Freedom (Amen Dunes album)

Freedom
Studio album by
Amen Dunes
ReleasedMarch 30, 2018 (2018-03-30)
Studio
Genre
Length47:06
LabelSacred Bones
ProducerChris Coady
Amen Dunes chronology
Cowboy Worship
(2015) 		Freedom
(2018)
Singles from Freedom
  1. "Miki Dora"
    Released: January 17, 2018
  2. "Blue Rose"
    Released: February 14, 2018
  3. "Believe"
    Released: March 13, 2018

Freedom is the fifth studio album by American indie rock band Amen Dunes. It was released on March 30, 2018 by Sacred Bones Records.[1][2][3][4]

The album was written by Damon McMahon in Portugal and New York City in 2015. It was recorded primarily at the renowned Electric Lady Studios in Greenwich Village. Produced by Chris Coady, the album marks a clear shift from the lo-fi, dark sound and dense lyrics of previous Amen Dunes records to a more accessible pop rock style with more direct lyricism. It has a more electronic sound with synths backing the songs and electric guitar in place of McMahon's usual acoustic guitar sound. Written and recorded over the span of three years, Freedom features a number of musicians including Italian electronic artist Panoram (Raffaele Martirani), Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist Nick Zinner and Amen Dunes collaborators Parker Kindred and Jordi Wheeler, as well as guitarist Delicate Steve and McMahon's brother Xander Duell. Its lyrical content draws from McMahon's childhood, his relationship with his father, masculinity, and his mother, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer at the beginning of the album's recording. Freedom has been described as a concept album, with each song being an exploration of self through both real and fictional characters.

Upon its release, Freedom received widespread acclaim from music critics, who later ranked it among the best albums of 2018. The album was described by Pitchfork as his "euphoric breakthrough".[5] It was preceded by the singles "Miki Dora", "Blue Rose" and "Believe".

  1. ^ Eisinger, Dale (March 29, 2018). "Amen Dunes Crafts Freedom Into His Most Compelling Album Yet". Spin. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  2. ^ Flanagan, Andrew (March 22, 2018). "Amen Dunes' Damon McMahon Pulls Back His Own Myths On 'Freedom'". NPR.org. Retrieved 2018-08-31.
  3. ^ Yung, Ben (2018-04-02). "Amen Dunes – 'Freedom' (album review)". The Revue. Retrieved 2018-08-31.
  4. ^ Hine, Samuel (30 March 2018). "Damon McMahon of Amen Dunes Just Released the Best Album of 2018 (So Far)". GQ. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Pitchfork was invoked but never defined (see the help page).