Wild God
2024 studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
2024 studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wild God is the eighteenth studio album by the Australian rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released on 30 August 2024 on PIAS. Produced by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, the album was mixed by Dave Fridmann and preceded by the singles "Wild God", "Frogs" and "Long Dark Night".
| Wild God | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 30 August 2024 | |||
| Studio |
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| Length | 44:21 | |||
| Label | PIAS | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Wild God | ||||
Released five years after Ghosteen (2019), which was primarily a studio collaboration between Cave and Ellis, Wild God is the first studio album to feature the full participation of the Bad Seeds since Skeleton Tree (2016).
The album was a commercial success, topping the charts in Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland, while placing in the top ten across Europe.
Wild God… there's no fucking around with this record. When it hits, it hits. It lifts you. It moves you. I love that about it.
— Nick Cave on Wild God[3]
Cave began writing the album on New Year's Day 2023.[4] Recording took place at Miraval Studios, Provence and Soundtree in London.[5] Cave produced the album alongside Warren Ellis, while mixing was handled by David Fridmann. Additional performers include Colin Greenwood of Radiohead and Luis Almau.[6] Wild God sees the band exploring themes of "convention and experimentation" that are set to enhance "rich imagery and emotive narratives".[7] In a statement, Cave hopes the album has the "effect on listeners" that it had on him. He describes it as a "complicated record" but simultaneously "deeply and joyously infectious". As their records reflect the band's "emotional state", Cave shared the impression that they are "happy" this time around.[8]
Cave and Ellis decided upon the album title, Wild God, in November 2023 after finishing the mixing process at David Fridmann's studio in Cassadaga, New York. Cave had three potential title options, noting: "Warren asked me what we were going to call the record. I had three ideas, which were titles of songs on the album, 'Conversion', 'Joy' and 'Wild God'. We discussed the titles and thought Conversion was probably too overtly religious and may scare people off; we both liked Joy, but I was concerned that the word 'Joy' might be interpreted as 'Happy', which felt misleading. This left Wild God. We both agreed that this was a powerful and mysterious title for an album."[9]
On 15 March 2024, alongside the album's announcement, Cave revealed dates for a European arena tour beginning on 24 September in Oberhausen's Rudolf Weber-Arena and ending on 17 November in Paris' Accor Arena. The opening acts in mainland Europe were Dry Cleaning or The Murder Capital, while Black Country, New Road was named support in the United Kingdom, Dublin and Paris.[10]
On 6 September 2024, Cave announced 2025 North American dates for "The Wild God Tour", beginning 15 April in Boston's Agganis Arena and ending on 14 May in San Francisco's Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. It is the band's first North American tour since 2018.[11]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 89/100[12] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [13] |
| The Daily Telegraph | [14] |
| The Guardian | [15] |
| The Independent | [16] |
| NME | [17] |
| Pitchfork | 8.0/10[18] |
| Rolling Stone |  [19] |
| Uncut | 9/10[20] |
Critical reaction to Wild God was overwhelmingly positive. Metacritic gave the album a score of 89/100, which the website categorised as "universal acclaim".[12] Alexis Petridis, writing in The Guardian, gave Wild God five stars, stating "this masterpiece will make you fall back in love with life." Highlighting the unusually joyous nature of a Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds album, he observed songs that "frequently surge into vast, ecstatic exhalations" with "Cave's extemporised vocal sounding increasingly rapturous over the top." He concluded, "Packed with remarkable songs, its mood of what you might call radical optimism is potent and contagious. You leave it feeling better than you did previously: an improving experience, in the best sense of the phrase."[15]
The Independent also gave the album five stars noting how Cave frequently "swings between doubt and faith." They observed that "Melodies flood through the music and then disappear like currents. Wild God can feel fathomless, but it leaves you buoyant."[16]
NME praised the record as the band's most upbeat offering in decades but still "coloured with the many shades of a life so challenging and weathered." They awarded the album 4 out of 5 stars, reserving particular praise for the song "O Wow O Wow (How Wonderful She Is)", describing it as one of Cave's "most masterful love songs" and ranking it alongside "Into My Arms".[17]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Song of the Lake" | 3:36 |
| 2. | "Wild God" | 5:19 |
| 3. | "Frogs" | 4:34 |
| 4. | "Joy" | 6:13 |
| 5. | "Final Rescue Attempt" | 3:56 |
| 6. | "Conversion" | 5:17 |
| 7. | "Cinnamon Horses" | 5:16 |
| 8. | "Long Dark Night" | 3:33 |
| 9. | "O Wow O Wow (How Wonderful She Is)" | 4:33 |
| 10. | "As the Waters Cover the Sea" | 2:04 |
| Total length: | 44:21 | |
All lyrics are written by Nick Cave; all music is composed by Cave and Warren Ellis.
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds[6]
Guests[6]
| Chart (2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[21] | 2 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[22] | 2 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[23] | 1 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[24] | 1 |
| Croatian International Albums (HDU)[25] | 1 |
| Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[26] | 50 |
| Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[27] | 4 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[28] | 1 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[29] | 5 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[30] | 2 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[31] | 2 |
| Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ)[32] | 7 |
| Icelandic Albums (Tónlistinn)[33] | 9 |
| Irish Albums (OCC)[34] | 9 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI)[35] | 15 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[36] | 4 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[37] | 5 |
| Polish Albums (ZPAV)[38] | 2 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[39] | 2 |
| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[40] | 6 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[41] | 7 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[42] | 1 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[43] | 5 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[44] | 1 |
| US Billboard 200[45] | 66 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[46] | 11 |
| US Top Rock & Alternative Albums (Billboard)[47] | 15 |
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