Bruises (album)

Did You Know?

• On July 7, 2017, Frampton released an EP titled Bruises Raw through Nettwerk Music Group, containing three acoustic versions of tracks from Bruises.
• The EP Bruises Raw includes acoustic versions of "Blind", "Die Wild", and "Out of Dark", produced by Seth Jones.

Background

After placing second on The Voice’s first season, Frampton saw her debut album Red hit number one on a Billboard chart in late 2012, but then faced label shifts and career hurdles. Her follow-up, Bruises, produced by Dan Heath, emerged from her struggle to rediscover joy following the fallout of reality-TV fame.

Composition

Bruises adopts an earthier core and has been described as a modern pop record. Frampton stated the album is about the ups and downs of life, encompassing moments of shining in light and sinking in darkness, focusing on both wins and losses with a sense of hope. Each track represents either experience: the light or the dark. Musically, arrangements shift between restraint and intensity, including a horn-filled build-up that borders on overwhelming. The album incorporates a sparkle of her journey and an ethereal route. AllMusic noted that the combination of self-awareness and vulnerability gives Bruises a confessional quality, forming a direct emotional connection through her soul-baring purity. The opener "Hope" has a cinematic quality, while "Gold and Silver" features soft, airy vocal flips into falsetto and lyrics about summer nostalgia, though its piano chords sound Autumnal. Frampton incorporates Korean heritage in "Out of the Dark" and "Lights"; in the former she appears to respond to Lorde's song "Buzzcut Season". "Golden Years" focuses on harp strings and violins, possibly extending Florence and the Machine's "Between Two Hungs". Dan Heath's production gives "Crave" a cinematic scope reminiscent of Lana Del Rey. "Lights" brings a vibe of Coldplay, while "Don't Look Back" summons comparisons from Owl City to Sigur Ros' theatrical production. "Blind" is a horn-filled song containing its mantra.

Singles

"Golden Years" was released as the lead single on October 7, 2016. "Gold and Silver" followed as the second single on November 19. "Crave" premiered at BlackBook magazine on January 19, 2017, and served as the third single on January 28. The fourth and final single, "Dead Man", was released on February 18. Its music video, directed by Korean-American filmmaker Andrew Ahn, came out on May 25. Ahn also directed the music video for "Crave", released on June 27 as the second part of a two-part series.

Critical reception

Neil Z. Yeung of AllMusic gave Bruises 4 out of 5 stars, calling it a deeply emotional and mature album chronicling Frampton's struggles in the music industry. ABC News described it as an often stirring record, suggesting Frampton is carving out her own niche. They noted a clear tonal shift from her debut Red, which was made to court the pop masses, while Bruises represents a much deeper effort.