Knower Forever

{{Infobox album

| name = Knower Forever

| type = studio

| artist = Knower

| cover = Knower Forever, Knower.png

| released = June 2, 2023

| recorded = 2023

| genre =

| length = 44:22 (45:33 with bonus track)

| label = Self-released

| producer = Louis Cole

| prev_title = Life

| prev_year = 2016

| misc = {{Singles

| name = Knower Forever

| type = studio

| single1 = I'm the President

| single1date = May 1, 2023

| single2 = The Abyss

| single2date = May 17, 2023

| single3 = Crash the Car

| single3date = June 2, 2023

}}

Knower Forever is the fifth studio album by American independent electronic jazz-funk duo Knower. It was self-released on June 2, 2023. Recording was done sometime in 2023 at the house of member Louis Cole, who was responsible for the album's production. Musically, Knower Forever diverts from the duo's four previous albums, featuring an experimental sound with avant-pop and jazz-funk whilst continuing their theme of humorous and vulgar lyrics.

The album was first released exclusively on Bandcamp, and was promoted with a series of home-made videos. Its success on the platform resulted in a vinyl campaign, which preceded its release onto streaming platforms. Knower Forever received positive reviews from music critics.

Background and recording

The last album released by Knower was Life in 2016, an electronic record.{{cite web |last1=Sissler |first1=James |date=14 May 2023 |title=Louis Cole Drops 'Some Unused Songs', Announces First KNOWER Album Since 2016 [Listen/Video] |url=https://liveforlivemusic.com/news/louis-cole-some-unused-songs-knower-forever-album/ |access-date=11 December 2023 |website=L4LM}}{{Cite web |last=hours |first=the after |date=January 28, 2024 |title=Knower — Life |url=https://medium.com/@the_after_hours/knower-life-the-music-collection-ep-10-2f94e90a3f84 |access-date=October 31, 2024 |website=Medium |language=en}} From that year onwards, Knower expanded their lineup and began performing as a live band,{{Cite web |last=Deflin |first=Kendall |date=2018-04-27 |title=KNOWER Gets Hyped Before Red Rocks Show With Vulfpeck Tonight |url=https://liveforlivemusic.com/features/knower-red-rocks-interview/ |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=L4LM |language=en-US}} with members including David Binney, Sam Gendel, Thom Gill, Dennis Hamm, Jacob Mann, Rai Thistlethwayte, and Sam Wilkes.{{Cite web |title=Knower drop the knowledge at Scala |url=https://www.jazzwise.com/news/article/knower-drop-the-knowledge-at-scala |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=Jazzwise |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2018-06-04 |title=KNOWER (USA) ft. Rai Thistlethwayte, Sam Wilkes, and Jacob Mann |url=https://www.bijf.com.au/2018-program/2018/6/4/knower-usa-ft-rai-thistlethwayte-sam-wilkes-and-jacob-mann |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=Brisbane International Jazz Festival |language=en-AU}}

Knower Forever was recorded at Cole's house{{Cite news |last=Kalia |first=Ammar |date=2022-10-03 |title=Louis Cole: ‘Funk is fun but with jazz you can just go wild’ |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/oct/03/louis-cole-knower-brainfeeder-interview |access-date=2024-10-31 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}{{Cite web |last=Burks |first=Tosten |date=April 5, 2019 |title=Louis Cole Jam Sessions Look Fun As Hell |url=https://www.spin.com/2019/04/louis-cole-jam-sessions-look-fun-as-hell/ |access-date=2021-11-11 |website=Spin}} sometime in 2023; neither Cole or Genevieve Artadi revealed the dates of recording or production. Unlike their four previous albums which were produced exclusively by the duo, Knower Forever features performances and production from several musicians including Binney, Gendel, Thistlethwayte and Wilkes.{{Cite web |last=Johnson |first=Kevin |date=June 26, 2023 |title=Knower Releases "Knower Forever" with MonoNeon and Sam Wilkes |url=https://www.notreble.com/buzz/2023/06/26/knower-releases-knower-forever-with-mononeon-and-sam-wilkes/ |access-date=October 31, 2024 |website=No Treble}}

Release and promotion

File:Knower Forever Vinyl.png led to a limited vinyl campaign.]]

Knower announced the release of Knower Forever in May 2023 as a Bandcamp exclusive, citing low payment from Spotify and other streaming services as their reason for doing so.{{Cite web |last=Hollingsworth |first=Ashley Perez |date=2023-05-02 |title=KNOWER Announce New Album ‘KNOWER FOREVER’ |url=https://genreisdead.com/knower-new-album-knower-forever/ |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=GENRE IS DEAD! |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Sissler |first=James |date=2023-06-04 |title=KNOWER FOREVER: Louis Cole To Kill Anyone Who Shares 1st KNOWER Album In 7 Years [Listen] |url=https://liveforlivemusic.com/news/knower-forever/ |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=L4LM |language=en-US}} "I'm the President", "The Abyss", and "Crash the Car" were released as singles that month to promote the album,{{Cite web |date=2023-05-01 |title=Louis Cole & Genevieve Artadi Announce New Knower Album: Hear "I'm The President" |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2222240/knower-im-the-president/music/ |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=Stereogum |language=en}} alongside a series of music videos with a DIY style the band is known for.{{Cite web |last=Weedon |first=Paul |date=2022-10-12 |title=Quality Over Opinion: Inside The Mind Of Louis Cole |url=https://www.clashmusic.com/features/quality-over-opinion-inside-the-mind-of-louis-cole/ |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=Clash |language=en-GB}}

Knower Forever was released on Bandcamp on June 2, 2023,{{Cite web |title=KNOWER FOREVER, by KNOWER |url=https://knowermusic.bandcamp.com/album/knower-forever |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=KNOWER |language=en}} and it was followed by a vinyl campaign. It was released on streaming platforms in October of that same year.

Reception

Knower Forever received positive reviews from music critics.

Zoe Camp of Bandcamp Daily ranked Knower Forever among their best albums of the year, believing the duo "are certainly at home basking in muzak's creature comforts, from the hermetically sealed vocals of city pop to the tonal warmth of smooth jazz."{{cite web |last1=Camp |first1=Zoe |date=4 December 2023 |title=The Best Albums of 2023: F – K |url=https://daily.bandcamp.com/best-of-2023/the-best-albums-of-2023-f-k |access-date=11 December 2023 |website=Bandcamp Daily}} James Rettig of Stereogum described it as "alternately squelching and smooth, and there are a whole lot of instruments backing Artadi as she talks some shit and pumps herself up." The same publication later included "I'm the President" in a "Best Songs of the Week" list, praising its "horn flourishes, a backing choir, and a completely wild song structure that leapfrogs from bass-driven funk to high school marching band to mind-bending free jazz."{{Cite web |date=2023-05-05 |title=The 5 Best Songs Of The Week |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2222828/the-5-best-songs-of-the-week-481/lists/the-5-best-songs-of-the-week/ |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=Stereogum |language=en}}

James Sissler of Live for Live Music praised its variety, noting its switches from "aggressively funky and unashamedly silly" to "breathtaking melodies and epic orchestration". Writers of Song Bar called the record a "jazz-funk tour de force LP of outstanding musicianship, infinite energy, humour and invention", and praised the duo and supporting band.{{Cite web |date=2023-07-11 |title=KNOWER: Knower Forever - album review |url=https://www.song-bar.com/album-releases/knower-knower-forever-louis-cole-album-review |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=Song Bar |language=en-US}} Tony Wolski of The Armed called Knower Forever one of his favorite albums of the year, stating that "It’s no secret that Louis Cole is an absolute force on drums. But Genevieve Artadi is the unsung MVP of this, making effortless melodies that get stuck in your head for days out of such unprecious, understated staccato utterances."{{Cite web |date=December 13, 2023 |title=The Armed's Tony Wolski discusses his favorite albums of 2023 |url=https://www.brooklynvegan.com/the-armeds-tony-wolski-discusses-his-favorite-albums-of-2023/ |access-date=October 31, 2024 |website=BrooklynVegan}}

The duo revealed that "for the first time ever, we made a shitload of money from an album" thanks to the success of the Bandcamp campaign.{{cite web |author1=KNOWER |date=2 October 2023 |title=knower album available everywhere |url=https://x.com/KNOWER_music/status/1708704208776466830?s=20 |access-date=11 December 2023 |website=X (formerly Twitter) |language=en}}