''Home of the Strange'' is the third studio album by American alternative rock band
Young the Giant
Young the Giant is an American rock band that formed in Irvine, California, in 2004. The band's line-up consists of Sameer Gadhia (lead vocals), Jacob Tilley (guitar), Eric Cannata (guitar), Payam Doostzadeh (bass guitar), and Francois Comtois ...
, released by Fueled by Ramen on August 12, 2016.
Promotion
On April 15, 2016, the band released "Amerika" as an announcement track to the new album. The next song to be released, "
Something to Believe In", was released as the first official radio single from the album. On May 16, 2016, they announced the Home of the Strange Tour, which started in the West Coast on August 13, and toured around the US. Three additional tracks, "Titus Was Born", "Jungle Youth" and "Silvertongue", were released the weeks preceding the release of ''Home of the Strange''.
Lyrics
''Home of the Strange'' deals with the band's immigrant history and American identity. Lead singer Sameer Gadhia is a first generation
American of Indian heritage. The track "Amerika" was inspired by
Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic. It ...
's
unfinished novel of the same name.
Reception
''Home of the Strange'' garnered mostly positive reviews. ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' commented that the band found more substance for the album: "the group ascends from the third-tier trenches that waylaid their early career, dishing out their richest and most varied project to date." ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' praised the timing of the album with the heated politics of 2016, writing "the band's third album comes at a time when hyphenated Americans are reminded daily of their status. The lyrics of ''Home of the Strange'' reflect that, taking a stance while yet referencing a complex, ongoing identity crisis." However, ''Rolling Stone'' pointed out the band's "longstanding musical identity crisis".
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
commented that the album was "their funkiest offering to date."
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Track listing
Personnel
*Sameer Gadhia - lead vocals, percussion, ukulele, organ, electric guitar
*Eric Cannata - electric guitar, acoustic guitar, piano, synths, additional vocals, percussion
*Francois Comtois - drums, percussion, additional vocals, piano, synths
*Jacob Tilley - electric guitar, acoustic guitar, synths, vibraphone
*Payam Doostzadeh - bass, piano, synths
*Alex Salibian - additional electric guitar, piano, synths, vocals
*Additional singers: Alexandra Govere, Gabrielle Walter-Clay, Nilu Madadi, Nora Riegels, Sonia Gadhia
Charts
Album
References
{{Authority control
2016 albums
Fueled by Ramen albums
Young the Giant albums