Big Colors is the eighteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Ryan Adams. Originally slated for release on April 19, 2019, it was delayed following sexual misconduct allegations against Adams. It was eventually released on June 11, 2021 through Adams's label PAX AM.
Background and release.
In January 2019, Adams announced his plans to release three albums that calendar year. The first, "Big Colors", was due to be released on April 19 and feature 15 tracks. The second, "Wednesdays", was to feature 17 tracks and did not yet have a confirmed release date. Adams did not disclose the name of the third album. To promote "Big Colors", Adams premiered the tracks "Doylestown Girl" and "Manchester" on radio and released "Fuck the Rain" as the official lead single from the album. He also announced a UK tour.
The release of all three albums was put on hold after "The New York Times" published an article in February 2019 in which several women, including Adams's ex-wife Mandy Moore, Phoebe Bridgers, and an underage fan, accused him of abuse and sexual misconduct. "Fuck the Rain" was removed from streaming services and the UK tour was cancelled. Adams has denied the allegations.
On December 11, 2020, Adams eventually surprise-released "Wednesdays" with a revised track listing, including several tracks originally announced for inclusion on "Big Colors". The YouTube description of the music video to the "Wednesdays" track "I'm Sorry and I Love You" mentioned that "Wednesdays" was to be the first in a trilogy of albums, including the previously mentioned "Big Colors" and a third album called "Chris". On April 23, 2021, Adams surprise-released "Do Not Disturb" as the lead single from the revised edition of "Big Colors" on digital services. A release date of June 11 was later announced in May along with a statement from Adams: ""Big Colors" was created as a 1980s soundtrack to a movie that never existed. "Wednesdays" was a study of decline and morality; "Big Colors" is meant to feel like a daydream. New York, where this album was written, always propels me into new, unexpected creative spaces and this album happened to me, more than I can say I happened to it."
Critical reception.
Jakob Biazza wrote for the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" that "Big Colors" had a "bigger rock pose and a lighter disposition" than "Wednesdays". He found that, compared to its predecessor, "Big Colors" was "more of a rebellion against suffering than wallowing in it". He noted that "the guitars have more twang and more biting colors" and the singing "[is] more piercing and upright", describing this sound as "colder, harder". Writing for "Aftonbladet", Håkan Steen called "Big Colors" "another very solid Ryan Adams record". He opined that the "guitars and arrangements undeniably sound like" the 1980s soundtrack described by Adams and found "Big Colors" "much more pop" in comparison to "Wednesdays". Steen cited "It's So Quiet, It's Loud", "Manchester", and "Showtime" as album highlights, writing that they "could probably have become hits in another reality". However, he described "Power" as "silly".
References.
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