"America" is a song by American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Sufjan Stevens. It was released as the lead single from the album The Ascension through Asthmatic Kitty on July 3, 2020.
| "America" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Sufjan Stevens | ||||
| from the album The Ascension | ||||
| B-side | "My Rajneesh" | |||
| Released | July 3, 2020 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 12:29 | |||
| Label | Asthmatic Kitty | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Sufjan Stevens | |||
| Producer(s) | Sufjan Stevens | |||
| Sufjan Stevens singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background and composition edit
Stevens announced his upcoming eighth studio album, titled The Ascension, as well as its lead single, "America", on June 30, 2020.[1] In his announcement, Stevens declared "America" as a "protest song against the sickness of American culture in particular".[2] The song was first written in 2014 during the time that Stevens was working on his seventh studio album, Carrie & Lowell.[3] It has also been described as a "twelve-minute rumination on disillusionment, suffering, and loss of faith in [Stevens's] nation".[4]
Critical reception edit
Awarding "America" four stars out of five, NME's El Hunt deemed it "weighty and substantial".[5] Sam Sodomsky of Pitchfork gave it the publication's Best New Track designation and took note of the song's "characteristically sprawling arsenal—its symphonic slow-build, its sea of recorders, its climactic, singalong chorus".[6] British GQ's Jonathan Dean praised the song's "intense and building lament that packs in claustrophobia and beauty" and its "end stretch twinkling ambiance".[7] In her review of The Ascension for NPR, Lindsay Zoladz called "America" "the best and most barbed song [Stevens has] released in the past five years".[8]
Release history edit
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | July 3, 2020 | Asthmatic Kitty | [9] | |
| July 31, 2020 | 12-inch vinyl | [3] |
References edit
- ^ Aquillina, Tyler (June 30, 2020). "Sufjan Stevens announces new album coming in September, new single to drop Friday". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
- ^ Legaspi, Althea; Reed, Ryan (July 3, 2020). "Hear Sufjan Stevens's Sprawling New Song 'America'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
- ^ a b Manno, Lizzie (July 3, 2020). "Sufjan Stevens Shares Lead Single "America" From Forthcoming Album The Ascension". Paste. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
- ^ Alter, Rebecca (July 3, 2020). "Sufjan Stevens's New Song 'America' Is Here: Listen". Vulture. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
- ^ Hunt, El (July 3, 2020). "Sufjan Stevens' 12-minute epic comeback track 'America' is as complex as its namesake". NME. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
- ^ Sodomsky, Sam (July 3, 2020). ""America" by Sufjan Stevens Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
- ^ Dean, Jonathan (July 3, 2020). "Sufjan Stevens new song, 'America', is here to save 2020". British GQ. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
- ^ Zoladz, Lindsay (September 24, 2020). "Sufjan Stevens' New Album 'The Ascension': Fifty States Of Grey". NPR. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
- ^ "America – EP by Sufjan Stevens". Apple Music. Apple Inc. Retrieved July 3, 2020.