Modus Vivendi (Latin for "way of life") is the debut studio album by American alternative pop artist 070 Shake. It was released by GOOD Music and Def Jam on January 17, 2020. It was promoted by the singles "Morrow", "Nice to Have", "Under the Moon", and "Guilty Conscience" and features production from Mike Dean and indie rock musician Dave Hamelin, among others.
Background and recording In 2018, Shake released her debut EP, Glitter. In 2018, the New Jersey artist contributed vocals to Kanye West's Ye, Nas's Nasir, Pusha-T's Daytona, and Teyana Taylor's K.T.S.E. In 2019, she contributed to West's Jesus Is King, though her vocals are not present on the final album.
Shake announced her debut album on June 24, 2019. The press release stated that Modus Vivendi is "coming soon" on GOOD Music/Def Jam and that it would feature the previously released singles "Morrow" and "Nice to Have". Shake also announced a new tour behind the new record.
In an interview with Billboard, she stated that she retreated to a Los Angeles studio and recorded a hundred songs in just over a month with producers Dave Hamelin and Mike Dean.
The cover art was created by Sam Spratt, a New York-based illustrator.
Critical reception
Modus Vivendi received critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, Modus Vivendi received a weighted average score of 80 based on 10 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave the album a 7.4 out of 10 based on their assessment of the critical consensus.
Dhruva Balram of NME praised 070 Shake's lyricism and emotion, writing: "Shedding collaborations entirely, the album consists solely of 070 Shake's hypnotising hooks and shape-shifting vocals. It cements the 22-year-old as a unique artist, proving to everyone – and perhaps even herself – that she doesn't need anyone but her voice to vault herself to success. On Modus Vivendi, she manages to craft a sound that's anthemic, and built for festivals and clubs; but within the grooves, she's precise. Nothing feels out of place. This is project sculpted away from current trends." Reed Jackson of Pitchfork described the album as "intensely sincere, with the New Jersey native proudly serving her soul raw atop bullish, beautiful production", while stating that "it is the most compelling and complete release under G.O.O.D. Music since Pusha T's Daytona."
Accolades +Accolades for Modus Vivendi Publication Accolade Rank Complex Complexs Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year Gorilla vs. Bear Gorilla vs. Bears 25 Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year Mic Cheque Mic Cheques Best Albums of 2020 – End-of-Year Rolling Stone Rolling Stones 50 Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year
Track listing Credits are adapted from Tidal. On January 29, 2020, the stereo version of the album was re-uploaded with changes in track sequencing and mixing.
Notes signifies a co-producer signifies an additional producer
Sample credits "The Pines" contains an interpolation of "In the Pines", a traditional folk song. "It's Forever" contains samples of "It's Forever", written by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff and performed by the Ebonys. "Rocketship" contains samples of "Snowflakes Are Dancing", written by Claude Debussy and performed by Isao Tomita. "Guilty Conscience" contains samples of "Stand by Me", written by Ben E. King, Jerry Leiber, and Mike Stoller and performed by Ben E. King.
Personnel Musicians Dave Hamelin – bass guitar , guitar , keyboards , synthesizer , tambourine dom$olo – keyboards Francis and the Lights – programmer Gitai Vinshtock – guitar Isaiah Gage – cello Joel Shearer – guitar Juan Brito – keyboards Justus West – guitar Mike Dean – bass guitar , drums , guitar , keyboards , piano , synthesizer Sarah Schachner – cello , string arranger , strings , viola , violin Sean Solymar – guitar , keyboards , piano Stephen Feigenbaum – string arranger Timmy Manson Jr. – keyboards William Moraites – bass guitar Yasmeen Al-Mazeedi – strings , violin
Technical Adrián Meléndez – recording engineer Brian Chirlo – recording engineer Dave Hamelin – recording engineer Jenna Felsenthal – recording engineer Joe Tarsia – recording engineer Juan Brito – recording engineer Mike Dean – mastering engineer , mixer , recording engineer Pat Rosario – recording engineer Sean Solymar – assistant mixer
Instrumental version On June 26, 2020, an instrumental version of the album, called Modus Vivendi: Instrumental Selections, was released through digital retailers. The instrumental album contains the instrumental versions of ten songs from the original album.
Charts + Chart performance for Modus Vivendi Chart (2020) Peakposition
References
External links