''Dear Wormwood'' is the second album by American

folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers suc ...

band The Oh Hellos, released October 16, 2015. It was written, produced, and performed primarily by siblings Tyler and Maggie Heath, with the exception of "Danse Macabre", which was composed by

Camille Saint-Saëns Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (; 9 October 183516 December 1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic music, Romantic era. His best-known works include Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863), the Piano C ...

in 1874. The mixing and mastering was done by Charlie Kramsky, with extra vocals being recorded by members of the ensemble that tours with the duo, including Matthew Hagerman and Joey Chance.

Background

The album takes its title from The Screwtape Letters by

C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Oxford University (Magdalen College, 1925–1954) and Cambridge Univers ...

, which has every chapter of the book begin with the words "Dear Wormwood,". It draws further inspiration from the book by framing each song as a letter from someone in an abusive or unhealthy relationship to their abuser, reversing how the book was composed of letters trying to teach one demon how to lead a particular human astray. The songs vary in tone from lovingly addressed to determined to escape the relationship. It also draws inspiration from

The Kingkiller Chronicle ''The Kingkiller Chronicle'' is a fantasy trilogy by the American writer Patrick Rothfuss. The first two books, ''The Name of the Wind'' and ''The Wise Man's Fear'', were released in 2007 and 2011. The books released in the series have sold over ...

by Patrick Rothfuss, with the descriptions of literature, language, and music being an influence on the way the album was written. It's described as a sequel to their first LP ''Through the Deep, Dark Valley'', with the first album concerning where the speaker of the album has been, and ''Dear Wormwood'' dealing with the speaker having to pick up and move on from where he left off.

Critical reception and response

''Dear Wormwood'' peaked at #134 on Billboard 200 and stayed there for a week. Neil Z. Yeung gave the album 3.5 stars out of 5, saying that "These songs are heavy on the drama, but the conviction with which the band delivers each one borders on glorious rapture." Brandon Easley of Glide Magazine gave ''Dear Wormwood'' an 8/10, calling the album "a fantastic recording that is easy to share".

Track listing

References

{{Authority control Elektra Records albums 2016 albums The Oh Hellos albums