In October we released Javelin by Sufjan. We are so happy people are loving it. In a year with so much exceptional new music, thank you for listening, and thanks to those who have included Javelin on their best-of 2023 lists, including:
- #1 on Entertainment Weekly’s “10 Best Albums of 2023.”
- #15 on Rolling Stone’s “100 Best Albums of 2023, #4 on their ”40 Best Indie Rock Albums 2023” and #6, 8 & 9 on their “Best Music of 2023 – Staff Picks.”
- #2 on Paste’s “The 50 Best Albums of 2023.”
- #11 on NME’s “The best albums of 2023.”
- f#6 on KEXP’s “Listeners’ Best of 2023.”
- Javelin was one of Amanda Petruisich’s (The New Yorker) favorite records: “[Javelin] is such a hopeful record. For me it really sounds like someone choosing a future, choosing to go on, and find light and love despite all the pain and loss they’ve endured.”
- #3 best album on CLASH’s “Albums of the Year.”
- #4 on the Independent’s “Best albums of 2023.”
- #2 best album of 2023 in Pitchfork’s Readers Poll, #6 on their editorial “Top 50 Best Albums of 2023” list, and “Will Anybody Ever Love Me” was Pitchfork’s third best song of 2023.
- #3 on Consequence of Sound’s “50 Best Albums of 2023:” “Stevens is more than a folk writer, digital composer, or eulogist. But never have all those different parts of himself coexisted with such grace.”
- #3 on Exclaim!’s “50 Best Albums of 2023.”
- #7 on AV Club’s “27 Best Albums of 2023:” “There is wildness and mystery to what Stevens is able to create that feels magic and rare.”
- #2 on NPR’s “Listener’s Top 50”
- #4 on The Sunday Times’ “20 best albums of 2023.”
- #2 on Under the Radar’s “Top 100 Albums 2023.”
- One of Vogue’s “26 best albums of 2023”
- #1 on the NACC Top 200 charts for 8 weeks in a row.
- #10 staff pick of 2023 at Gaffa, with “So You Are Tired” and “Will Anybody Ever Love” as some of their favorite songs of the year.
- #1 and #10 staff picks at Les Inrocks.
- #31 on MOJO’s “50 Best Albums of 2023.”
- The artwork of Javelin was one of Far Out’s best album artworks of 2023, one of Creative Review’s best record sleeves of 2023, and ourculture’s best album covers of 2023.
- #2 on rateyourmusic’s Top albums of 2023. Here’s just one of many listener reviews:
- “A simply gorgeous 42 minutes, nary an unnecessary moment to be found (which cannot be said of many of Stevens’ other releases) that deserves to be known as one of Stevens’ crowning achievements.”- flyingoverwater
- #4 on Anthony Fantano / Needle Drop’s best of 2023: “Javelin is absolutely beautiful. Few records left an impression on me like this one did.”
- Sufjan’s cover of Neil Young’s “There’s a World” was #1 on Paste’s “20 Best Cover Songs of 2023”
- “…a career-defining album for Sufjan — which is no small feat, because he’s made so much music and at such a high level for so long. I feel grateful when any artist is willing to lay their hearts bare for the world, and Sufjan’s willingness in that respect knows no bounds. It’s inspiring. And I will say, too, that the physical packaging for this album is just fucking wild.” – Julia Steiner of Ratboys on her favorite record of 2023
You can buy Javelin, with the 48-page book of art with essays and artwork by Sufjan, at your local record store, or stream it here.
