Albums to watch

Boy From Michigan

John Grant

Boy From Michigan

Fifth solo studio release from the Michigan-born singer-songwriter and former frontman of The Czars produced by Cate Le Bon

ADM rating[?]

7.5

Label
Bella Union
UK Release date
25/06/2021
US Release date
25/06/2021
  1. 10.0 |   The Independent

    Like fellow Michigan boy Sufjan Stevens, Grant is so specifically autobiographical that his memories will spark those of his listener
    Read Review

  2. 8.0 |   NME

    The electro-pop artist's latest punctuates intense and dark examinations of contemporary masculinity with moments of breathtaking beauty
    Read Review

  3. 8.0 |   Consequence Of Sound

    An album where he promotes the feeling of bring proud of who you are, even if you don’t always fit into set systems, such as the hyper-macho American Dream package
    Read Review

  4. 8.0 |   The Irish Times

    Grant’s voice remains his greatest asset, and is best served when things are pared right back, such as on The Cruise Room, with its elegant piano; and The Only Baby, which manages to be both soft and strident – a compelling distillation of Grant’s worldview
    Read Review

  5. 8.0 |   XS Noize

    As ever, John Grant doesn’t shy away from confronting the listener with intensely personal lyrics, and on Boy From Michigan, he goes further than he ever has done before
    Read Review

  6. 8.0 |   The Skinny

    As its title and pared-back cover suggest, Boy from Michigan is a personal, unadorned look into John Grant’s psyche
    Read Review

  7. 8.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    Intense, bizarre, and wonderfully playful
    Read Review

  8. 8.0 |   Mojo

    Boy From Michigan is Grant in panoramic mode, looking back and looking forward to create his biggest picture yet. Print edition only

  9. 8.0 |   Uncut

    It’s as unsettling as 2013’s Pale Green Ghosts and – in its own way – as alert to the shoddy stitching in the stars and stripes as Randy Newman’s Good Old Boys, Phil Ochs’ Rehearsals For Retirement or the queercore of Dicks and MDC
    Read Review

  10. 8.0 |   The Arts Desk

    Boy From Michigan’ further confirms that John Grant is one of the modern-era’s most significant singer-songwriters
    Read Review

  11. 7.5 |   Under The Radar

    The vast majority of the mammoth Boy From Michigan — a 75-minute album, by the way — is made up of slow ballads, even dirges at times. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it makes it difficult to listen to in one sitting
    Read Review

  12. 7.0 |   musicOMH

    For those willing to put the work in, this is another invigorating missive from one of music’s finest minds
    Read Review

  13. 7.0 |   Loud And Quiet

    Though engaging, the sonic sparsity, emotional self-reference and sheer length underlines one thing: how much you’ll get out of this record depends on your investment in the life of this particular boy from Michigan
    Read Review

  14. 7.0 |   Gigwise

    Expansive, personal and for the most part highly enjoyable
    Read Review

  15. 6.0 |   DIY

    A self-portrait with a violent colour palette
    Read Review

  16. 6.0 |   The FT

    Memories of childhood are evoked over luxuriant melodies in the American musician’s fifth album
    Read Review

  17. 6.0 |   The Observer

    Grant forgoes his customary wit and wry emotion for a more direct style
    Read Review


blog comments powered by Disqus

Watch it

Roll over video for more options

Hear it

Latest Reviews

More reviews