Bright Future (Adrianne Lenker album)
Sixth solo album by Adrianne Lenker, nominated for a Grammy.
Bright Future is Adrianne Lenker's sixth solo album, recorded in autumn 2022 at Double Infinity studio in the woods.[1] The album was produced by Philip Weinrobe and features contributions from Nick Hakim, Mat Davidson, and Josefin Runsteen.[1] On November 8, 2024, the 67th Annual Grammy Awards included Bright Future as a nominee in the Best Folk Album category.[2]
Quick Facts
- Artist
- Adrianne Lenker
- Released
- 22 March 2024
- Recorded
- 2022
- Studio
- Double Infinity
- Length
- 43:31
- Label
- 4AD
- Producer
- Philip Weinrobe, Adrianne Lenker
Facts from the source article.
Making and release
Lenker gathered close friends at Double Infinity, an analog studio "somewhere in the Northeast," to rehearse songs she thought might be ready.[3] She initially had no intentions of creating an album with these musicians.[1] The sessions had a daytime energy, with the group eating dinner and hanging out by the fireplace in the evening.[4] Lenker only listened to playback after everybody else left.[4]
The lead single "Ruined" was released on December 5, 2023.[5] The second single "Sadness as a Gift" was released on January 17, 2024, alongside the album announcement.[6] "Fool" was released as the third single on February 20, and "Free Treasure" as the fourth on March 18.[6][7] The entire process of recording, mixing, and mastering Bright Future used only analog tape, with no computer screen involved at any point.[1]
Lenker composed "Ruined" at age 25, and it appeared on the album seven years later.[3] "Once a Bunch," a track cut during the Bright Future recording sessions, came out as a single on August 6, 2024.[8]
What the cited sources add
The album cover shows Lenker as a blurred cowboy with a fearless gaze, staring directly at the camera.[3] For Lenker, loving, listening to, and sharing space with others is intuitive practice.[3] The album includes the original recording of the fan-favorite Big Thief song "Vampire Empire"[9] The album was released on March 22 on 4AD.[10]
Pitchfork's Andy Cush awarded Bright Future the Best New Music designation and described it as "free-flowing and intuitive."[11]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Real House | 5:58 |
| 2 | Sadness as a Gift | 4:19 |
| 3 | Fool | 2:54 |
| 4 | No Machine | 3:00 |
| 5 | Free Treasure | 3:35 |
| 6 | Vampire Empire | 3:55 |
| 7 | Evol | 4:44 |
| 8 | Candleflame | 2:34 |
| 9 | Already Lost | 3:27 |
| 10 | Cell Phone Says | 2:38 |
| 11 | Donut Seam | 2:25 |
| 12 | Ruined | 4:32 |
| Total length | 43:31 | |
Track listing from the source article.
References
- Wikipedia, "Bright Future (Adrianne Lenker album)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Vallie, "Adrianne Lenker", Fox Oakland Theatre; Chelosky, "Adrianne Lenker – "Sadness As A Gift"", Stereogum, January 17, 2024; Martoccio, "Adrianne Lenker Drops Devastatingly Great Sadness As a Gift", January 17, 2024; Vito, "Adrianne Lenker Announces New Solo Album Bright Future, Shares "Sadness As a Gift": Stream", Consequence, January 17, 2024; Kearns, "Big Thief's Adrianne Lenker Announces New LP Bright Future, Drops Touching Track "Sadness as a Gift"", Hypebeast, January 17, 2024; Lenker, "@adriannelenker on en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Bright Future (Adrianne Lenker album)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Monroe, "Grammy Nominations 2025: See the Full List Here", Pitchfork, 2024-11-08; "Adrienne Lenker Artist GRAMMY.com", grammy.com (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Zhang, "Adrianne Lenker Wants You to Cherish Your Heartbreak", The Cut, 2024-03-22. facts only, no text reused. thecut.com
- Vallie, "Adrianne Lenker", Fox Oakland Theatre. facts only, no text reused. thefoxoakland.com
- Wikipedia, "Bright Future (Adrianne Lenker album)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Sherburne, "Adrianne Lenker: "Ruined" Track Review", Pitchfork, December 5, 2023 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Bright Future (Adrianne Lenker album)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Natanawan, "Adrianne Lenker Announces New Album, Bright Future", Paste, January 17, 2024 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Bright Future (Adrianne Lenker album)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Rettig, "Adrianne Lenker – "Fool"", Stereogum, February 20, 2024; Rettig, "Adrianne Lenker – "Free Treasure"", Stereogum, March 18, 2024; "Adrianne Lenker on New Album Bright Future and the Influence of Deep Impact: Podcast", Consequence, March 18, 2024 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Bright Future (Adrianne Lenker album)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Adrianne Lenker Shares New Single "Once A Bunch": Listen", Stereogum, 2024-08-06; "Adrianne Lenker Returns with "Bright Future" B-Side "Once a Bunch"", FLOOD (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Chelosky, "Adrianne Lenker – "Sadness As A Gift"", Stereogum, January 17, 2024. facts only, no text reused. stereogum.com
- "ALBUM REVIEW: With 'Bright Future,' Adrianne Lenker Underscores Her Depth and Versatility", No Depression. facts only, no text reused. nodepression.com
- Wikipedia, "Bright Future (Adrianne Lenker album)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Cush, "Adrianne Lenker: Bright Future Review", Pitchfork, March 21, 2024; Brown, "Adrianne Lenker - Bright Future", DIY, March 21, 2024; "ALBUM REVIEW: With 'Bright Future,' Adrianne Lenker Underscores Her Depth and Versatility", No Depression (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Bright Future (Adrianne Lenker album) (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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