Severe (album)

Severe
Studio album by
My Disco
Released30 October 2015 (2015-10-30)
LabelTemporary Residence Limited
ProducerCornel Wilczek
My Disco chronology
Little Joy
(2011) 		Severe
(2015) 		Environment
(2019)

Severe is the fourth album by Australian experimental trio, My Disco, which was released via Temporary Residence Limited on 30 October 2015. It was short-listed for the 2015 Australian Music Prize.

Background

During the five years following the release of My Disco's third album, Little Joy, and its associated tour, lead guitarist Ben Andrews moved to Jakarta. His brother Liam Andrews, on bass guitar and lead vocals, was living between London and Barcelona, while drummer Rohan Rebeiro was living in Melbourne.[1] The tracks on Severe were written during a three-month period, from April to June 2014.[2] According to Liam, the distance between fellow members made the recording process more "exciting". Unlike the band's two previous albums, Paradise (2008) and Little Joy (2010), which were produced by Steve Albini, Severe was produced by Cornel Wilczek – a film music composer.[1][3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
New Noise Magazine[5]
Ox-Fanzine[6]
Rolling Stone Australia[7]
The Sydney Morning Herald[8]
Vice Germany6/10[9]
The Weekend Australian[10]

Severe received largely positive reviews. Outlets such as Chicago Reader,[11] Spex,[12] and The Quietus[13] praised the album's harsh, uncompromising sound.

Music website The Quietus listed Severe as the 30th best album of 2015.[14] Dave Segal of The Stranger put Severe at the number seven spot on his list of "Top 10 Records of 2015 That Dave Segal Dares You to Check Out If You Think You Can Even Handle It".[15] It was short-listed for the 2015 Australian Music Prize.[16]

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes[4][17]

My Disco
  • Liam Andrews – bass guitar, electronics, vocals
  • Ben Andrews  – guitar
  • Rohan Rebeiro – drums, percussion
Additional personnel

References

  1. ^ a b Emery, Patrick (5 November 2015). "My Disco's bare bones approach to new album Severe". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  2. ^ Goodridge, John (30 October 2015). "Ben Andrews of My Disco (Melbourne) chats about the making of their latest album Severe". The AU Review. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  3. ^ "My Disco Announce New Album Severe + Release 'King Sound'". Purple Sneakers. Archived from the original on 13 March 2021. Retrieved 14 November 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ^ a b Simpson, Paul. "My Disco Severe". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  5. ^ Haugen, Tom (15 January 2016). "Album Review: My Disco – 'Severe'". New Noise Magazine. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  6. ^ Kerpen, Thomas. "MY DISCO Severe". Ox-Fanzine (in German). Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  7. ^ Levin, Darren (December 2015). "My Disco Severe". Rolling Stone Australia. Sydney. p. 94. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  8. ^ Mathieson, Craig (29 October 2015). "The Shortlist's album reviews: October 30". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  9. ^ Dr. Dew (26 October 2015). "My Disco—'Severe'". Vice Germany (in German). Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  10. ^ McMillen, Andrew (22 December 2015). "The Weekend Australian album reviews, December 2015". Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  11. ^ Warwick, Kevin (28 October 2015). "Majical Cloudz' richly intimate Are You Alone? and 12 more record reviews". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  12. ^ Jacke, Christoph (30 October 2015). "My Disco "Severe" / Review". SPEX (in German). Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  13. ^ Colegate, Mat (23 October 2015). "The Lead Review: Mat Colegate On MY DISCO's Severe". The Quietus. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  14. ^ "The Quietus Albums of 2015, In Association with Norman Records". The Quietus. 7 December 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  15. ^ Nelson, Sean; Stranger Staff (16 December 2015). "The Top 10 Albums, Songs, and Everything Else from the Year in Music 2015". The Stranger. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  16. ^ Carr, Michael (3 February 2016). "Here Are the 10 Shortlisted Albums up for the 2015 Australian Music Prize". Music Feeds. Archived from the original on 4 February 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  17. ^ My Disco (2015). Severe (Media notes). Brooklyn, NY: Temporary Residence Limited. TRR244.