''Abysskiss'' (stylized in

all lowercase Letter case is the distinction between the letters that are in larger uppercase or capitals (or more formally ''majuscule'') and smaller lowercase (or more formally ''minuscule'') in the written representation of certain languages. The writing ...

) is the third solo studio album by

Adrianne Lenker Adrianne Elizabeth Lenker (born July 9, 1991) is an American musician, best known as the lead vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter of Big Thief. Early life Lenker was born in Indianapolis and was raised in a Christian cult until the age ...

, released through

Saddle Creek Records Saddle Creek Records is an American record label based in Omaha, Nebraska. Started as a college class project on entrepreneurship, the label was founded by Mike Mogis and Justin Oberst in 1993 (as Lumberjack Records). Mogis soon turned over hi ...

on October 5, 2018. The album was recorded at Panoramic Studio in West Marin, California with

Luke Temple Luke Temple, also known under the alias Art Feynman, is an American singer-songwriter. He records under his own name and with New York-based band Here We Go Magic. Temple was born in Salem, Massachusetts. After spending time in Northern Calif ...

and Gabe Wax, who respectively handled production and engineering duties. The album consists of ten songs conceived while touring with

Big Thief Big Thief is an American indie rock band with folk roots based in Brooklyn, New York. Its members are Adrianne Lenker (guitar, vocals), Buck Meek (guitar, backing vocals), Max Oleartchik (bass), and James Krivchenia (drums). The band's debut ...

. The tracks "Terminal Paradise" and "From" were given a full band arrangement on Big Thief's album, ''

U.F.O.F. ''U.F.O.F.'' is the third studio album by the American band Big Thief, released through 4AD on May 3, 2019. The album was recorded in June 2018 at Bear Creek Studio, a secluded studio with lush nature surroundings in Woodinville, Washington. The ...

'', released in 2019.

Release

''Abysskiss'' was announced on August 7, 2018. "Cradle" was released as a single the same day. "Symbol" was released as a single on September 12, 2018. "From" was released as the final single, three days before the album's release. ''Abysskiss'' was released by

on October 5, 2018. The music video for "Symbol", featuring Lenker performing the track on the boardwalk of Coney Island, was released on November 29, 2018.

Critical reception

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, ''Abysskiss'' received an

average In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7 ...

score of 83 based on 14 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Jayson Greene of '' Pitchfork'' gave ''Abysskiss'' an 8 out of 10 rating, writing, "The shared secrets of intimacy, the buried secrets of family, the impenetrable secrets of nature—they all swirl like sediment in a wine glass. abysskiss thrums quietly with the unease of these secrets, of mingled trauma and love." Lizzie Manno of '' Paste'' gave the album an 8.5 out of 10 rating, writing, "Providing newfound comfort and warm familiarity, abysskiss is a record that will quickly find its way into your heart and slowly caress your soul." In his four-star review for ''

VultureHound ''VultureHound'' is a British monthly magazine that is focused on popular culture, entertainment and professional wrestling. Founded in 2011 as an entertainment website, it launched its first magazine in 2014. Since its foundation, its current Ed ...

'', Jake Doolin noted Lenker's ability to find "new ways of making her instruments sing", while also praising Temple's "stripped back production". Adam Turner-Heffer of '' Drowned in Sound'' gave the album a 9 out of 10 rating, writing, "Nothing feels disingenuous about Lenker’s story or approach or music, which anyone who has witnessed Big Thief’s surprisingly upbeat and even humorous stage personas – at odds with their reasonably heavy music – can attest. Lenker is an incredible talent."

Track listing

Notes * Track titles are stylized in

Personnel

Credits adapted from

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online audio distribution platform founded in 2007 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with headquarters in Oakland, California, US. On March 2, 2022, Bandcamp ...

. *

- vocals, guitar, synthesizers * Gabe Wax - synthesizers, engineering, mixing *

- synthesizers, bass, guitar, production *

Greg Calbi Gregory Calbi (born April 3, 1949) is an American mastering engineer at Sterling Sound, New Jersey. Biography Greg Calbi was born on April 3, 1949, in Yonkers, New York, and raised in Bayside, Queens, New York. He graduated in 1966 from Bishop ...

- mastering * Zoë Lenker – cover photography

References

{{Authority control 2018 albums Adrianne Lenker albums Saddle Creek Records albums