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Try Not to Laugh

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Try Not to Laugh
Studio album by
ReleasedDecember 15, 2023 (2023-12-15)
GenrePower pop
Length28:55
LabelSmoking Room
Graham Hunt chronology
If You Knew Would You Believe It
(2022)
Try Not to Laugh
(2023)
Singles from Try Not to Laugh
  1. "Emergency Contact"
    Released: August 3, 2023
  2. "Tashmere Anthill"
    Released: November 6, 2023
  3. "Try Not to Laugh"
    Released: December 11, 2023

Try Not to Laugh is the fourth studio album by American musician Graham Hunt. It was released on December 15, 2023, through Smoking Room, and arrives only a year after his third studio album If You Knew Would You Believe It (2022).

Background and singles

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Between 2015 and 2023, a time spanning eight years, Hunt released six EPs and nine studio albums across six different projects. He also remained prolific contributing to other bands through production or live performances.[1] On August 3, 2023, Hunt released the lead single "Emergency Contact", a "summery power pop jolt" with "knockout hooks, squiggly guitar solo and toy percussion".[2] The second single of the album "Tashmere Anthill" was released on November 6. The song features a "structured looseness" comparable to the works of early Beck, including a "rubbery and melodic" bass line and a prominent "acoustic breakdown halfway in".[3] On December 11, Hunt released the eponymous third single, a song that was described as "appealing '90s-style indie rock"[4] where "big classic rock guitars" meets "occasional brass and strings".[5]

Critical reception

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Lizzie Manno of Stereogum chose Try Not to Laugh as their "album of the week", revering Hunt a pioneer in contemporary "independent power pop". Hunt takes the listener on a "smart and unexpected" ride through "decades of guitar pop" without drifting off into "cloying melodies or stale lyricism". Manno opines that Hunt further proves to be a "clever writer" on the album, assembling "pleasant pop melodies" with a "a literary eye" and "late-capitalist cynicism".[2]

The staff of the Sleeping Village in Chicago thought that Try Not to Laugh was a record that showcases "breakbeats" combined with "anthemic choruses" and "synth runs go toe-to-toe with acoustic guitars" and songwriting that gets to the heart of "Midwestern guitar pop". Hunt managed to create a record that sees the songs stay "at the forefront".[6]

Track listing

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Try Not to Laugh track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Try Not to Laugh"2:48
2."Taste"3:10
3."Emergency Contact"4:31
4."Zoomed Out"4:26
5."Tashmere Anthill"4:06
6."Seein' the World"3:58
7."Options in Community Living 23"1:32
8."Rosemary Fabian"4:24
Total length:28:55

References

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  1. ^ Spoerl, Steven (November 15, 2023). "A pair of Graham Hunt singles drum up excitement". Tone (Madison). Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Manno, Lizzie (December 12, 2023). "Album Of The Week: Graham Hunt Try Not To Laugh". Stereogum. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  3. ^ Krzykowski, Brett (November 20, 2023). "Add of the Week: Graham Hunt, "Tashmere Anthill"". WYMS. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  4. ^ "7 New Songs Out Today". BrooklynVegan. December 7, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  5. ^ Deville, Chris (December 11, 2023). "Graham Hunt – "Try Not To Laugh"". Stereogum. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  6. ^ "Graham Hunt (Album Release Tour) w/ Interlay, Tension Pets". sleeping-village.com. Retrieved December 14, 2023.