
2."Here Is the Thing"2:50
3."My Children"3:42
4."Caitriona"1:44
5."The Chuckler"3:43
6."Windsor Hum"4:40
7."Don't Go to Anacita"3:12
8."Up the Tower"3:38
9."Night-Blooming Cereus"3:25
10."Male Plague"3:22
11."Corpses in Regalia"2:43
12."Half Sister"5:04
Total length:43:35

Personnel

Protomartyr is:

  • Joe Casey – vocals
  • Greg Ahee – guitars, piano, synth
  • Scott Davidson – bass
  • Alex Leonard – drums

Additional Musicians

  • Olivier Demeaux - synth on tracks 1, 3, 4, 8, 9
  • Tyler Karmen - violin on tracks 1, 2, 5, 11

References

  1. ↑
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  21. ↑
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  24. ↑
  25. ↑
  26. ↑
  27. ↑ "Relatives in Descent by Protomartyr". Metacritic. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  28. ↑ Deming, Mark. "Protomartyr - Relatives in Descent". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  29. ↑ Thompson, Paul. "Protomartyr - Relatives in Descent". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  30. ↑ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (28 September 2017). "Protomartyr: Relatives in Descent review – sensational, bloodied but unbowed post-punk". Theguardian.com. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  31. ↑ Kot, Greg. "World's compass feels askew on Protomartyr's 'Relatives in Descent'". Chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  32. ↑ "Album Review: Protomartyr - Relatives In Descent". Drownedinsound.com. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  33. ↑ Purdom, Clayton. "The new Protomartyr record sounds as bleak as everything feels". Avclub.com. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  34. ↑ "Album Review: Protomartyr – Relatives in Descent". Consequence of Sound. 27 September 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  35. ↑ "Protomartyr - 'Relatives In Descent' Review - NME". NME. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  36. ↑ "Protomartyr: Relatives In Descent Review". Pastemagazine.com. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  37. ↑ "Review: Protomartyr - 'Relatives in Descent'". Spin.com. 3 October 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  38. ↑
  39. ↑
  40. ↑
  41. ↑ "NME's Albums of the Year 2017". NME. November 23, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  42. ↑ "The Right Way to Do Year End Lists Is in Alphabetical Order". December 7, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  43. ↑ "The Loud And Quiet top 40 albums of 2017". December 8, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  44. ↑ "ALBUM VAN HET JAAR: LCD SOUNDSYSTEM - AMERICAN DREAM". December 5, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  45. ↑ "Lists: State's Albums of 2017". December 17, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  46. ↑ "The best albums of 2017: the full list". December 5, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  47. ↑ "The Best Albums of 2017". December 1, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  48. ↑ "The 17 Best Albums of 2017". December 15, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  49. ↑ "Rob Sheffield's Top 20 Albums of 2017". December 20, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
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