As Days Get Dark

As Days Get Dark
Studio album by
Arab Strap
Released5 March 2021 (2021-03-05)
StudioChem19 (Glasgow, Scotland)
GenreAlternative rock
Length47:19
LabelRock Action
ProducerPaul Savage
Arab Strap chronology
The Last Romance
(2003) 		As Days Get Dark
(2021) 		I'm Totally Fine with It Don't Give a Fuck Anymore
(2024)
Singles from As Days Get Dark
  1. "The Turning of Our Bones"
    Released: 23 October 2020
  2. "Here Comes Comus!"
    Released: 2021
  3. "Fable of the Urban Fox"
    Released: 2021

As Days Get Dark is the seventh studio album by Scottish indie rock band Arab Strap, released on 15 March 2021 on Rock Action.

It is their first album in 16 years (since The Last Romance) and their first since officially reforming in 2016.

Overview

The usual lyrical preoccupations of Arab Strap—depravity, drinking and despair—are in evidence on As Days Get Dark, with allusions to voodoo ritual ("The Turning of the Bones") and Greek mythology ("Here Comes Comus!") alongside commentaries on immigration ("Fable of the Urban Fox"), social media ("Bluebird"), and emotional burnout ("Tears on Tour").

Artwork

The album art depicts a personal computer desktop with two windows open, both displaying images. The 1886 painting "The Night Escorted by the Geniuses of Love and Study" by Pedro Américo is foregrounded, but clearly obscures a presumably pornographic image of a reclining figure clad in nylons and little if anything else. The back cover is similar, with what appears to be the same image this time obscured by both the track listing (in a bespoke Microsoft Word) and Lorenzo Costa's "The Reign of Comus".

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic84/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
NME4/5[3]
Pitchfork8.0/10[4]

As Days Get Dark was received positively, with some reviewers describing it as the band's best work.[3]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Malcolm Middleton and Aidan Moffat

As Days Get Dark track listing
No.TitleLength
1."The Turning of Our Bones"5:03
2."Another Clockwork Day"3:30
3."Compersion Pt. 1"3:36
4."Bluebird"2:52
5."Kebabylon"5:15
6."Tears on Tour"4:29
7."Here Comes Comus!"4:14
8."Fable of the Urban Fox"4:55
9."I Was Once a Weak Man"3:27
10."Sleeper"6:24
11."Just Enough"3:33

Charts

Chart performance for As Days Get Dark
Chart (2021) Peak
position
Scottish Albums (OCC)[5] 1
UK Albums (OCC)[6] 14
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[7] 3

References

  1. ^ "Reviews for As Days Get Dark by Arab Strap". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved 12 April 2002.
  2. ^ Thomas, Fred. "As Days Get Dark – Arab Strap". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 12 April 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Arab Strap – 'As Days Get Dark' review: a superbly seedy career-best". NME. 3 March 2021. Archived from the original on 12 April 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  4. ^ Berman, Stuart (11 March 2021). "Arab Strap: As Days Get Dark". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 12 April 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  5. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  6. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  7. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 April 2022.