Strange Trails
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Strange Trails
| type = studio
| artist = Lord Huron
| cover = Strange Trails cover.jpg
| alt =
| released = {{Start date|2015|4|7}} (UK)
{{Start date|2015|4|8}} (U.S.)
| recorded =
| venue =
| studio =
| genre = {{hlist|Indie rock|alternative rock|indie folk|alternative pop}}
| length = {{Duration|m=55|s=39}}
| label = Iamsound (U.S.)
PIAS Recordings (UK)
| producer = Ben Schneider
| prev_title = Lonesome Dreams
| prev_year = 2012
| next_title = Vide Noir
| next_year = 2018
}}
Strange Trails is the second studio album by indie rock band Lord Huron. It was released by PIAS Recordings on April 7, 2015, in the United Kingdom, and by Iamsound the next day in the United States. The album received positive reviews from music critics, and charted in Belgium, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada.
Critical reception
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = AllMusic
| rev1score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{cite web|last1=Donelson|first1=Marcy|title=Strange Trails - Lord Huron (Review)|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/strange-trails-mw0002821500|publisher=AllMusic|accessdate=April 19, 2017|date=April 6, 2017}}
| rev2 = Austin Chronicle
| rev2score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{cite news|last1=Johnston|first1=Abby|title=ACL Fest 2015 - Review: Lord Huron|url=http://www.austinchronicle.com/music/2015-10-02/lord-huron-strange-trails/|accessdate=April 19, 2017|work=Austin Chronicle|date=October 2, 2015}}
| rev3 = Blurt
| rev3score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite news|last1=Zimmerman|first1=Lee|title=Lord Huron - Strange Trails|url=http://blurtonline.com/review/lord-huron-strange-trails/|accessdate=April 19, 2017|work=Blurt|date=April 6, 2015}}
| rev4 = Drowned in Sound
| rev4score = 6/10{{cite news|last1=Sharpe|first1=Christopher T.|title=Album Review: Lord Huron - Strange Trails|url=http://drownedinsound.com/releases/18730/reviews/4148869|accessdate=April 19, 2017|work=Drowned in Sound|date=April 6, 2015|archive-date=April 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170420143107/http://drownedinsound.com/releases/18730/reviews/4148869|url-status=dead}}
| rev5 = musicOMH
| rev5score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{cite news|last1=Hogwood|first1=Ben|title=Lord Huron - Strange Trails|url=https://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/lord-huron-strange-trails|accessdate=April 19, 2017|work=musicOMH|date=April 8, 2015}}
| rev6 = PopMatters
| rev6score = {{Rating|7|10}}{{cite news|last1=Paul|first1=John|title=Lord Huron: Strange Trails|url=http://www.popmatters.com/review/192180-lord-huron-strange-trails/|accessdate=April 19, 2017|work=PopMatters|date=April 9, 2015}}
| rev7 = Spin
| rev7score = 8/10{{cite news|last1=Brodsky|first1=Rachel|title=SPIN Overlooked Albums Report: Young Guv's Power-Pop, Lord Huron's Folk Revival, and More|url=http://www.spin.com/2015/05/spin-overlooked-albums-report-young-guv-lord-huron/|accessdate=April 19, 2017|work=Spin|date=May 7, 2015}}
| rev8 = Uncut
| rev8score = 6/10{{cite news|last1=Scoppa|first1=Bud|title=Lord Huron - Strange Trails|work=Uncut|issue=May 2015|publisher=Time Inc. UK|pages=76}}
| rev9 = Under the Radar
| rev9score = {{Rating|7.5|10}}{{cite news|last1=Conner|first1=Matt|title=Strange Trails - Under the Radar|url=http://www.undertheradarmag.com/reviews/lord_huron_strange_trails/|accessdate=April 19, 2017|work=Under the Radar|date=April 13, 2015}}
}}
Strange Trails has received positive reviews from music critics. Metacritic, a review aggregator, indicates "generally favorable reviews", with an average score of 74 out of 100, based on 10 reviews.{{cite web|title=Strange Trails by Lord Huron|url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/strange-trails/lord-huron|publisher=Metacritic|accessdate=April 19, 2017}} Rachel Brodsky of Spin called the album "enchanting from start to finish", praising the lyricism, vocals, and instrumentation. Abby Johnston of the Austin Chronicle wrote "If a pair of 2010 EPs approximated an untamed jungle and 2012's debut LP Lonesome Dreams a tree house amongst it, Lord Huron's sophomore full-length Strange Trails is Ben Schneider's completed bungalow, his little plot of land in lush wilds". Matt Conner of Under the Radar singled out "Meet Me in the Woods" as "undeniably Schneider's best work yet", and while noting that the album was slightly inconsistent in quality, praised it overall as "always beautiful" and "arresting". Marcy Donelson of AllMusic praised the album's "serene ambience and unconventional narrative" and its themes, though she also called the album unsurprising. Ben Hogwood of musicOMH spoke positively of the "melodic strength and songwriting craft while introducing more noticeable elements of vulnerability," while criticizing some of the lyricism.
John Paul of PopMatters said that "Lord Huron succeed in meeting the requisite criteria of their most direct influences and have crafted an album sure to appeal to those enamored of Phosphorescent, Fleet Foxes, and My Morning Jacket", comparing it favorably to the band's previous album. Lee Zimmerman of Blurt said that the album provided "plenty to ponder, and the album’s spectral tones and hallucinatory ambiance suggests that several listens will be needed to fully process the entire effort". In a more mixed review, Bud Scoppa of Uncut stated that "the blend is rich and the performances spirited, but the thin, reverberant sound prevents the tracks from hitting the ear with impact, as if they were mic’d from a distance in a barn". Christopher T. Sharpe of Drowned in Sound praised the lyricism and thematic ideas of the album, but criticized the songs themselves for "fall[ing] short". While he praised some songs, primarily "Hurricane", he concluded that it was "as if the band, having gone to all the effort of building the car from scratch, painting it Technicolor and made the perfect mixtape for their road trip, half-filled the tank and left the wheels uninflated".
Track listing
{{track listing
| all_writing = Ben Schneider
| title1 = Love Like Ghosts
| length1 = 3:44
| title2 = Until the Night Turns
| length2 = 3:47
| title3 = Dead Man's Hand
| length3 = 4:21
| title4 = Hurricane (Johnnie's Theme)
| length4 = 2:46
| title5 = La Belle Fleur Sauvage
| length5 = 5:41
| title6 = Fool for Love
| length6 = 4:34
| title7 = The World Ender
| length7 = 4:30
| title8 = Meet Me in the Woods
| length8 = 4:22
| title9 = The Yawning Grave
| length9 = 3:12
| title10 = Frozen Pines
| length10 = 3:57
| title11 = Cursed
| length11 = 3:58
| title12 = Way Out There
| length12 = 4:10
| title13 = Louisa
| length13 = 3:09
| title14 = The Night We Met
| length14 = 3:28
| total_length = 55:39
}}
Personnel
Credits adapted from AllMusic.{{cite web|title=Strange Trails - Lord Huron - Credits|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/strange-trails-mw0002821500/credits|publisher=AllMusic|accessdate=April 19, 2017}}
Lord Huron
- Ben Schneider – lead vocals, guitars, producer, assistant engineer, artwork
- Mark Barry – drums, percussion, vocals, audio engineering
- Miguel Briseño – bass guitar, keyboards, vocals
- Tom Renaud – guitars, vocals
- Jessica Maros – vocals
Additional personnel
- Dave Cooley – audio mastering
- Ben Tolliday – audio engineering
- Rick Parker – audio mixing
- Kevin Kinsella – jacket design
Charts
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
= Weekly charts =
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |
| scope="col"| Chart (2015–2017)
! scope="col"| Peak |
|---|
| {{Album chart|Flanders|108|artist=Lord Huron|album=Strange Trails|accessdate=June 16, 2017|rowheader=true}} |
| {{Album chart|BillboardCanada|16|artist=Lord Huron|accessdate=April 19, 2017|rowheader=true}} |
| {{Album chart|UK|95|artist=Lord Huron|date=2015-418|refname=|accessdate=April 19, 2017|rowheader=true}} |
| {{Album chart|Billboard200|23|artist=Lord Huron|accessdate=April 19, 2017|rowheader=true}} |
| {{Album chart|BillboardFolk|1|artist=Lord Huron|accessdate=April 19, 2017|rowheader=true}} |
| {{Album chart|BillboardIndependent|2|artist=Lord Huron|accessdate=April 19, 2017|rowheader=true}} |
| {{Album chart|BillboardAlternative|2|artist=Lord Huron|accessdate=April 19, 2017|rowheader=true}} |
| {{Album chart|BillboardRock|2|artist=Lord Huron|accessdate=April 19, 2017|rowheader=true}} |
| {{Album chart|BillboardTastemaker|8|artist=Lord Huron|accessdate=April 19, 2017|rowheader=true}} |
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |
| scope="col"| Chart (2024)
! scope="col"| Peak |
|---|
| {{Album chart|Netherlands|94|artist=Lord Huron|album=Strange Trails|accessdate=January 20, 2024|rowheader=true}} |
{{col-2}}
= Year-end charts =
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |
| scope="col"| Chart (2017)
! scope="col"| Position |
|---|
| scope="row"| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard){{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2017/top-rock-albums|title=Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2017|magazine=Billboard|accessdate=October 4, 2021}}
| 92 |
{{col-end}}
Certifications
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Denmark|artist=Lord Huron|title=Strange Trails|award=Gold|type=album|relyear=2015|certyear=2024|id=13396|access-date=January 24, 2024}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|artist=Lord Huron|title=Strange Trails|award=Platinum|type=album|relyear=2015|certyear=2023|access-date=April 10, 2023}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true|nosales=yes|noshipments=yes}}