Home of the Strange

Home of the Strange is the third studio album by American alternative rock band Young the Giant, released by Fueled by Ramen on August 12, 2016.[5]

Home of the Strange
Studio album by
Young the Giant
ReleasedAugust 12, 2016 (2016-08-12)[1]
Genre
Length39:50
LabelFueled by Ramen[3]
ProducerJeff Bhasker, Alex Salibian[4]
Young the Giant chronology
Mind over Matter
(2014)		 Home of the Strange
(2016)		 Mirror Master
(2018)
Singles from Home of the Strange
  1. "Amerika"
    Released: April 15, 2016
  2. "Something to Believe In"
    Released: May 10, 2016
  3. "Silvertongue"
    Released: September 2016

Promotion

On April 15, 2016, the band released "Amerika" as an announcement track to the new album. The next song to be released, "Something to Believe In", was released as the first official radio single from the album.[6] On May 16, 2016 they announced the Home of the Strange Tour, which started in the West Coast on August 13,[7] and toured around the US. Three additional tracks, "Titus Was Born",[8] "Jungle Youth"[9] and "Silvertongue",[10] were released the weeks preceding the release of Home of the Strange.

Lyrics

Home of the Strange deals with the band's immigrant history and American identity. Lead singer Sameer Gadhia is a first generation American of Indian heritage. The track "Amerika" was inspired by Franz Kafka's unfinished novel of the same name.[11]

Reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic76/100 [12]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[13]

Home of the Strange garnered mostly positive reviews. Entertainment Weekly commented that the band found more substance for the album: "the group ascends from the third-tier trenches that waylaid their early career, dishing out their richest and most varied project to date."[14] Rolling Stone praised the timing of the album with the heated politics of 2016, writing "the band's third album comes at a time when hyphenated Americans are reminded daily of their status. The lyrics of Home of the Strange reflect that, taking a stance while yet referencing a complex, ongoing identity crisis." However, Rolling Stone pointed out the band's "longstanding musical identity crisis".[15] Allmusic commented that the album was "their funkiest offering to date."[13]

Track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Amerika"4:00
2."Something to Believe In"3:48
3."Elsewhere"3:44
4."Mr. Know-It-All"3:11
5."Jungle Youth"3:40
6."Titus Was Born"4:02
7."Repeat"3:05
8."Silvertongue"3:17
9."Art Exhibit"4:03
10."Nothing's Over"4:24
11."Home of the Strange"2:36

Personnel
  • Sameer Gadhia - lead vocals, percussion, ukulele, organ, electric guitar
  • Eric Cannata - electric guitar, acoustic guitar, piano, synths, additional vocals, percussion
  • Francois Comtois - drums, percussion, additional vocals, piano, synths
  • Jacob Tilley - electric guitar, acoustic guitar, synths, vibraphone
  • Payam Doostzadeh - bass, piano, synths
  • Alex Salibian - additional electric guitar, piano, synths, vocals
  • Additional singers: Alexandra Govere, Gabrielle Walter-Clay, Nilu Madadi, Nora Riegels, Sonia Gadhia

Charts

Album
Chart (2016) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[16] 176
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[17] 17
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[18] 91
New Zealand Heatseekers Albums (RMNZ)[19] 2
US Billboard 200[20] 12

Singles
Title Year Peak chart positions
US
Alt
[21]		 US
Rock
[22]		 CAN
Alt
[23]		 CAN
Rock
[24]
"Amerika" 2016 — 28 — —
"Something to Believe In" 9 33 13
 25
"—" denotes release that has not charted.

References
  1. "YOUNG THE GIANT to Release New Album 'Home Of The Strange' on August 12, 2016; Stream "Amerika" Single". Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  2. Neil Z. Yeung (2016-08-12). "Home of the Strange - Young the Giant | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-01-26.
  3. Gonda, Christopher (April 19, 2016). "Young The Giant to Release New Album 'Home Of The Strange'". PureGrainAudio. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
  4. "Young the Giant Tackle the State of Their Band and Nation on Their Latest Album". OCWeekly. August 10, 2016.
  5. "Home of the Strange by Young the Giant". Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  6. "Future Releases on Alternative Radio Stations, Independent Artist Song Releases |". Allaccess.com. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
  7. "Announcing The Home of the Strange Tour". Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  8. "Young the Giant: Titus Was Born (Official Visualizer)". YouTube. June 17, 2016. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  9. "Young the Giant: Jungle Youth (Official Visualizer)". YouTube. July 15, 2016. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  10. "Young The Giant: Silvertongue [OFFICIAL VIDEO]". YouTube. August 5, 2016. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  11. "Young The Giant Touches On Immigrant Background In 'Home Of The Strange'". Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  12. "Home of the Strange by Young the Giant". Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  14. https://ew.com/article/2016/08/11/young-giant-home-strange-ew-review/
  15. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/review-young-the-giants-home-of-the-strange-explores-identity-in-u-s-252455/
  16. "Ultratop.be – Young the Giant – Home of the Strange" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  17. "Young the Giant Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  18. "Dutchcharts.nl – Young the Giant – Home of the Strange" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  19. "NZ Heatseekers Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. August 22, 2016. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  20. "Young the Giant Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  21. "Young The Giant Album & Song Chart History". Billboard Alternative Songs for Young The Giant. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
  22. "Young The Giant Album & Song Chart History". Billboard Rock Songs for Young The Giant. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
  23. Peak positions for Young the Giant's singles on Canadian Alternative rock Chart:
  24. "Billboard.biz". billboard.com. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
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