Bugland
| Bugland | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 8, 2025 | |||
| Genre | Shoegaze | |||
| Length | 33:39 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
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| No Joy chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Bugland | ||||
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Bugland is the fifth studio album by Canadian project No Joy. It was released on August 8, 2025, through Hand Drawn Dracula (ROW) and Sonic Cathedral (EU/UK). The album received acclaim from critics.
Background and singles
Bugland marks White-Gluz's first full-length as No Joy since 2020's Motherhood.[1] White-Gluz co-produced the album with Chicago experimentalist Angel Marcloid, better known by her pseudonym Fire-Toolz. She described the collaboration as "limitless" and said it allowed her to "easily relate" to the project, as both share a similar taste in music. The album announcement on May 14, 2025, was accompanied by the release of the title track, which marked the first song the duo produced together.[2] The second single "Bits" was released on June 26,[3] followed by "My Crud Princess" on July 24.[4]
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 85/100[5] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
| Far Out |  [7] |
| Laut.de | [8] |
| Pitchfork | 8.3/10[9] |
On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized score out of 100 to ratings from mainstream publications, the album received a weighted mean score of 85 based on four reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[5] Sadie Sartini Garner of Pitchfork awarded Bugland the accolade Best New Music, noting that the album is fully aware of "living in a memory" and calling it the "perfect album for our current shoecraze" as well as "unlike any other record alongside". She described it as containing a "litter of sound", with "so much happening" at the same time that nearly all of it "commands your attention".[9]
Kerstin Kratochwill of Laut.de described the album as "heavy" and comparable to noise acts such as Medicine and My Bloody Valentine. She noted that it evokes a desire to be fully immersed in its "futuristic sonic force", which expands into space with influences from jam music and black metal.[8] In a more moderate review, Kelly Scanlon of Far Out acknowledged that there were "definitely low points throughout the album" but praised it as "a tight embrace" that encourages listeners to keep going "even when the haze becomes a bit too much".[7]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Garbage Dream House" | 5:16 |
| 2. | "Bugland" | 2:29 |
| 3. | "Bits" | 3:38 |
| 4. | "Save the Lobsters" | 4:46 |
| 5. | "My Crud Princess" | 3:14 |
| 6. | "Bather in the Bloodcells" | 2:55 |
| 7. | "I Hate That I Forget What You Look Like" | 3:30 |
| 8. | "Jelly Meadow Bright" (featuring Fire-Toolz) | 7:51 |
| Total length: | 33:39 | |
References
- ^ Green, Walden (May 14, 2025). "No Joy Announces New Album Bugland, Shares Video: Watch". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
- ^ LaPierre, Megan (May 14, 2025). "No Joy Announce New Album Bugland, Share Title Track". Exclaim!. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
- ^ Chelosky, Danielle (June 26, 2025). "No Joy – "Bits"". Stereogum. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
- ^ Chelosky, Danielle (July 24, 2025). "No Joy – "My Crud Princess"". Stereogum. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
- ^ a b "Bugland by No Joy Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
- ^ Thomas, Fred. "Bugland – No Joy". AllMusic. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
- ^ a b Scanlon, Kelly (August 7, 2025). "No Joy – Bugland album review: Ambience with teeth". Far Out. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
- ^ a b Kratochwill, Kerstin (August 8, 2025). "No Joy – Bugland album review: Eine Freude für Fans des experimentellen Shoegaze". Laut.de. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
- ^ a b Sartini Garner, Sadie (August 11, 2025). "No Joy – 'Bugland' album review: A radiant, hyper-stimulating reminder of youthful joy". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 16, 2025.