| Path of Wellness | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 11, 2021 | |||
| Recorded | 2020–2021 | |||
| Studio | Hafling Studios (Portland, Oregon) | |||
| Genre | Punk rock[1] | |||
| Length | 38:57 | |||
| Label | Mom + Pop | |||
| Producer | Sleater-Kinney | |||
| Sleater-Kinney chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Path of Wellness | ||||
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Path of Wellness is the tenth studio album by the American rock band Sleater-Kinney. The album was released on June 11, 2021 by Mom + Pop Music.[2][3] This is the band’s first album since 1996’s Call the Doctor not featured their long-time drummer Janet Weiss, and their first album to featured as a duo.
Following a nine-year hiatus, the American punk rock band Sleater-Kinney announced their return with the track "Bury Our Friends" on October 19, 2014.[4] On January 20, 2015, they released No Cities to Love via Sub Pop Records, the first Sleater-Kinney album since 2005's The Woods.[5] Three years later, singer and guitarist Carrie Brownstein told Pitchfork that Sleater-Kinney was working on a follow-up effort to No Cities To Love, but that they were "going to do this very slowly".[6] In January 2019, Brownstein confirmed to NPR that the album was produced by St. Vincent and would be released later in the year.[7]
On July 1, 2019, drummer Janet Weiss announced over Instagram that she was leaving Sleater-Kinney, saying, "The band is heading in a new direction and it is time for me to move on."[8] Sleater-Kinney's ninth studio album, The Center Won't Hold, was released a month and a half later, on August 16.[9] There was some speculation among fans that Weiss had left Sleater-Kinney due to St. Vincent's involvement in the new record, which Brownstein denied, saying that it was originally Weiss's idea to work with her.[10] Responding to a fan on Instagram, Brownstein added, "She left. We asked her to stay. We tried. It's hard and sad."[11] When Sleater-Kinney went on tour that September to promote The Center Won't Hold, they recruited Angie Boylan of Aye Nako as their touring drummer.[12] That November, Weiss appeared on the Trap Set With Joe Wong podcast, saying that she had left Sleater-Kinney because the "roles changed within the band", and that she was "just the drummer now" as opposed to "a creative equal" with Tucker and Brownstein.[13]
On May 11, 2021, Sleater-Kinney announced the album title, cover art, and release date for Path of Wellness, and promised their fans "so much more, soon".[14] Accompanying the album announcement was the release of Path of Wellness's lead single and music video, "Worry With You".[15] The video, directed by Alberta Poon, features a young couple, played by Fabi Reyna and Megan Watson, attempting to cohabitate in their undersized house. Tucker and Brownstein make cameo appearances as an actor in a pharmaceutical commercial and as a television fitness instructor, respectively.[16] On May 26, the band released their follow-up single and video to "Worry With You", titled "High in the Grass".[17] Directed by Kelly Sears, the video for "High in the Grass" provides a psychedelic element, with trees with eyes and a number of decapitated figures, both dancing and attempting cardiopulmonary resuscitation, before culminating in a dance party.[18] The final single to be released in advance of Path of Wellness was "Method", which came out on June 9.[19] The song was accompanied by a Lance Bangs-directed lyric video.[20]
To accompany the June 11 release of Path of Wellness, Sleater-Kinney announced a variety show-style livestream on Amazon Music's Twitch channel, beginning at 9 p.m. (ET) on June 10.[21] Hosted by Chris Hewett, the livestream featured "interviews, live performances and a fortune teller weighing in on [the band's] future prospects", as well as a variety of guest appearances from celebrities and musicians such as Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally, and Matt Berninger from the National.[21] On June 25, Sleater-Kinney released a live extended play titled Live At The Hallowed Halls, featuring recordings of the four tracks on Path of Wellness that they played during the livestream event.[22] Sleater-Kinney promoted Path of Wellness with two other live and recorded events. On June 16, Sleater-Kinney appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to perform "Worry With You". Rather than playing in front of a live studio audience, the band submitted a pre-taped performance from an abandoned skate park.[23] The next day, Tucker and Brownstein appeared on the Audible service Words + Music to discuss "30 years of shared history making music and making noise".[24]
![[icon]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2023) |
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.1/10[25] |
| Metacritic | 78/100[26] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| The A.V. Club | B[27] |
| Beats Per Minute | 58%[28] |
| Clash | 7/10[29] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[30] |
| Exclaim! | 8/10[31] |
| NME |   [32] |
| Paste | 7.3/10[33] |
| Pitchfork | 6.8/10[34] |
| Rolling Stone | [35] |
| Under the Radar |  [36] |
Path of Wellness was met with mostly positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, Path of Wellness has an average score of 78 based on 18 reviews.[26] The review aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave the album 7.1 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[25]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Path of Wellness" | 2:40 |
| 2. | "High in the Grass" | 4:05 |
| 3. | "Worry with You" | 3:50 |
| 4. | "Method" | 4:20 |
| 5. | "Shadow Town" | 5:10 |
| 6. | "Favorite Neighbor" | 2:49 |
| 7. | "Tomorrow's Grave" | 3:52 |
| 8. | "No Knives" | 1:16 |
| 9. | "Complex Female Characters" | 3:00 |
| 10. | "Down the Line" | 4:06 |
| 11. | "Bring Mercy" | 3:49 |
| Total length: | 38:57 | |
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2023) |
Sleater-Kinney
| Chart (2021) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[37] | 22 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[38] | 14 |
