| Strange Disciple | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 15, 2023 | |||
| Length | 44:02 | |||
| Label | PIAS | |||
| Producer | Nick Millhiser | |||
| Nation of Language chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Strange Disciple | ||||
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Strange Disciple is the third studio album by American synth-pop band Nation of Language, released on September 15, 2023 via PIAS. It is their first album since A Way Forward in 2021.
The first single, "Sole Obsession", was released on March 8, 2023. The album was announced on April 13, 2023, with the release of the single "Weak in Your Light". A third single, "Stumbling Still", was released on May 17, 2023. The fourth single, "Too Much, Enough", was released on July 26, 2023. A fifth and final single, "Sightseer", was released on September 11, 2023. According to the band, the album's central theme is "infatuation and how one's reality can be warped by it." The album was produced by Nick Millhiser of Holy Ghost!. It marks the addition of bassist Alex MacKay, following the departure of Michael Sue-Poi.
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 78/100 |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Clash | 8/10 |
| NME | |
| Pitchfork | 7.3/10 |
Strange Disciple received a score of 78 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on six critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception. Erica Campbell of NME said, "With their third album, Nation Of Language prove their able to stretch their auditory imagination, all while sticking to their roots." Similarly, AllMusic's Marcy Donelson writes how the band "adhere strictly to a core timbral palette and, at least so far, always sound like themselves." Reviewing the album for Pitchfork, Hattie Lindert called the album "another achievement in economy, a project that looks to the sound of new wave as a springboard, not a textbook, and lets small touches shine". In a more mixed assessment, Leo Lawton of Loud and Quiet wrote, "If you were to wedge this album in between those of OMD, Gary Numan and the Jesus and Mary Chain, Strange Disciple might become slightly easier to locate... Whilst this record may lack much stylistic disparity across each track, I can't argue with the fact that Nation of Language's late-'80s pastiche is very well executed."
All tracks are written by Nation of Language.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Weak in Your Light" | 4:15 |
| 2. | "Sole Obsession" | 4:16 |
| 3. | "Surely I Can't Wait" | 4:03 |
| 4. | "Swimming in the Shallow Sea" | 4:37 |
| 5. | "Too Much, Enough" | 4:51 |
| 6. | "Spare Me the Decision" | 2:46 |
| 7. | "Sightseer" | 4:19 |
| 8. | "Stumbling Still" | 4:39 |
| 9. | "A New Goodbye" | 5:21 |
| 10. | "I Will Never Learn" | 4:55 |
| Total length: | 44:02 | |
Nation of Language
Additional contributors
| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Scottish Albums (Official Charts) | 29 |
| UK Album Downloads (Official Charts) | 49 |
| UK Independent Albums (Official Charts) | 12 |
