- Source: Exit Wounds (The Wallflowers album)
Exit Wounds is the seventh studio album by the Wallflowers, their first in nine years since the release of Glad All Over (2012). The album debuted No. 183 on the US Billboard 200. On Billboard's Top Album Sales chart it debuted at No. 3, making it the band's highest-charting album yet. It was released by New West Records on July 9, 2021. Singer-songwriter Shelby Lynne's backing vocals are featured on four tracks. "Roots and Wings" was released as the first single on April 9, 2021.
Background
Although the album was written and finished before the COVID-19 pandemic, Jakob Dylan said he said he did not want to put it out during a time of such uncertainty and suffering. In speaking to Uproxx about the origins of the album he said "these songs are written before Covid, but we still had the dumpster fire of everything else that was happening before that." Dylan noted that while he does not consider it to be a political album, current events in the United States certainly had an impact on his writing. As he emphasized to Consequence of Sound, perseverance in spite of turbulent times is a major theme on the album. This theme is especially notable on the track "I'll Let You Down (But I Will Not Give You Up)", which uses a "wayward bus" as a metaphor for social upheaval in the United States, but features a hopeful chorus with Shelby Lynne singing harmony.
Reception
Exit Wounds received a score of 72 out of 100 from Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Mojo gave it four out of five stars and called it Dylan's "best original work by some yards." In a mostly positive review, American Songwriter wrote that "the sound is leaner, a little less rough around the edges and solidly in sync as well." Rolling Stone's review was mixed, giving the album three out of five stars, and writing that Dylan "can evoke an Americana-tinged Warren Zevon, gruff but tender, with the best songs featuring Shelby Lynne's empathetic vocals."
Musical style
Pitchfork assessed the album as a return to classic rock with no adjustments made to accommodate "contemporary fashion," referencing the album's opener "Maybe Your Heart's Not in It No More" as a showcase of "soulful Americana."
Classic Rock magazine largely agreed in terms of the style of the album, describing the majority of the music as radiating a "melancholic Americana". Classic Rock also praised its variety: referencing elements of pop rock, roots rock, as well as a country music influence, due in large part to the contributions of guest vocalist Shelby Lynne on four tracks. The album's overall genre was described as a combination of Americana and rock-inflected power pop.
Glide magazine classified the album as having a "stripped-down guitar-forward" sound.
PopMatters wrote that the album was not a blues album, but carried a "subtle nod to the blues throughout", suggesting an album more like The Rolling Stones than The Beatles.
Track listing
Personnel
Jakob Dylan - vocals, guitar
Butch Walker - producer, recording engineer, guitar, keyboards, percussion, backing vocals
Mark Stepro - drums
Whynot Jansveld - bass, mastering engineer
Aaron Embry - keyboards
Val McCallum - guitar
Shelby Lynne - vocals (tracks 1,5,6,7)
Brian Griffin - drums (track 6)
Todd Stopera - assistant engineer
Chris Dugan - mix engineer
Artwork and design: Rob Carmichael, SEEN
Interior Photo: Paige Dylan
Charts
Singles
References
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