To the Bone | ||||
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Studio album by Steven Wilson | ||||
Released | 18 August 2017 | |||
Recorded | December 2016 – April 2017 | |||
Genre | Art rock, progressive pop | |||
Length | 59:46 | |||
Label | Caroline International | |||
Producer | Steven Wilson, Paul Stacey | |||
Steven Wilson chronology | ||||
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Singles from To the Bone | ||||
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Aggregate scores | |
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 78/100 |
Review scores | |
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AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Classic Rock | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
CounterCulture.nl | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Drowned in Sound | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Metal Wani | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Mojo | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Planet Rock | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
PopMatters | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Q | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Sputnikmusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Uncut | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
To the Bone is the fifth studio album by English recording artist Steven Wilson, released on 18 August 2017 on Caroline International. It was recorded two-and-a-half years after the release of Hand. Cannot. Erase. (2015), and one year after his mini-album, 4½ (2016). According to Wilson, the album is inspired by the progressive pop records of his youth, such as Peter Gabriel's So, Kate Bush's Hounds of Love, Talk Talk's The Colour of Spring and Tears for Fears' The Seeds of Love.
In late 2016, Wilson announced that he had returned to the studio to record his fifth album. During the first months of 2017, Wilson released two work-in-progress studio clips to his YouTube channel. On 5 January, he released a clip of "Pariah" and on 12 February, he released a clip of "To the Bone", featuring harmonica player Mark Feltham. Wilson continued to tease various images and small album details until 8 May when he revealed the track listing on his Instagram account and released the single "Pariah". The following day on his Instagram, he announced the album and an upcoming 2018 European tour, and the following week, on 18 May, a music video was released for "Pariah". Four further singles have been released to date: "The Same Asylum As Before", "Song of I", "Permanating" and "Refuge". A video for "Permanating" featuring a Bollywood dance troupe was released online on 21 July.
To The Bone has received mostly positive reviews from critics. Metacritic, a review aggregator, has given the album a normalised rating of 78 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews", based on reviews from 7 critics.Uncut magazine stated "Wilson's fifth solo LP is a lush and ambitious piece of progressive pop music. Hitting on some heavy influences, including Peter Gabriel, Depeche Mode, Bends-era Radiohead, and Todd Rundgren's electronic ballads, this insistently melodic, 11-song set is an old-school, sum-of-its parts experience".Planet Rock rated the album five stars, commenting that "Steven Wilson delivers his progressive masterpiece". Jordan Blum of Rebel Noise magazine said: "To the Bone is both a great album in its own right and a perfectly appropriate addition to Wilson's vast body of work".Sputnikmusic rated the album 4.5/5, stating: "Steven Wilson proves that an artist can venture into uncharted musical waters, even 30 years into their career, for ambitious and vibrant results like these".