Cocoa Sugar
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Cocoa Sugar
| type = studio
| artist = Young Fathers
| cover = Young Fathers - Cocoa Sugar.jpg
| alt =
| released = {{Start date|df=yes|2018|03|09}}
| recorded =
| genre =
| length = {{Duration|m=36|s=45}}
| label = Ninja Tune
| producer =
| prev_title = White Men Are Black Men Too
| prev_year = 2015
| next_title = Heavy Heavy
| next_year = 2023
| misc = {{Singles
| name = Cocoa Sugar
| type = studio
| single1 = Lord
| single1date = 31 October 2017
| single2 = In My View
| single2date = 17 January 2018
| single3 = Toy
| single3date = 28 February 2018
}}
}}
Cocoa Sugar is the third studio album by Scottish indie group Young Fathers. It was released on Ninja Tune on 9 March 2018. It won the Scottish Album of the Year Award for 2018.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-45445768|title=Young Fathers win Scottish Album of the Year for Cocoa Sugar|publisher=BBC|date=7 September 2018|access-date=}} It peaked at number 28 on the UK Albums Chart.
Artwork
The album art, designed by Tom Hingston and photographed by Julia Noni, features band member Alloysious Massaquoi and is a direct homage to the Waldemar Świerzy's Polish poster for the 1969 drama film Midnight Cowboy.{{Cite web |last=Foster |first=John |date=2018-03-14 |title=Judging A Cover By Its Cover: March's best record sleeves |url=https://thevinylfactory.com/features/best-record-sleeves-march-2018/ |access-date=2022-09-15 |website=The Vinyl Factory |language=en-US}}{{cite web|url=https://www.hingston.net/work/young-fathers/|title=Young Fathers: Cocoa Sugar - Campaign|website=Hingston Studio|access-date=3 February 2023}}
Critical reception
{{Album ratings
| MC = 87/100{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/cocoa-sugar/young-fathers|title=Cocoa Sugar by Young Fathers Reviews and Tracks|publisher=Metacritic|access-date=23 March 2018}}
| rev1 = AllMusic
| rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web|last=Kellman|first=Andy|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/cocoa-sugar-mw0003142656|title=Cocoa Sugar – Young Fathers|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=5 April 2018}}
| rev2 = The A.V. Club
| rev2score = B+{{cite web|last=Purdom|first=Clayton|url=https://www.avclub.com/ministry-of-montreal-and-more-albums-to-know-about-th-1823562456|title=Young Fathers, Cocoa Sugar|work=The A.V. Club|date=9 March 2018|access-date=9 June 2018}}
| rev3 = The Guardian
| rev3score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web|last=Petridis|first=Alexis|author-link=Alexis Petridis|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/mar/08/young-fathers-cocoa-sugar-review-twisted-sounds-for-a-twisted-world|title=Young Fathers: Cocoa Sugar review – twisted sounds for a twisted world|work=The Guardian|date=8 March 2018|access-date=23 March 2018}}
| rev4 = The Independent
| rev4score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web|last=Gill|first=Andy|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-reviews-young-fathers-cocoa-sugar-jonathan-wilson-david-byrne-a8245816.html|title=Album reviews: Young Fathers – Cocoa Sugar, Jonathan Wilson – Rare Birds, David Byrne – American Utopia, and more|work=The Independent|date=8 March 2018|access-date=23 March 2018}}
| rev5 = Mojo
| rev5Score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite journal|title=Young Fathers: Cocoa Sugar|journal=Mojo|issue=293|date=April 2018|last=Cowan|first=Andy|page=91}}
| rev6 = NME
| rev6score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web|last=Milton|first=Jamie|url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/young-fathers-cocoa-sugar-album-review-2257788|title=Young Fathers – 'Cocoa Sugar' Album Review|work=NME|date=17 March 2018|access-date=18 December 2019}}
| rev7 = The Observer
| rev7score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite web|last=Morris|first=Damien|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/mar/10/young-fathers-cocoa-sugar-review-damien-morris|title=Young Fathers: Cocoa Sugar review – sounds like freedom feels|work=The Observer|date=10 March 2018|access-date=23 March 2018}}
| rev8 = Pitchfork
| rev8score = 7.3/10{{cite web|last=Pearce|first=Sheldon|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/young-fathers-cocoa-sugar/|title=Young Fathers: Cocoa Sugar|work=Pitchfork|date=16 March 2018|access-date=23 March 2018}}
| rev9 = Q
| rev9Score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite journal|title=Sugar Daddies|journal=Q|issue=383|date=April 2018|last=Doyle|first=Tom|pages=104–05}}
| rev10 = Uncut
| rev10Score = 8/10{{cite journal|title=Young Fathers: Cocoa Sugar|journal=Uncut|issue=251|date=April 2018|last=Pattison|first=Louis|page=37}}
}}
At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 87, based on 21 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".
Clayton Purdom of The A.V. Club described the album as "a worthy progression, a tight stretch of otherworldly melodies, ramshackle percussion, and buzzing clouds of woozy ambient sound."
=Accolades=
Track listing
{{Track listing
| all_writing = Kayus Bankole, Timothy London, Graham "G" Hastings and Alloysious Massaquoi, except where noted
| title1 = See How
| length1 = 2:01
| title2 = Fee Fi
| length2 = 2:41
| title3 = In My View
| length3 = 3:15
| title4 = Turn
| writer4 = {{hlist|Kayus Bankole|Graham "G" Hastings|Alloysious Massaquoi|Dave Sitek}}
| length4 = 3:36
| title5 = Lord
| length5 = 3:34
| title6 = Tremolo
| length6 = 3:08
| title7 = Wow
| length7 = 4:00
| title8 = Border Girl
| length8 = 4:01
| title9 = Holy Ghost
| length9 = 2:32
| title10 = Wire
| length10 = 1:40
| title11 = Toy
| length11 = 3:13
| title12 = Picking You
| writer12 = {{hlist|Kayus Bankole|Graham "G" Hastings|Alloysious Massaquoi|Dave Sitek}}
| length12 = 3:04
| total_length = 36:45
}}
{{track listing
| headline = Japanese edition bonus tracks{{cite web|url=https://www.beatink.com/products/detail.php?product_id=9274|title=BEATINK.COM / Cocoa Sugar|publisher=BEATINK|access-date=}}
| extra_column = Producer(s)
| title13 = Just a Kid
| length13 = 3:01
| title14 = Out of My Mind Sometimes
| length14 = 2:04
| total_length = 41:50
}}
Personnel
- David Cousin – additional vocals (track 12)
- Timothy London – co-producer
- Graham "G" Hastings – mixing (tracks 1–4, 6–12)
- Laurie Ross – mixing (tracks 1–4, 6–12)
- Ben Baptie – mixing (track 5)
- Vlado Meller – mastering
- Hingston Studio – design and art direction
- Julia Noni – photography
Charts
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |
| Chart (2018)
! Peak |
|---|
| {{album chart|Flanders|37|artist=Young Fathers|album=Cocoa Sugar|rowheader=true|accessdate=2 March 2019}} |
| {{album chart|UK2|28|date=20180316|rowheader=true|accessdate=23 March 2018|refname=ukalbum}} |
| {{album chart|UKIndependent|4|date=20180316|rowheader=true|accessdate=25 March 2018}} |
| {{album chart|UKR&B|1|date=20180316|rowheader=true|accessdate=23 March 2018}} |
| {{album chart|Wallonia|173|artist=Young Fathers|album=Cocoa Sugar|rowheader=true|accessdate=2 March 2019}} |
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
- {{Discogs master|1326940|Cocoa Sugar}}
{{Young Fathers}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cocoa Sugar}}