''Not Even Happiness'' is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter

Julie Byrne Julie Byrne is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist from Buffalo, New York. To date, she has released two studio albums, ''Rooms With Walls and Windows'' (2014) and ''Not Even Happiness'' (2017). Biography Early life Born and raised i ...

. It was released on 13 January 2017 by Basin Rock in the United Kingdom and on 27 January 2017 by

Ba Da Bing Records Ba Da Bing Records is an American record label based in Brooklyn, New York. The name is derived from the saying "ba da bing, ba da boom", common among Italian-Americans, especially in New Jersey. The label was founded in Leonia, New Jersey in 19 ...

in the United States.

Background and composition

The album was recorded and mixed in Byrne's hometown,

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

, except for the string arrangements by Jake Falby, which were recorded at a cabin in

Holderness, New Hampshire Holderness is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,004 at the 2020 census. An agricultural and resort area, Holderness is home to the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center and is located on Squam Lake. Holderne ...

. The album is labeled as a

contemporary folk Contemporary folk music refers to a wide variety of genres that emerged in the mid 20th century and afterwards which were associated with traditional folk music. Starting in the mid-20th century a new form of popular folk music evolved from tradit ...

release. According to Ed Nash of The Line of Best Fit, ''Not Even Happiness'' features

leitmotif A leitmotif or leitmotiv () is a "short, recurring musical phrase" associated with a particular person, place, or idea. It is closely related to the musical concepts of ''idée fixe'' or ''motto-theme''. The spelling ''leitmotif'' is an anglici ...

s of "nature and matters of the heart".

Critical reception

''Not Even Happiness'' received universal acclaim from music critics. On

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 ...

, the album holds an average critic score of 82, based on 22 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Ed Nash of ''

The Line of Best Fit ''The Line of Best Fit'' is an independent online magazine based in London, concentrating on new music. It publishes independent music reviews, features, interview, and media. Founded by Richard Thane in February 2007 and currently edited by P ...

'' gave the album a positive review, dubbing it "Album of the Week".

Accolades

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from ''Not Even Happiness'' album liner notes. * Julie Byrne – writing, performing * Michele Finkelstein – flute (track 3) * Chris Masullo – guitar (track 8) * Jake Falby – string arrangements * Johanna Warren – backing vocals * Eric Littmann – recording, mixing, synths and production * Alan Douches – mastering * Jonathan Bouknight – photography

References

{{Authority control 2017 albums Julie Byrne albums Ba Da Bing Records albums Contemporary folk albums