Braindrops (Tropical Fuck Storm album)


Braindrops is the second studio album by Australian supergroup Tropical Fuck Storm. It was released on 23 August 2019 through Flightless Records in Australia and Joyful Noise Records in the US.

Background

Following the release of their debut A Laughing Death in Meatspace in May 2018, the band would go on to play a series of national and international dates in varying capacities, including a few dates opening for Modest Mouse and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard.
On the 23rd of August that year, the band premiered the song "The Happiest Guy Around", which ended up being one half of a split single with Liars as the 18th instalment of the LAMC series of 7-inch singles curated by Famous Class Records; where "an established musician on the A-side" is paired "with one of the musician’s favorite new artists on the B-side". The 7-inch was released on the 28th of September.
On the 21st of January the following year, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard posted an image of them jamming with Liddiard in the foreground flipping the bird on their official Instagram account. This led some to speculate Liddiard's involvement with the band's new material "either as a guest or producer." On the 4th of March that year, the band's Flightless label announced that Tropical Fuck Storm had signed with them, and the band premiered "The Planet Of Straw Men" - the first single from what they announced to be their second album, set to be released "mid-2019" - and its music video.
Later, on the 17th of June, the band released the second single from their upcoming album, "Paradise"; the name of the album was also revealed to be Braindrops the same day, and its release date was announced.

Release

Aside from the aforementioned singles, limited edition vinyl copies of the album itself have also been given away to those who pre-ordered the album from Joyful Noise Records. The album was also leaked online in its entirety on 14 August 2019.

Singles

Four singles have been released from the album: "The Planet Of Straw Men", "Paradise", "Who's My Eugene?" and "Braindrops". Music videos for the tracks "The Planet Of Straw Men", "Braindrops", "Who's My Eugene?" and "The Happiest Guy Around" have also been released. A different mix of the track "The Happiest Guy Around" had also previously appeared as the B-side to a split single with Liars in August 2018, as a part of the LAMC series of singles curated by Famous Class Records.

Cover

Joe Becker, who had previously created the cover art for their debut album, was also credited with the cover art for Braindrops.

Reception

Critical

The album currently holds a Metacritic score of 77 based on 10 reviews and an AnyDecentMusic? score of 7.7 based on 13 reviews.
Treble magazine, in a review published on 12 August 2019, named Braindrops their "Album of the Week" praising the track "Paradise" as "a sickly mirage of an oasis—you can practically see the disspiating heat haze over Liddiard's trickling guitar riffs. It slowly escalates its way toward a furious climax, turning into one of the most explosive break-up songs in recent memory". The review concludes: "Tropical Fuck Storm invite the chaos, orchestrating it, manipulating it, delivering a piece of mangled and bruised art that sounds magnificent at its most frayed and fragmented. It's a weirdness that feels strangely assuring, even necessary." NARC Magazine gave the album a perfect score, writing that it "pretty much cements the Australians as one of the most vital acts on the planet right now." Exclaim! called it "a psychedelic rock opera occasionally dipping its toes in the stream of electro-punk. The result is equal parts harrowing and electrifying, surreal and far too familiar." According to Paste, "istening to Braindrops feels like watching a sped-up timeline of rising sea levels and melting glaciers set to long-lost field recordings of maximalist noise-rock from the Outback. You're listening to a world falling apart." Braindrops, writes The Line of Best Fit, "is as cerebral and gut-level as its name implies, high-minded and high volume, a grand mess that isn't really a mess at all."

Contemporary

In an interview with Konbini, Iggy Pop praised the title track of the album, simply calling it "a good fuck". Both Michael Feuerstack and Conan Neutron called it one of their favourite albums of the year, with the latter calling it "an utterly befuddling and “wrong” sounding record that is oh so “right.” There isn't a clear monster single like “tyres” on this one, but the whole thing has a snakey, baked in the sun vibe that works its way into your subconscious."

Awards & Nominations

The album has been nominated for the Australian Music Prize of 2019.

Accolades

PublicationCountryAccoladeRank
SlateUSThe Best Albums of 2019-
Loud and QuietUKThe Loud And Quiet best 40 albums of 201912
Double JAustraliaThe 50 best albums of 201938
The Sydney Morning Herald AustraliaThe best 10 albums of 2019 -
JunkeeAustraliaThe 15 Best Albums Of 2019-
Brooklyn VeganUSBill's Indie Basement: Best of 201939
The MusicAustraliaThe Music 2019 Writers' Poll10
City PagesUSThe 75 best albums of 201953
OORNetherlandsThe 40 Best Albums of The Year 201942

Track listing

Personnel

Adapted from liner notes.