Cardboard Castles


Cardboard Castles is the second studio album by American spoken word artist and rapper Watsky. The album was released on March 12, 2013. Unlike his debut album, entitled Watsky, there is a deluxe edition. The deluxe edition includes one extra song, and the CD case folds into a miniature "cardboard castle." Watsky also embarked on an American tour to promote the album. The album is also available on vinyl at request of his fans.
On March 5, one week before Cardboard Castles was released, Watsky leaked the album on Rap Genius. This included the announcement of the deluxe edition bonus track, entitled Dent In The Moon. Along with the leak, Rap Genius held a contest for the 'scholar' who explained the most lyrics on the album. The prize was two tickets to Watsky's concert at Irving Plaza in New York City. The concert took place on March 30.
Throughout the album are various recordings of conversations Watsky has with child actor Norton Leufven.

Singles

On January 22, 2013, Watsky released the first single from Cardboard Castles, entitled "Strong as an Oak," along with a . The video has gained over 5,423,464 view as of June 29, 2017.
On February 5, 2013, Watsky released the second single from Cardboard Castles, entitled "Moral of the Story," along with a . The video has gained over 7,644,555 views as of June 29, 2017.
On February 18, 2013, Watsky released the third single from Cardboard Castles, entitled "Hey, Asshole," featuring British singer Kate Nash. As with the first two singles, he released a , which has over 2,304,000 views as of April 19, 2015.
On February 24, 2013, Watsky leaked the audio for a song on Cardboard Castles, entitled "Sloppy Seconds" on . The music video for "Sloppy Seconds" was later released on his YouTube page, April 21, 2013, and has gained over 4,223,000 views as of April 19, 2015.
On March 5, 2013, Watsky released the video for the only poem on the CD, entitled "Tiny Glowing Screens, Part 2" on his YouTube page. The video has gained over 1,101,000 views as of April 19, 2015.
On March 12, 2013, Watsky released the video for the song from which the album gets its name, "Cardboard Castles," on his YouTube page. This is the same day that the album was released. The video has gained over 1,741,000 views as of April 19, 2015.

Reception

Cardboard Castles has been received well by critics. Marianne Calnan of reviewed it very favorably.

Track listing

"Tiny Glowing Screens, Part 2" is the only poem on Cardboard Castles.

Personnel

Executive Producers
Engineers
Producers
Mixing and Mastering
Additional Vocals
Kate Nash recorded by: Stephen Good at Vatican Studios in London.
Kate Nash appears courtesy of Have 10p Records.
Choir :
Musicians
Art
Recorded at The Mothership Studio, Los Angeles, with additional vocals recorded at Studio Sound City.

Cardboard Castles Tour

Watsky will embark on a second nationwide tour, starting on March 8 in Tempe, AZ. Watsky has posted a video on his stating how The Fillmore is his "dream, bucket-list venue" and how excited he is for the tour.
March 8Tempe, AZ *Club RedAll Ages
March 12Austin, TXSXSWFestival
March 13San Francisco, CAAmoeba MusicAll Ages
March 16Hollywood, CAAmoeba MusicAll Ages
March 18New Orleans, LA *House Of BluesAll Ages
March 20Gainesville, FL *High Dive18+
March 21Orlando, FLBackboothAll Ages
March 22Jacksonville, FL *Jack RabbitsAll Ages
March 23Atlanta, GA *MasqueradeAll Ages
March 24Greensboro, NC *Green StreetAll Ages
March 26Washington, DC *Howard TheatreAll Ages
March 27Baltimore, MD *Baltimore SoundstageAll Ages
March 28Philadelphia, PA *TLAAll Ages
March 29Northampton, MA *Pearl StreetAll Ages
March 30New York, NY *Irving PlazaAll Ages
April 1Boston, MA *Paradise Rock ClubAll Ages
April 2Burlington, VT *Higher GroundAll Ages
April 3Montreal, QC *Cabaret Underworld18+
April 5Toronto, ON *Phoenix Concert TheatreAll Ages
April 6Buffalo, NYThe Waiting Room18+
April 7Cleveland, OH *Grog ShopAll Ages
April 8Ann Arbor, MI *Blind PigAll Ages
April 9Chicago, IL *Bottom LoungeAll Ages
April 11Madison, WI *High Noon Saloon18+
April 12Minneapolis, MNVarsity TheaterAll Ages
April 13Iowa City, IABlue MooseAll Ages
April 14Lawrence, KS *GranadaAll Ages
April 17Denver, CO *Cervantes OthersideAll Ages
April 19Salt Lake City, UT *Kilby CourtAll Ages
April 20Boise, IDKnitting FactoryAll Ages
April 21Portland, OR *BranxAll Ages
April 22Vancouver, BC *The Rio TheatreAll Ages
April 23Seattle, WA *The CrocodileAll Ages
April 25San Francisco, CA*The FillmoreAll Ages
May 4Los Angeles, CAEl ReyAll Ages

All dates marked with an * are with rapper Dumbfoundead.