| Dear | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Studio album by Boris | ||
| Released | July 12 2017 | |
| Recorded | 2016 - 2017 at Sound Square in Tokyo, Japan | |
| Genre | Doom Metal, Post-Rock, Shoegaze, Experimental | |
| Length | 69:06 | |
| Producer | Boris, Shinobu Narita | |
| Boris chronology | ||
| Heavyblind (2016) |
Dear (2017) |
Boris Live at Third Man Records (2017) |
Dear is a studio album by the Japanese experimental band Boris. It would be initially released on 12 July 2017 via Japanese label Daymare Recordings and then two days later internationally via Sargent House. Dear was composed for the band's 25th anniversary and actually intended to be the band's farewell album. However, by the end of the sessions the band chose to remain active.[1] According to the band, Dear's sessions produced three albums' worth of material: ten tracks were cut for the record and the rest were reserved for future releases.[2] Kosuke Kawamura notably did the artwork for the album.
To promote the album Boris would release a music video for the song "Absolutego", which shares a title with the 1996 song of the same name.[3] A music video for a live rendition of "The Power" would be released through the band's own channel on 2 August.[4] A 6" vinyl single of "Kagero" was also released via Third Man Records in extremely limited quantities.[5] A short film for "Dear", directed by Kohei Igarashi, would be released on 16 March 2018.[6]
Notably, "Memento Mori" also appeared on the 12" EP Mr. Shortkill while an alternate version of "DEADSONG" with Goth-Trad had appeared on LOW-END MEETING.[7] The bonus disc of Dear would be added to Boris' Bandcamp as part of Bandcamp Fridays on 3 December 2021.[8]
Upon its release, Dear received positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 78, which indicates "generally positive reviews", based on 14 reviews.[9] AllMusic critic Thom Jurek wrote: "On Dear, Boris again prove their mettle as rock leviathans." Jurek further described the record as a "proof positive that this trio are far from running on empty."[10] The A.V. Club's A.A. Dowd stated: "Even doom fanatics may yearn for a more consistent track list; one drawback to churning out new records at this frequency is that the output can be uneven, mixing the transcendent with the forgettable."[11] Matthew Ritchie of Exclaim! commented: "If you dig deep enough, it's an album filled with surprises from a band that continue to impress."[12]
Other notable reviews would come from the likes of Pitchfork (7.3/10),[13] New Noise Magazine (4/5)[14] and Angry Metal Guy (4/5)[15] among others.
Tracklist[]
Dear Disc One[]
- 1. D.O.W.N. -Domination of Waiting Noise- (6:05)
- 2. DEADSONG (6:42)
- 3. Absolutego (4:55)
- 4. Beyond (6:39)
- 5. Kagero (5:34)
- 6. Biotope (5:32)
- 7. The Power (7:40)
- 8. Memento Mori (4:48)
- 9. Dystopia - Vanishing Point (11:51)
- 10. Dear (9:23)
Dear Disc Two[]
- 1. More (7:17)
- 2. Evil Perspective (7:01)
- 3. D.O.W.N. -Domination of Waiting Noise- (Full Version) (9:42)
Personnel[]
Boris[]
- Takeshi - Bass, Guitar, Vocals
- Wata - Guitar, Echo, Vocals
- Atsuo - Drums, Percussion, Electronics, Vocals
Technical Personnel[]
- ATONOX - Electronics (1)
- Fangs Anal Satan - Engineer, Design
- Souichirou Nakamura - Mixing, Mastering
- Shinobu Narita - Producer
- Kosuke Kawamura - Artwork
- Yoshiko Ikeda - Liner Notes, Translation
External Links[]
- Discogs
- Bandcamp
- [https://boris.bandcamp.com/album/dear-extra/ Bandcamp (Bonus Disc)
- Absolutego Music Video
- The Power Music Video
- DEAR Music Video