Solastalgia (album)

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Infobox album

| name = Solastalgia

| type = Studio

| artist = Missy Higgins

| cover = Solastalgia_by_Missy_Higgins.jpg

| alt =

| released = {{Start date|2018|04|27|df=yes}}

| recorded =

| venue =

| studio =

| genre = Pop

| length =

| label = Eleven

| producer =

| prev_title = Oz

| prev_year = 2014

| next_title = The Special Ones

| next_year = 2018

| misc = {{Singles

| name = Solastalgia

| type = studio

| single1 = Futon Couch

| single1date = 8 February 2018

| single2 = Cemetery

| single2date = 13 April 2018

}}

}}

Solastalgia is the fifth studio album by Australian singer-songwriter Missy Higgins, released on 27 April 2018. The album's title references an "existential distress caused by environmental change, such as mining or climate change"([https://glennaalbrecht.wordpress.com/2018/12/17/solastalgia-the-definition-and-origins/ Glenn Albrecht 2005]).

The first single from the album, "Futon Couch", was released on 8 February 2018 with an accompanying video. The song has peaked at number 100 on the ARIA Singles Chart.

The album's second single "Cemetery" was released on 13 April 2018.{{cite web|url=https://mushroom.com/newmusic/missy-higgins-cemetery/|title=Missy Higgins 'Cemetery'|publisher=Mushroom Music|date=13 April 2018|accessdate=28 April 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/missyhiggins/videos/vb.7573532690/10155141709447691/?type=3&theater|title=Missy Higgins - 'Cemetery' (teaser) |publisher=Facebook|date=12 April 2018|accessdate=28 April 2018}} The music video was released on 27 April 2018.

At the ARIA Music Awards of 2018, the album was nominated for the ARIA Award for Best Adult Contemporary Album.{{cite web | url = https://www.ariaawards.com.au/News/2018/And-The-ARIA-Award-Goes-To | title = And the ARIA Award Goes To... | last = Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) | publisher = Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) | date = 28 November 2018 | accessdate = 28 November 2018 }}

Reception

{{Music ratings

| rev1 = The Australian

| rev1Score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}

| rev2 = The Music

| rev2Score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}

| rev3 = auspOp

| rev3Score = {{Rating|4|5}}

}}

Sophie Benjamin from The Australian said "Solastalgia's best moments come from Higgins taking a long look at the world she's bringing her children into, wrestling with the guilt and fear from that decision, then going to her piano to work out her feelings about it." adding "The album's weakest moments are when Higgins mines her past for inspiration and gets carried away with the bells and whistles of laptop production." Benjamin concluded that "Old fans who loved her early work may be put off by the electronic production, but it's worth pushing through any discomfort and sitting with Solastalgia, an album that only underscores her talent."{{cite web|url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/review/review-missy-higgins-tina-harrod-mat-jodrell/news-story/3b1979160a197bac9b99a8bb1169d7c6|title=Review: Missy Higgins, Tina Harrod, Mat Jodrell |publisher=The Australian|date=21 April 2018|accessdate=27 April 2018}}

Liz Giuffre from The Music said "Although there's quite a bit of thematic doom and gloom on this record, expect plenty of highs, too", adding "A departure into the electro fringe, this is Missy Higgins as far away from organic/acoustic pop as she has ever ventured, and it's well worth the journey." Giuffre named the track "49 Candles" as the bold standout.{{cite web|url=http://themusic.com.au/music/albumreviews/2018/04/26/missy-higgins-solastalgia-liz-giuffre/|title=Missy Higgins – Solastalgia|work=The Music AU|date=26 April 2018|accessdate=27 April 2018}}

David from auspOp gave the album 4 out of 5, saying "Overall [Higgins] has created a collection of songs which are interesting, dynamic and lyrically intriguing." He also called the album "magical".{{cite web|url=https://www.auspop.com.au/2018/05/its-davids-review-of-missy-higgins-solastalgia/|title=It's David's Review of Missy Higgins' 'Solastalgia'|publisher=auspOp|date=21 May 2018|accessdate=23 May 2018}}

Track listing

{{Track listing

| headline =

| total_length =

| title1 = Starting Again

| writer1 = Missy Higgins, Pip Norman

| length1 = 4:17

| title2 = Cemetery

| writer2 = Higgins, Norman, Daniel Kyriakides, Steph Jones

| length2 = 4:09

| title3 = Futon Couch

| writer3 = Higgins, Norman

| length3 = 3:25

| title4 = Red Moon

| writer4 = Higgins, Alex Hope

| length4 = 3:29

| title5 = How Was I to Know

| writer5 = Higgins, Daniel Dodd Wilson

| length5 = 4:04

| title6 = Yesterday Must Die

| writer6 = Higgins, Butterfly Boucher, Cason Cooley

| length6 = 4:04

| title7 = The Difference

| writer7 = Higgins, Norman

| length7 = 4:07

| title8 = Don't Look Down

| writer8 = Higgins, Boucher, Cooley

| length8 = 4:12

| title9 = Hallucinate

| writer9 = Higgins, Hope

| length9 = 3:07

| title10 = 49 Candles

| writer10 = Higgins, Daniel Parker

| length10 = 3:16

| title11 = Strange Utopia

| writer11 = Higgins, Norman, Joelma

| length11 = 4:33

| title12 = The Old Star

| writer12 = Higgins, Boucher

| length12 = 2:44

}}

Charts

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
scope="col"| Chart (2018)

! scope="col"| Peak
position

{{album chart|Australia|3|artist=Missy Higgins|album=Solastalgia|accessdate=5 May 2019|rowheader=true}}
scope="row"| New Zealand Heatseeker Albums (RMNZ){{cite web|url=https://aotearoamusiccharts.co.nz/archive/albums/2018-05-04|title=NZ Heatseeker Albums Chart|publisher=Recorded Music NZ|date=7 May 2018|access-date=4 May 2018}}

| 6

Release history

class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
scope="col"|Region

!scope="col"|Date

!scope="col"|Format(s)

!scope="col"|Label

!scope="col"|Catalogue

scope="row" rowspan="2"|Australia

|rowspan="2"|27 April 2018{{cite web|url=https://www.jbhifi.com.au/music/browse/pop/solastalgia/605040/|title= Solastalgia|publisher=JB Hi-Fi|accessdate=23 March 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://www.jbhifi.com.au/music/Whats-Hot/pop/solastalgia-vinyl/605341/|title= Solastalgia (Vinyl)|publisher=JB Hi-Fi|accessdate=23 March 2018}}

|CD, download

|rowspan="2"|Eleven

|ELEVENCD140

Vinyl

|ELEVENV140

References