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The Center Won't Hold

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The Center Won't Hold
The faces of the band members in strips overlaid into one composite face
Studio albumby
Sleater-Kinney
ReleasedAugust 16, 2019(2019-08-16)
Recorded2018–2019
StudioHafling Studios (Portland, Oregon)[1]
Genre
Length36:16
LabelMom + Pop
ProducerSt. Vincent
Sleater-Kinneychronology
No Cities to Love
(2015) 		The Center Won't Hold
(2019) 		Path of Wellness
(2021)
SinglesfromThe Center Won't Hold
  1. "Hurry on Home"
    Released: May 29, 2019
  2. "Can I Go On"
    Released: August 5, 2019

The Center Won't Holdis the ninth studio album by American rock bandSleater-Kinney,released on August 16, 2019 byMom + Pop Music.[3]The album was produced bySt. Vincentand is the last album with drummerJanet Weiss,who announced her departure from the band on July 1, 2019, a month before the album was released.[4]Upon release, the album received generally favorable reviews from critics.[5]

Recording and release

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By January 2018, the band was said to be working on their follow-up toNo Cities to Love,thoughCarrie Brownsteinhas said that they're "going to do this very slowly".[6]Carrie Brownsteinsuggested toJeff Tweedythat he produce some songs with the band but they began working withSt. Vincentfirst and they enjoyed working with her so much that they decided to continue with her.[7]In January 2019, the band announced that a new album would be expected the same year, produced by St. Vincent.[8]

Singles

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"Hurry On Home" was released as the album's lead single on May 29, 2019.[9]The band performed the song onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallonon June 19, 2019.[10]"Can I Go On" serves as the second single, impactingTriple A radioon August 5, 2019.[11]A promotional single, "The Future Is Here", was released on June 14, 2019.[12]The title track was released as the second promotional single on July 17, 2019.[13]

Composition

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WithThe Center,Sleater-Kinney was credited with adding the explicit "artiness" ofpost-punk"to theirpunkroar. "[1]It is also seen as a "sleek [and] sharp" fusion ofindustrial musicandsynth-pop.[2]

According to Janet Weiss, Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein made it clear during the making of the album that Weiss would no longer be a creative equal in the band and would just serve as the band's drummer. Upon completion of recording, Weiss felt reluctant to perform the album's songs live due to her lack of involvement in the creation process and opted to leave the band prior to the album's release.[14]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.7/10[15]
Metacritic80/100[5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The A.V. ClubA[2]
The Guardian[16]
The Independent[17]
NME[18]
The Observer[19]
Pitchfork7.9/10[20]
Q[21]
Rolling Stone[22]
Uncut8/10[23]

According to the review aggregatorMetacritic,The Center Won't Holdreceived "generally favorable reviews" based on aweighted averagescore of 80 out of 100 from 30 critic scores.[5]The A.V. Clubincluded "Hurry On Home" as part of its list of the 30 best queer rock tracks of 2019[24]and reviewer Katie Rife gave it a positive assessment, writing: "Sleek and shredded, the song bears the stamp of producer St. Vincent, whose slinky sexiness collides with Sleater-Kinney’s heavy riffage with all the power—and entertainment value—of Godzilla battling King Kong."[25]

Upon the album's release, Rife praised the relevance of the songwriting and St. Vincent's production.[2]ComparingThe Center Won't Holdto the band's previous albums,The Fadercalled the album a "beastlier-sounding record than any of those, with wide-open expanses full of slime and bile and some of the band’s most vicious lyrics, blown up to occupy every part of the mix".[7]InUncut,Sharon O'Connell called it "furiously, vitally Sleater-Kinney".[23]Caryn Rose, writing forPitchfork,described the production as standing out from the rest of the band's discography, but still keeping the elements they are known for.[20]While ambivalent about St. Vincent's "polished" arty production,Robert Christgaugave the album an A-minus and observed ahooky"musical efficiency" throughout, along with allusive political content "from itsYeatsianopener to a closer that invokes both#MeTooandHillary '16if you want it to ".[26]

Kate Hutchinson ofThe Observerwas less positive, suggesting that Sleater-Kinney is trying too hard, when they "have always felt effortless".[19]Writing forTiny Mix Tapes,Jeremy Klein gave a mixed review, with a score of three out of five, calling the collaboration with St. Vincent ultimately disappointing and calling the band "lost" while giving a positive reception to several tracks.[27]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Sleater-Kinney

No.TitleLength
1."The Center Won't Hold"3:30
2."Hurry On Home"2:48
3."Reach Out"3:30
4."Can I Go On"3:30
5."Restless"2:41
6."Ruins"5:18
7."Love"2:16
8."Bad Dance"2:45
9."The Future Is Here"3:00
10."The Dog/The Body"4:22
11."Broken"3:02
Total length:36:16

Personnel

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Sleater-Kinney

Technical personnel

Artwork

  • Clare Byrne – styling
  • Charlie Engman – photography
  • Humberto Leon– creative direction
  • João Moraes/Framework – art direction
  • Tina Outen – hair
  • Brian Phillips – creative direction
  • Kanako Takase – makeup
  • McLayne Ycmat – design

Charts

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Album

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Chart performance forThe Center Won't Hold
Chart (2019) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[28] 34
Belgian Albums (UltratopWallonia)[29] 147
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[30] 73
Scottish Albums(OCC)[31] 9
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[32] 64
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[33] 83
UK Albums(OCC)[34] 45
USBillboard200[35] 27
USTop Alternative Albums(Billboard)[36] 2
USTop Rock Albums(Billboard)[37] 4

Singles

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Singles chart performance
Year Single Peak
USTriple A Songs[38]
2019 "Hurry On Home" 35
2019 "Can I Go On" 24

References

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  1. ^abcdeErlewine, Stephen Thomas."The Center Won't Hold– Sleater-Kinney ".AllMusic.RetrievedSeptember 3,2019.
  2. ^abcdeRife, Katie (August 14, 2019)."Sleater-Kinney is down, but not defeated, onThe Center Won't Hold".The A.V. Club.RetrievedAugust 14,2019.
  3. ^Rife, Katie (June 14, 2019)."Sleater-Kinney announces new albumThe Center Won't Hold,produced by St. Vincent ".The A.V. Club.RetrievedJuly 10,2019.
  4. ^Sodomsky, Sam (July 1, 2019)."Janet Weiss Leaves Sleater-Kinney".Pitchfork.RetrievedJuly 1,2019.
  5. ^abc"The Center Won't Holdby Sleater-Kinney Reviews and Tracks ".Metacritic.RetrievedAugust 25,2019.
  6. ^Blais-Billie, Braudie (January 10, 2018)."Sleater-Kinney Working on New Album".Pitchfork.RetrievedJanuary 11,2019.
  7. ^abRoss, Alex Robert (June 14, 2019)."The death and rebirth of Sleater-Kinney".The Fader.RetrievedJune 19,2019.
  8. ^Hilton, Robin (January 8, 2019)."New Sleater-Kinney Album, Produced by St. Vincent, Confirmed for This Year".All Songs Considered.KQED,forNPR.RetrievedJune 14,2019.
  9. ^Moreland, Quinn (May 29, 2019)."'Hurry on Home' by Sleater-Kinney ".Pitchfork.RetrievedJune 15,2019.
  10. ^Cush, Andy (June 20, 2019)."Watch Sleater-Kinney Play" Hurry on Home "on Fallon".Spin.RetrievedJune 28,2019.
  11. ^"Future Triple A Releases".AllAccess.RetrievedAugust 3,2019.
  12. ^Zemler, Emily (June 14, 2019)."'Sleater-Kinney Preview St. Vincent-Produced Album With 'The Future Is Here'".Rolling Stone.RetrievedJune 28,2019.
  13. ^Shaffer, Claire; Reed, Ryan (July 17, 2019)."Hear Sleater-Kinney's Dark, Experimental New Song 'The Center Won't Hold'".Rolling Stone.RetrievedJuly 17,2019.
  14. ^Kreps, Daniel (November 20, 2019)."Janet Weiss Opens Up About Sleater-Kinney Exit: 'The Roles Changed Within the Band'".Rolling Stone.RetrievedNovember 10,2023.
  15. ^"The Center Won't Holdby Sleater-Kinney reviews ".AnyDecentMusic?.RetrievedAugust 30,2019.
  16. ^Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (August 15, 2019)."Sleater-Kinney:The Centre Won't Holdreview – fighting death with sex ".The Guardian.RetrievedSeptember 3,2019.
  17. ^Pollard, Alexandra (August 15, 2019)."Sleater-Kinney,The Center Won't Holdreview: Anxious, pent-up and personal ".The Independent.RetrievedSeptember 3,2019.
  18. ^Hunt, El (August 15, 2019)."Sleater-Kinney – 'The Center Won't Hold' album review".NME.RetrievedNovember 28,2019.
  19. ^abHutchinson, Kate (August 18, 2019)."Sleater-Kinney:The Center Won't Holdreview – trying too hard? ".The Observer.ISSN0029-7712.RetrievedAugust 26,2019.
  20. ^abRose, Caryn (August 20, 2019)."Sleater-Kinney:The Center Won't Hold".Pitchfork.RetrievedAugust 26,2019.
  21. ^Lynskey, Dorian (September 2019). "Brave New World".Q(402): 106.
  22. ^Hermes, Will(August 14, 2019)."Sleater-Kinney's 'The Center Won't Hold' is a Vital Response to a Disconnected World".Rolling Stone.RetrievedSeptember 3,2019.
  23. ^abO'Connell, Sharon (September 2019). "Sleater-Kinney:The Center Won't Hold".Uncut(268): 18.
  24. ^Colburn, Randall (June 17, 2019)."From loud to loudest: The A.V. Club's favorite queer rock of 2019 (so far)".The A.V. Club.RetrievedJune 17,2019.
  25. ^Rife, Katie (May 31, 2019)."5 new releases we love: A sexy, riff-heavy collision, a bracing alté debut, and more".The A.V. Club.RetrievedAugust 14,2019.
  26. ^Christgau, Robert(October 9, 2019)."Consuemr Guide: October, 2019".And It Don't Stop.Substack.RetrievedJuly 18,2020.
  27. ^Klein, Jeremy (September 2019)."Sleater-Kinney –The Center Won't Hold".Tiny Mix Tapes.
  28. ^"Australiancharts.com – Sleater-Kinney – The Center Won't Hold".Hung Medien. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  29. ^"Ultratop.be – Sleater-Kinney – The Center Won't Hold"(in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  30. ^"Offiziellecharts.de – Sleater-Kinney – The Center Won't Hold"(in German).GfK Entertainment Charts.Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  31. ^"Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100".Official Charts Company.Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  32. ^"Spanishcharts.com – Sleater-Kinney – The Center Won't Hold".Hung Medien. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  33. ^"Swisscharts.com – Sleater-Kinney – The Center Won't Hold".Hung Medien. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
  34. ^"Official Albums Chart Top 100".Official Charts Company.Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  35. ^"Sleater-Kinney Chart History (Billboard200) ".Billboard.Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  36. ^"Sleater-Kinney Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)".Billboard.Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  37. ^"Sleater-Kinney Chart History (Top Rock Albums)".Billboard.Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  38. ^"Sleater-Kinney Chart History".Billboard.July 20, 2019.RetrievedAugust 14,2019.
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