Local Valley
2021 studio album by José González
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Local Valley is the fourth studio album by Swedish singer-songwriter José González, released on 17 September 2021 by City Slang and Mute Records.[6][7]
- Studio Koltrast (Hakefjorden, Sweden)
- Studio Koltrast (Linné, Sweden)
| Local Valley | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 17 September 2021 | |||
| Studios |
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| Genres | Folk,[1][2][3] indie folk[4][5] | |||
| Length | 41:55 | |||
| Labels | ||||
| Producer | José González | |||
| José González chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Local Valley | ||||
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It succeeds González's third studio album Vestiges and Claws, which was released in 2015, as well as the live album Live in Europe.[8]
Four singles preceded Local Valley, including "El Invento",[9] "Visions"[10][11] "Head On",[12] and "Swing".[13]
Background
Local Valley was recorded and produced by José González at Studio Koltrast in Hakefjorden and Studio Koltrast in Linné, Sweden.[14][15] "Line of Fire" is a re-recording of the 2013 song of the same name by González's band, Junip.[16]
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.3/10[17] |
| Metacritic | 76/100[18] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [19] |
| American Songwriter | [1] |
| Clash | 7/10[20] |
| Gigwise | 8/10[2] |
| The Line of Best Fit | 7/10[3] |
| Mojo | [16] |
| Pitchfork | 6.6/10[5] |
| PopMatters | 7/10[21] |
| Uncut | 8/10[14] |
| Under the Radar | 8/10[4] |
Local Valley received positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 76, based on 12 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[18] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.3 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[17] In an 8/10 review, Sam Richards of Uncut wrote, "His always inventive finger- picking is more expansive and fluid, his vocals less vexed, his melodies more direct. As a result, [second track] "Visions" might be the best song he's written since his 2003 debut single "Crosses"."[14] Victoria Segal of Mojo wrote, "Local Valley has no lows, nor any thrilling highs, but it's an even, easy pleasure from start to finish."[16]
Track listing
All tracks are written by José González, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "El Invento" | 2:33 | |
| 2. | "Visions" | 3:55 | |
| 3. | "Void" | 3:09 | |
| 4. | "Horizons" | 3:16 | |
| 5. | "Head On" | 4:45 | |
| 6. | "Valle Local" | 2:23 | |
| 7. | "Lasso In" | 3:47 | |
| 8. | "Lilla G" | 2:00 | |
| 9. | "Swing" |
| 3:33 |
| 10. | "Tjomme" | 4:56 | |
| 11. | "Line of Fire" |
| 3:08 |
| 12. | "En Stund På Jorden" | Laleh Pourkarim | 2:42 |
| 13. | "Honey Honey" |
| 1:48 |
| Total length: | 41:55 | ||
Notes
- ^[a] signifies an additional lyricist
Charts
| Chart (2021) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[23] | 41 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[24] | 72 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[25] | 156 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[26] | 20 |
| Portuguese Albums (AFP)[27] | 43 |
| Scottish Albums (Official Charts)[28] | 25 |
| Spanish Albums (Promusicae)[29] | 77 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[30] | 25 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[31] | 41 |
| UK Independent Albums (Official Charts)[32] | 9 |
| US Americana/Folk Albums (Billboard)[33] | 12 |
| US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[34] | 29 |