''Heterosexuality'' is the eighth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by American singer-songwriter Shamir. It was released on February 11, 2022, by AntiFragile Music.

Composition

''Heterosexuality'' is an

industrial Industrial may refer to: Industry * Industrial archaeology, the study of the history of the industry * Industrial engineering, engineering dealing with the optimization of complex industrial processes or systems * Industrial city, a city dominate ...

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...

avant-garde pop Avant-pop is popular music that is experimental, new, and distinct from previous styles while retaining an immediate accessibility for the listener. The term implies a combination of avant-garde sensibilities with existing elements from popular ...

noise pop Noise pop is a subgenre of alternative and indie rock that developed in the mid-1980s in the United Kingdom and United States. It is defined by its mixture of dissonant noise or feedback with the songcraft more often found in pop music. Shoegazi ...

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

shoegaze Shoegaze (originally called shoegazing and sometimes conflated with "dream pop") is a subgenre of indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion and effects, feedback, and overwhelming volu ...

, and

lo-fi Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate choice. The ...

album with influences from R&B,

dream pop Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such as ...

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

alt-pop Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commerci ...

, industrial rap,

new jack swing New jack swing, new jack, or swingbeat is a fusion genre of the rhythms and production techniques of hip hop and dance-pop, and the urban contemporary sound of R&B. Spearheaded by producers Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle, new jack swing was mos ...

tropicália Tropicália (), also known as Tropicalismo (), was a Brazilian artistic movement that arose in the late 1960s. It was characterized by the amalgamation of Brazilian genres—notably the union of the pop culture, popular and the avant-garde, as ...

bossa nova Bossa nova () is a style of samba developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is mainly characterized by a "different beat" that altered the harmonies with the introduction of unconventional chords and an innovativ ...

, lounge pop, and

art punk Art punk is a subgenre of punk rock in which artists go beyond the genre's rudimentary garage rock and are considered more sophisticated than their peers. These groups still generated punk's aesthetic of being simple, offensive, and free-spirit ...

. Lyrically, the album's ten tracks tell a narrative cycle, beginning with a trio of songs about "aggressive nonconformity as a political statement". On "Stability", Shamir expresses how that fight can take a toll and "unearths traumas, both universal ones and his own unique struggles". The album then "moves into a false, saccharine golden hour" with lyrics about "helplessness hardening into nihilism". On the last two songs, Shamir "entertains the slightest possibility of hope" and the fight returns.

Reception

AnyDecentMusic? has an average of 7.7 of 10 from 14 ratings. AllMusic's Heather Phares says "While its seeming contradictions make it a slightly more challenging listen than Shamir was, Heterosexuality acknowledges how complicated just existing can be with the wit, creativity, and unguarded emotions that have been a vital part of Shamir's music since the beginning." ''The A.V. Club''s Max Freedman writes "Now that hamirs growing to love himself, he can finally start loving other people anew, too. It's been a long time coming, but ''Heterosexuality'' is an engaging way for it to arrive." ''DIY''s Ben Tipple says the album "provides space for a poignant message, one that supersedes outdated expectations." ''Exclaim!''s Rachel Kelly writes that "Shamir is economical with this album — not a bar or lyric is wasted, every moment is carefully curated to hit exactly where it needs to. This precision is why the album works so beautifully. Heterosexuality captivates and transports the listener, making an ethereal landscape out of dissonance and nihilism. It never repeats itself, it does not stutter, and it absolutely never apologizes." ''The Line of Best Fit''s Sam Franzini says "''Heterosexuality'' is an interesting title choice for an album for which norm-subverting is wholly within the music; it'd be like

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct three-octave vocal range and eccentric persona, she has de ...

titling an album ''Disco''. But this album has it all, and listeners who crave forward-thinking, statement-making pop will find homes with "Gay Agenda", "Cisgender", and "Abomination", while those less involved can relax with the jams of "Cold Brew", "Nuclear", and "Stability"". ''Loud and Quiet''s Guia Cortassa writes that "there's more than enough to be mesmerised by in the multifaceted talent of this chameleonic artist." ''Pitchfork''s Peyton Thomas says the album "stands as a powerful alternative to the zero-calorie

pride Pride is defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". A healthy amount of pride is good, however, pride sometimes is used interchangeably with "conceit" or "arrogance" (among other words) wh ...

anthems that pepper the pop charts every June."

Year-end lists

Track listing

Personnel

* Shamir Bailey – vocals, guitar (2, 4–6, 8–10), bass (4, 5, 8–10) * Hollow Comet – producer, guitar (2, 5, 8, 9) * Justin Tailor –

mixing engineer A mixing engineer (or simply mix engineer) is responsible for combining ("mixing") different sonic elements of an auditory piece into a complete rendition (also known as "final mix" or "mixdown"), whether in music, film, or any other content of a ...

* Ryan Schwabe –

mastering engineer A mastering engineer is a person skilled in the practice of taking audio (typically musical content) that has been previously mixed in either the analog or digital domain as mono, stereo, or multichannel formats and preparing it for use in distr ...

* Kyle Pulley –

recording engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduction, ...

(2, 4, 5, 7–10) * Danny Murillo – assistant recording engineer (4, 5, 7–10), drums (4, 5, 9, 10), bass (10),

Rhodes piano The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, t ...

(10) * Eric Bogacz – vocal producer (1, 2, 7)

References

{{Shamir 2022 albums Shamir (musician) albums Industrial albums by American artists Synth-pop albums by American artists Indie rock albums by American artists Noise pop albums Avant-pop albums Lo-fi music albums Shoegaze albums by American artists LGBT-related albums