''I Thought the Future Would Be Cooler'' is the sixth studio album by American musical band

Yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

. It was released on October 16, 2015 via

Downtown Records Downtown Records is an American record label based in New York City with offices in Los Angeles. Owned and operated by Josh Deutsch and Terence Lam, the label is distributed by Geffen Records (formerly Interscope Records and The Orchard) in the ...

. Production was handled by

Jona Bechtolt Jona Bechtolt (born December 2, 1980) is an electronic musician and multimedia artist based in Portland, Oregon, Portland, Oregon, United States, best known for his band Yacht (band), YΔCHT. He is a former member of The Badger King, Dirty Project ...

, Bobby Birdman and

Jacknife Lee Garret "Jacknife" Lee is an Irish music producer and mixer. He has worked with a variety of artists, including the Cars, U2, R.E.M., the Killers, Robbie Williams, Snow Patrol, Bloc Party, Two Door Cinema Club, AFI, the Hives, Weezer, One Directi ...

, with

Justin Meldal-Johnsen Justin Meldal-Johnsen (born March 26, 1970) is an American musician, record producer, songwriter and musical director. He is best known for his work with artists such as Beck, Paramore, Nine Inch Nails, M83, Air, and St. Vincent. Meldal-J ...

co-produced one song.

Critical reception

''I Thought the Future Would Be Cooler'' was met with generally favourable reviews from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

. At

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, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an

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score of 66, based on twelve reviews.

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 ...

's Tim Sendra wrote: "people looking for a bit more substance from a band that once made concept albums and instituted its own Belief System might wonder what the heck is going on, but anyone who loves pop music that moves feet, brings smiles, and snaps like bubblegum, and who is also deathly tired of the mainstream, will think ''I Thought the Future Would Be Cooler'' is just about the coolest thing around". Brice Ezell of ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

'' praised the album, saying: "future finds YACHT alive in a whole new way, with the group crafting not only some of the best pop of their careers, but of 2015 as a whole". Sasha Geffen of ''

Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...

'' found "YACHT balances its snark with just enough warmth to keep its dystopian dreams engaging". Calum Slingerland of ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'' wrote: "preventing such weighty topics from becoming too exhausting are the upbeat instrumentals with which they've been paired". Nigel Williamson of ''

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'' stated that "their defining touchstones remain intact". Alee Karim of '' Under the Radar'' wrote: "it's a slower burn to catch YACHT's fire. ''I Thought the Future Would Be Cooler'' often demands a more careful listen to perceive riches inside those aforementioned innocuous interfaces". In mixed reviews, Mat Smith of '' Clash'' wrote: "YACHT have consciously positioned themselves as intelligent conceptualists, not wanting to adhere to what's expected of them, and that makes for an interesting amalgam of deep themes set to brazenly outlandish pop styles". Jon Dolan of ''

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 ...

'' resumed: "their sixth album is steeped in sci-fi parody". Luke Beardsworth of ''

Drowned in Sound ''Drowned in Sound'', sometimes abbreviated to ''DiS'', is a UK-based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway. Founded by editor Sean Adams, the site features reviews, news, interviews, and discussion forums. History ''D ...

'' claimed: "the tracks themselves work if you can get past the contrast. That might even be what makes you love it rather than hate it. The problem is that if you're going to have a deep concept behind your pop tracks then it really needs to be stronger or more current than something that has gone before". Patric Fallon of ''

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'' wrote: "future is YACHT's would-be critique of our pre-dystopian, post-Internet culture, but it rarely comes off as more than a charismatic cover band singing us yesterday's news".

Critical reception

Track listing

Charts

References

External links