I Play My Bass Loud

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I Play My Bass Loud
A painting of Birch screaming standing in a front of a blue wall, with the image split down the middle, showing a red wall and a sink in the right half
Studio album by
Gina Birch
Released24 February 2023 (2023-02-24)
Genre
Length44:53
LabelThird Man
ProducerYouth

I Play My Bass Loud is the debut studio album by English musician Gina Birch, released on 24 February 2023 through Third Man Records. The album was produced by Youth and preceded by the single "Feminist Song" in September 2021.[1] It received acclaim from critics and was ranked on several lists of the best albums of the year.

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic82/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Classic Rock[4]
Mojo[5]
Pitchfork7.5/10[6]
Uncut[1]
Under the Radar[7]

I Play My Bass Loud received a score of 82 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on six critics' reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[2] Classic Rock wrote that "for Raincoats fans this is the most similar to their underrated third album Moving, for its fluent, danceable, off-kilter rhythms. For everyone else it's a marvel waiting to be discovered".[4] Fred Thomas of AllMusic felt that it "calls on her roots as a post-punk pioneer with the Raincoats as often as it ventures into new territory with little regard for parameters of genre or limitations of any kind".[3]

Matthew Blackwell of Pitchfork called it "both a celebration of her status as a godmother of feminist rock and a furious protest against the persecution of women", as well as anything but a lonely bedroom-pop album" and "fundamentally a bass album".[6] Mojo's Lucy O'Brien also found it to be "a combination of witty feminist manifesto and a celebration of the bass guitar – through alt-rock, dub and distorted rhythm".[5]

Uncut's Rob Hughes described it as "so thoroughly compelling it makes you wish she'd got around to it a little sooner" and ultimately "enough to suggest that Birch, now into her late sixties, might just be entering her next great creative phase".[1] Ian Rushbury of Under the Radar commented that "Birch's reggae-inspired basslines underpin almost everything on the album" and concluded that it is "a lot of fun to listen to. It's heartfelt, naïve, and made with genuine love for the material".[7]

Mojo ranked I Play My Bass Loud the 41st best album of 2023,[8] while Louder Than War ranked it 73rd on their list.[9]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by Gina Birch, except where noted.

I Play My Bass Loud track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I Play My Bass Loud" 4:27
2."Then It Happened" 2:41
3."Wish I Was You"
3:23
4."Big Mouth" 3:12
5."Pussy Riot"
4:29
6."I Am Rage"
  • Birch
  • Glover
4:09
7."I Will Never Wear Stilettos" 4:28
8."Dance Like a Demon"
  • Birch
  • Glover
4:16
9."Digging Down"
  • Birch
  • McCallum
  • Michael Rendall
5:07
10."Feminist Song" 4:35
11."Let's Go Crazy" 4:06
Total length:44:53

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for I Play My Bass Loud
Chart (2023) Peak
position
Scottish Albums (OCC)[10] 76
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[11] 25

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Hughes, Rob (3 March 2023). "Gina Birch – I Play My Bass Loud". Uncut. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  2. ^ a b "I Play My Bass Loud by Gina Birch Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  3. ^ a b Thomas, Fred. "Gina Birch – I Play My Bass Loud Album Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Gina Birch – I Play My Bass Loud". Classic Rock. April 2023. p. 76.
  5. ^ a b O'Brien, Lucy (17 February 2023). "Gina Birch Reviewed!". Mojo. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  6. ^ a b Blackwell, Matthew (8 March 2023). "Gina Birch: I Play My Bass Loud Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  7. ^ a b Rushbury, Ian (27 March 2023). "Gina Birch: I Play My Bass Loud – review". Under the Radar. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  8. ^ Mulvey, John (9 December 2023). "The 50 Best Albums of 2023". Mojo. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  9. ^ "Louder Than War Albums of 2023". 1 December 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  10. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  11. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
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