Claire Rousay
a little death
Release Date: Oct 31, 2025
Genre(s): Electronic, Experimental, Avant-Garde, Experimental Ambient, Experimental Electronic
Record label: Thrill Jockey
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Album Review: a little death by Claire Rousay
Great, Based on 3 Critics
Based on rating 8/10
A little death is one of claire rousay's finest albums. That says a lot given that she's released about 30 records, cassettes, and CDs in just under a decade. Like a lot of her music, a little death works best when you play it in the background. Constantly. Like all day, and let it push and pull ….
Based on rating 4/5
The title of claire rousay's latest album might allude to post-coital bliss, but la petite mort was also used by philosopher Roland Barthes to describe the pleasure of losing yourself in a book and momentarily escaping the world's ideological grip. A similar sensation arises when listening to rousay's self-styled brand of ambient-emo, which reframes snapshots of daily life in emotionally charged contexts. Marking a return to her diaristic compositions following 2024's pop-adjacent record sentiment, a little death opens with a spoken word meditation on loneliness.
Based on rating 7/10
Claire Rousay's a little death is a perfect example. Listen to it in a rush or when your mind is occupied with other material (so, half-listen), and the album's elusive sound collages can fade into a pleasant insignificance: clearly skilfully crafted, but hard to get a decent hold of. Give it more undivided attention, and a compelling sense of murky, unsettled and brooding depths gradually emerges.
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