''Townie'' is the fourth studio album by American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

X Ambassadors X Ambassadors (also stylized XA) are an American pop rock band from Ithaca, New York. Its members currently include lead vocalist Sam Harris, keyboardist Casey Harris, and drummer Adam Levin. Russ Flynn is a touring member that plays guitar and ...

. It was released on April 5, 2024 by

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman. It grew to be a worldwid ...

, following their third studio album ''The Beautiful Liar'' (2021). The album revolves around band members Sam and Casey Harris' childhood living in

Ithaca Ithaca most commonly refers to: *Homer's Ithaca, an island featured in Homer's ''Odyssey'' *Ithaca (island), an island in Greece, possibly Homer's Ithaca *Ithaca, New York, a city, and home of Cornell University and Ithaca College Ithaca, Ithaka ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. Stylistically, it deviates from the electronic heavy sound of ''The Beautiful Liar'' by incorporating

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

-led melodies and less production. The band embarked on the Townie Tour in promotion of the album.

Background

The genesis for the creation of the album stemmed from Todd Peterson, music teacher and mentor of Sam and Casey Harris, passed away in 2021. After returning to

for the first time in many years, the band began recording and producing the album with most songs being already written. It is also the first album self-produced by the band.

Singles

"No Strings" was released as the lead single from ''Townie'' on January 19, 2024 alongside the announcement of the album. A snippet of the demo of the song was released on the band's YouTube channel on January 2, 2023. As the closer of the album, it describes the notion that you cannot escape from who you are. "Your Town" was released as the second single on February 16, 2024. The song is dedicated to the Harris' childhood music teacher and mentor Todd Peterson who passed away in 2021. It also contains a voicemail Sam Harris received from Peterson weeks before his passing. "Half-Life" was released as the third single on March 15, 2024. It is a love song dedicated to Sam Harris' wife. "Follow the Sound of My Voice" was released as the fourth and final single on March 29, 2024. The song describes Casey Harris' blindness and his family's relationship with it.

Critical reception

''Townie'' received positive reviews from critics. Matt Collar of

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 ...

gave the album a 4 out of 5 stars and wrote that "X Ambassadors may have left Ithaca in search of greater glory, but Townie shows just how much they've carried their hometown and its people with them on the way". He praised the songs "Sunoco", "Your Town", and "Follow the Sound of My Voice".

Track listing

All tracks are written by Sam Harris, Casey Harris, Adam Levin, and Russ Flynn. All tracks are produced by X Ambassadors. Additional writers and producers are included below.

References

{{Authority control 2024 albums X Ambassadors albums Virgin Records albums