Sadness Sets Me Free
| Sadness Sets Me Free | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 26 January 2024 | |||
| Recorded | March 2022 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Psychedelic pop[2] | |||
| Length | 42:37 | |||
| Label | Rough Trade | |||
| Producer |
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| Gruff Rhys chronology | ||||
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Sadness Sets Me Free is the eighth studio album by Welsh musician Gruff Rhys, released on 26 January 2024 through Rough Trade Records. It was recorded in three days in March 2022 in Paris, and received positive reviews from critics.
Recording
Recording took place at La Frette studio in Paris, France,[3] where Rhys and his band recorded the album in three days in March 2022.[4]
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 84/100[5] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| The Arts Desk | [6] |
| The Irish Times | [7] |
| Louder Than War | 4/5[2] |
| Mojo | [8] |
| MusicOMH | [4] |
| Uncut | [3] |
Sadness Sets Me Free received a score of 84 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on eight critics' reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[5] Mojo's James McNair wrote that "though it stops well short of the ardent self-loathing that fired Radiohead's Creep, a pronounced seam of self-criticism runs through" the album, despite concluding that "the music is often uplifting; a stoical and pro-active salve against troubles local and global".[8] Uncut's Pete Paphides observed that "on an album of songs that 'feel melancholic or... deal with shit things,' it's important to state that, at no point, does the listener feel like they're taking a holiday in someone else's misery".[3] Reviewing the album for The Irish Times, Siobhán Kane felt that the album "can sound both disconcerting and comforting".[7]
Joe Muggs of The Arts Desk found the songs to have a "subdued nature" but called them "so damn good, they could take a lot more lavishness and sparkle. As it is, though, this is a weird, inspiring and very lovely record".[6] Nathan Whittle of Louder Than War wrote that on Sadness Sets Me Free, "Gruff Rhys delivers a spellbindingly oxymoronic display; the low-key nature of the songs results in grandness, the darkness of the content providing hope".[2] MusicOMH's Ben Hogwood opined regarding the song titles that "on paper, songs of this ilk should be weighing the listener down, but the reality is different as Rhys realises his ideas in music of blissful freedom".[4]
Year-end lists
| Publication | Accolade | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mojo | The Best Albums of 2024 | 21 | [9] |
Track listing
All tracks are written by Gruff Rhys.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sadness Sets Me Free" | 5:23 |
| 2. | "Bad Friend" | 2:54 |
| 3. | "Celestial Candyfloss" | 3:58 |
| 4. | "Silver Lining (Lead Balloons)" | 3:58 |
| 5. | "On the Far Side of the Dollar" | 4:54 |
| 6. | "They Sold My Home to Build a Skyscraper" | 3:04 |
| 7. | "Peace Signs" | 5:05 |
| 8. | "Cover Up the Cover Up" | 5:48 |
| 9. | "I Tendered My Resignation" | 5:07 |
| 10. | "I'll Keep Singing" | 2:26 |
| Total length: | 42:37 | |
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the CD liner notes.[1]
Musicians
- Gruff Rhys – vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, synthesisers
- Kliph Scurlock – drums
- Osian Gwynedd – piano
- Huw V. Williams – double bass
- Gruff Ab Arwel – strings arrangement
- Gwenllian Hâf MacDonald and Martin Gwilym-Jones – violin
- Jess Feaver – cello
- Rebecca Jones – viola
- Rhodri Brooks – pedal steel guitar and arrangement (1, 8–9)
- Kate Stables – additional vocals (1, 8, 10)
- Pedro Barios – additional percussion (3, 5–6)
- Gavin Fitzjohn – horns and arrangement (4, 10)
Technical and design
- Gruff Rhys – production
- Maxime Kosinetz – production, recording (La Frette Studio, La Frette-sur-Seine, France), mixing (MMM, Marseille, France)
- Llion Robertson – string section, pedal steel, and brass recording (Ystum Tâf Scouts Hall, Cardiff, Wales)
- Chab – mastering (Chab Mastering, Paris, France)
- Marie Prieprzownik – vinyl cut (Translab Studios, Paris, France)
- Samuel Borst – technical assistance
- Kliph Scurlock – file management
- Mark James – art direction, design
Charts
| Chart (2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[10] | 7 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[11] | 22 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[12] | 5 |
References
- ^ a b Rhys, Gruff (2024). Sadness Sets Me Free (CD liner notes). Rough Trade Records. RT0420CD.
- ^ a b c Whittle, Nathan (24 January 2024). "Gruff Rhys: Sadness Sets Me Free – Album Review". Louder Than War. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ a b c Paphides, Pete (12 January 2024). "Gruff Rhys – Sadness Sets Me Free". Uncut. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ a b c Hogwood, Ben (25 January 2024). "Gruff Rhys – Sadness Sets Me Free | Album Reviews". MusicOMH. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ a b "Sadness Sets Me Free by Gruff Rhys". Metacritic. Retrieved 28 December 2025.
- ^ a b Muggs, Joe (24 January 2024). "Album: Gruff Rhys – Sadness Sets Me Free review – Dreamy, low key agit prop from the enduringly exploratory Super Furry Animal". The Arts Desk. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ a b Kane, Siobhán (24 January 2024). "Gruff Rhys: Sadness Sets Me Free – Cosmic loneliness has rarely sounded so good". The Irish Times. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ a b McNair, James (25 January 2024). "Gruff Rhys Sadness Sets Me Free Review: Confessional box ruminations meet jukebox melodies on the former Super Furry Animal's latest". Mojo. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ "The Best Albums Of 2024". Mojo. 23 December 2024. Retrieved 28 December 2025.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart on 2/2/2024 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart on 2/2/2024 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart on 2/2/2024 – Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
External links
- Sadness Sets Me Free at Discogs (list of releases)