What an Enormous Room is the sixth studio album by American musician Torres, released on January 26, 2024, through Merge Records. It was produced by Torres and Sarah Jaffe and received positive reviews from critics.
| What an Enormous Room | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 26, 2024 | |||
| Length | 35:46 | |||
| Label | Merge | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Torres chronology | ||||
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Critical reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 74/100[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| The Guardian |    [2] |
| Mojo | [3] |
| Pitchfork | 7.0/10[4] |
| Slant Magazine | [5] |
| Uncut | 7/10[6] |
What an Enormous Room received a score of 74 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on 12 critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception.[1] Uncut wrote that the album "takes [Torres's] eclecticism to fresh heights, each of these songs exploring different emotional moods while influences range from The Breeders to Goldfrapp".[6] Eric Mason of Slant Magazine observed that the album "favor[s] the kind of introspective dirges that characterized her early work. As a result, the album offers slightly less in the way of hooks but homes in further on themes of anxious attachment and personal growth".[5]
Mojo felt that "there's no doubt Mackenzie Scott never stops moving here, switching between gothic sway, grungy stomp and electro-pop gyration, but it can make it hard to catch her eye in a meaningful way".[3] The Guardian's Katie Hawthorne stated that Torres "embraces grand new sonic theatrics" but that the album "doesn't yet fulfil [her] stadium-sized promises".[2] Reviewing the album for Pitchfork, Claire Shaffer commented that "Scott has excelled at adding a jagged, oddball edge to familiar rock structures. At its best, this album pushes further into the weird."[4]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Mackenzie Scott.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Happy Man's Shoes" | 3:27 |
| 2. | "Life as We Don't Know It" | 1:45 |
| 3. | "I Got the Fear" | 3:24 |
| 4. | "Wake to Flowers" | 2:58 |
| 5. | "Ugly Mystery" | 2:22 |
| 6. | "Collect" | 2:56 |
| 7. | "Artificial Limits" | 6:02 |
| 8. | "Jerk into Joy" | 4:38 |
| 9. | "Forever Home" | 3:39 |
| 10. | "Songbird Forever" | 4:35 |
| Total length: | 35:46 | |
Personnel
edit- Mackenzie Scott – lead vocals, bass, drum programming, guitar, organ, piano, synthesizer, production
- Sarah Jaffe – bass, drums, organ, piano, synthesizer, production
- TJ Allen – African shakers, bass, synthesizer, tambourine, mixing
- Heba Kadry – mastering
- Ryan Pickett – engineering
- Dani Okon – front and back cover photos
- Daniel Murphy – layout
References
edit- ^ a b "What an Enormous Room by Torres Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
- ^ a b Hawthorne, Katie (January 19, 2024). "Torres: What an Enormous Room review – a confident declaration of rock-star ambition". The Guardian. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
- ^ a b "Torres – What an Enormous Room". Mojo. March 2024. p. 86.
- ^ a b Shaffer, Claire (January 31, 2024). "Torres: What an Enormous Room Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
- ^ a b Mason, Eric (January 22, 2024). "Torres What an Enormous Room Review: The Threat of Loss Lurks". Slant Magazine. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
- ^ a b "Torres – What an Enormous Room". Uncut. January 2024. p. 36.