''Simple Forms'' is the third studio album by New Zealand
indie electronic
Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...
band
The Naked and Famous
The Naked and Famous are a New Zealand indie electronic band from Auckland, formed in 2007. The band currently consists of Alisa Xayalith (vocals, keyboards) and Thom Powers (vocals, guitars).
The band has released four studio albums: ''Passiv ...
. It was released on 14 October 2016 by Somewhat Damaged in partnership with
Kobalt Label Services.
"
Higher" was released as the album's lead single on 8 July 2016.
Critical reception
Matt Collar of
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
commented that ''Simple Forms'' is "less overtly bombastic than the group's previous work" and "
ere's a tenderness to the arrangements that feels straightforward and uncluttered", concluding, "Ultimately, if there is a nuanced sophistication to the band's work on ''Simple Forms'', it feels genuine and hard-won."
Jaymz Clements of ''
Rolling Stone Australia
''Rolling Stone Australia'' is the Australian edition of the United States' ''Rolling Stone'' magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture, published monthly. The Australian version of ''Rolling Stone'' was initially published in 197 ...
'' wrote, "At times,
..it feels like the Naked and Famous are playing musical catch-up, as ''Simple Forms'' struggles to move beyond place-holder synth-pop like 'Water Beneath You'. But when
Xayalith and former partner Thom Powers team up on the sparkling 'My Energy' and 'Last Forever', their taut, dynamic atmosphere shines."
Cyclone Wehner of
News.com.au
News.com.au (stylised in all lowercase) is an Australian website owned by News Corp Australia. It had 9.6 million unique readers in April 2019 and covers national and international news, lifestyle, travel, entertainment, technology, finance an ...
felt that "
e trouble is that TNAF
..tend to work to an anthemic formula. And no songs here are as memorable as the early '
Young Blood'."
Track listing
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Simple Forms''.
The Naked and Famous
*
The Naked and Famous
The Naked and Famous are a New Zealand indie electronic band from Auckland, formed in 2007. The band currently consists of Alisa Xayalith (vocals, keyboards) and Thom Powers (vocals, guitars).
The band has released four studio albums: ''Passiv ...
– production
* Thomas Powers – production
Additional personnel
*
Ken Andrews – mixing
*
Carlos de la Garza
Captain Carlos de la Garza (1807–1882), also known as "Don Carlos," was a fourth generation Tejano rancher and entrepreneur in Goliad, Victoria and Refugio counties of Texas. His participation in the Mexican Army leading to the Battle of Col ...
– live instrumentation engineering
* Joel Kefali – artwork
*
Joe LaPorta
Joseph J. LaPorta (born January 19, 1980) is an American mastering engineer at Sterling Sound in Edgewater, New Jersey.
Career
LaPorta was born in New York and grew up there; he graduated from New York University with a bachelor's degree in ...
– mastering
* Sombear – additional production
Charts
Release history
References
{{Authority control
2016 albums
Albums produced by Carlos de la Garza (music producer)
The Naked and Famous albums