Sea of Noise

On May 23, 2016, Rolling Stone reported that St. Paul and The Broken Bones were to release Sea of Noise on September 9, 2016.^[2] A trailer for the album, which shows the band recording album track "Crumbling Light Posts Pt. 1" with the Tennessee Mass Choir, was released in conjunction.^[3] Sea of Noise is the first album by the band since the departure of trombonist Ben Griner in May 2015.^[4]

The album was preceded by the release of the lead single "All I Ever Wonder" on June 16, 2016. The song was inspired by vocalist Paul Janeway's apathy towards multiple issues, and the song addresses topics such as gentrification and politics.^[5][6]

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	80/100[7]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[8]
American Songwriter	[9]
Paste	7.5/10[10]
Rolling Stone	[11]
Uncut	[12]

Upon release, Sea of Noise received positive acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 based on reviews from critics, the album has an average score of 80 based on 5 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[7]

Ann Powers of NPR wrote that the album "lifts [St. Paul and The Broken Bones] from its spot as the nation's best young party band into headier and more exciting territory," and highlighted how the album is relevant in current times by noting that several of the album's tracks address topics such as racial injustice and political unrest.^[1]