Happiness Bastards is the ninth studio album by American rock band the Black Crowes, released on March 15, 2024, through Silver Arrow Records. The album was produced by Jay Joyce. It is the band's first album since their 2019 reformation, the first album of new material since 2009's Before the Frost...Until the Freeze, and the first without longtime drummer Steve Gorman. The album was preceded by the single "Wanting and Waiting", released on January 12, 2024.
The album received a nomination for Best Rock Album at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
Critical reception
Happiness Bastards received a score of 80 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on nine critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable".
In Classic Rock Pat Carty described it as "A rock'n'roll record that's funkier than a tramp's kacks, more soulful than a gospel convention, warmer than a mother's love and groovier than the Grand Canyon."
Year-end lists + Select year-end rankings for Happiness Bastards Publication/critic Accolade RankLoudwire The 11 Best Rock Albums of 20248MOJO The Best Albums Of 202443
Track listing All tracks are written by Chris Robinson and Rich Robinson.
Personnel The Black Crowes Chris Robinson – lead vocals, harp, artwork, design Rich Robinson – guitar, vocals Nico Bereciartúa – guitar Erik Deutsch – keyboards Sven Pipien – bass, vocals Brian Griffin – drums
Additional contributors Jay Joyce – production, mixing, guitar, keyboards Pete Lyman – mastering Jason Hall – mixing, engineering Daniel Bacigalupi – mastering assistance Alex Grimm – engineering assistance Jimmy Mansfield – engineering assistance Josh Groppel – engineering assistance Camille Robinson – artwork, design
Charts +Chart performance for Happiness Bastards Chart (2024) Peakposition Australian Albums (ARIA) N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart. 107 Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan) 31 Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) 47
References