To Be Kind

To Be Kind
an unhappy baby’s face in the middle of a plain brown background
Standard cover art for the album, digital editions of the album feature the same baby's face, slightly enlarged, in the middle of a white background
Studio album by
Swans
ReleasedMay 12, 2014 (2014-05-12)
Recorded2013
StudioSonic Ranch (Tornillo, Texas)
Genre
Length121:12
LanguageEnglish
Label
Producer
Swans chronology
Not Here / Not Now
(2013) 		To Be Kind
(2014) 		Oxygen
(2014)
Singles from To Be Kind
  1. "A Little God In My Hands"
    Released: March 21, 2014
  2. "Oxygen"
    Released: November 24, 2014
  3. "Screen Shot"
    Released: 2015

To Be Kind is the thirteenth studio album by American experimental rock band Swans, released on May 12, 2014. A double album, it was recorded by producer John Congleton in Texas.

The songs were developed during the band's 2012 and 2013 tours. The deluxe edition includes a live DVD of the band's performance at the 2013 Primavera Sound festival in Barcelona.[5][6][7]

Critical reception of the album was very positive, continuing a string of well-received albums from the band. The album peaked at number 37 on US Billboard 200, and debuted at number 38 on the UK Albums Chart. Both are the highest chartings that Swans had ever achieved on a studio album and it is the first time that the band cracked the top 40 in both countries.[8][9]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference drownedinsound-review was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference avclub was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Brendan Frank (May 14, 2014). "Review: Swans, To Be Kind". Pretty Much Amazing. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  4. ^ Terich, Jeff (May 27, 2015). "Swans : Filth (Deluxe Edition)". Treble. Archived from the original on October 22, 2020. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  5. ^ Minsker, Evan (January 27, 2014). "Swans Announce New Album To Be Kind Featuring St. Vincent, Michael Gira Announces Solo Tour". Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on January 30, 2014. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  6. ^ Breihan, Tom (January 27, 2014). "Swans Announce Double Album To Be Kind". Stereogum. Archived from the original on January 31, 2014. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  7. ^ Young, Alex (January 27, 2014). "Swans announce new album, To Be Kind, featuring St. Vincent". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on June 20, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference billboard-200 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference official-uk was invoked but never defined (see the help page).