Things Are Great
| Band of Horses
Things Are Great
Things Are Great is the sixth studio album by indie rock band Band of Horses, released on March 4, 2022 on BMG. The album was initially produced by Grandaddy's Jason Lytle, who produced the band's previous studio album, Why Are You OK (2016), and Dave Fridmann, but was later reworked by frontman Ben Bridwell and producer Wolfgang Zimmerman. -Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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Pitchfork
Band of Horses’ sixth album unexpectedly delivers on all the qualities that defined their initial success: soaring emotions, crunchy guitars, and Ben Bridwell’s cotton-candy whine.
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Under the Radar Magazine
In the end, Things Are Great is Band of Horses’ most intimate outing in over a decade, its plainspoken sincerity and artistic intensity keeping it consistently affecting. While their glory days may or may not be behind them, Bridwell and company have managed to carve out a cozy space, their legacy having been secured.
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Paste Magazine
Things Are Great Is Band of Horses' Best Album in More Than a Decade.
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Louder
Things Are Great by Band Of Horses is a minor wonder of wit, weight and emotion.
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PopMatters
Fans will likely be happy with Things Are Great, but this far into Band of Horses’ career, they should be taking on new musical challenges or exploration.
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Sputnik Music
There's not really a weak track on the album, even if they never quite reach the heights of their strongest early work. It's all just excellent execution and satisfying songcraft. This might also be the most cohesive of their albums; it finishes with a closer that somehow makes the idea of a town that smells of cow dung sound majestic and monumental. 'Coalinga' is full wall of sound with stomping drums and sheen-y backing vocals and guitars as strings. Bridwell, as he's fond of saying of late, is finally calling the shots. Things aren't great, but they are ok.
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The Line of Best Fit
Things Are Great feels like the best Band of Horses album in years.
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AllMusic
Stripped of some of their later sonic ambitions, Band of Horses play to their strengths here on what feels like a solid return to form.
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Clash Magazine
‘Coalinga’ draws ‘Things Are Great’ to a euphoric end. It’s rousing, washing over you in those shades of muted blues that adorn the album’s cover. It’s an ending that feels distinctly like a breath of cool fresh air after a long period of stifling, panic-inducing humidity. As they create their most on-their-terms album to date, Band of Horses manage to lift a weight from your shoulders you perhaps didn’t know was there.
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Stereoboard
It’s been more than five years since ‘Why Are You OK’, a far longer period than intended, and ‘Things Are Great’ is essentially a pent up Bridwell finally letting go of many things that were weighing him down. While this has undoubtedly shaped the album, you also feel that this is like exorcising the past, and a necessity rather than something deliberately crafted. For that to happen, we all need to be in the right frame of mind whatever we are doing and for Band of Horses at least, with that burden finally lifted and positive emotions on the up, you feel this is a release that will precede something even better in the not too distant future.
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mxdwn Music
Band of Horses once again brings to the table a stunning combination of power and ambiance they have always crafted since their first record. Things Are Great beginning to end is filled with tracks that allow the mind to escape reality during its 41 minutes run time.
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DIY Magazine
An extended gap since their last full-length outing has resulted in their sharpest raft of material since ‘Cease to Begin’.
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Treblezine
Things Are Great sounds like their homecoming after many years away from a release. It’s bittersweet, a nostalgic nod to where they’ve been, a rare throwback on an album that shows how brightly the band still shines.
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Hotpress
The band have spoken of this as a return to the raw ethos of their earlier work but if anything it’s a bit overcooked. It’s not that it’s ‘bad’ per se, and it’ll probably sound better live – I’ve yet to see them although I hear they’re well able - but a bit more grit and kick would have helped immeasurably.
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The Firenote
Bridwell and the rest of his South Carolina bandmates – which includes drummer Creighton Barrett, multi-instrumentalist Ryan Monroe, bassist Matt Gentling, and Brett Nash who replaced lead guitarist Ian MacDougall since the album was recorded – have returned to the band’s strengths in a pleasing collection of conventional alternative rock sounds. Band of Horses heads out on a tour of the country’s summer sheds opening for The Black Keys, and no doubt things are going to be great.
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The Spokesman-Review
“Things Are Great” is a great album and one certainly worth hearing if you’re into Band of Horses, folk rock, or you’re just an adult caught in the throngs of contemporary living. It’s good to see Band of Horses back at it again.
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Narc Magazine
STEPHEN OLIVER DISCOVERS EXPANSIVE ROOM-FILLING GUITARS AND ETHEREAL VOCALS ON BAND OF HORSES’ NEW ALBUM.
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Northern Transmissions
Arguably the record should be called ‘Things Aren’t Great’ but that’s the story and the contrasting aesthetic of Band of Horses’ new album. It’s about confronting uncomfortable situations and embracing the emotional release of allowing yourself to be vulnerable in an uncompromising world. From that, things can start to be great.
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