Crumbling (album) explained

Crumbling is the second studio album by South Korean folktronica artist Mid-Air Thief. The album features vocals by South Korean indie singer-songwriter Summer Soul.^[2] It was released on July 31, 2018. It was nominated at the Korean Music Awards in 2019 in the categories "Album of the Year" and "Best Dance & Electronic Album" and won the latter.^{[3] [1]}

Background

The album gained attention from online music communities such as Album of The Year and Rate Your Music,^[4] where on the former, it is currently the 3rd highest-rated album of 2018 and on the latter, the 4th highest.^{[5] [6]}

Release

Crumbling was released independently in South Korea on July 31, 2018^[7] and in United States on August 7, 2018.^[8] It was released in Japan on December 4, 2018 by Botanical House.^[9] The album was reissued on September 20, 2019 by Topshelf Records.^[10]

Critical reception

Weiv described Crumbling as "the power of faint sounds."^[11] Reggie MT of Tiny Mix Tapes declared that the album is "much like its spiritual predecessor, alternately chillaxed and maximalist, calming and rousing."^[2] It ranked on Pretty Much Amazing's 2018: Year in Review list at number 22, while the writer stated that "at first listen, Mid-Air Thief sounds like a Grizzly Bear clone, but upon further listening, this is pacific island pop you didn't know you wanted."^[12]

Track listing

All lyrics written by Mid-Air Thief and Summer Soul; all music written by Mid-Air Thief.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Crumbling.^[13]

Musicians

• Mid-Air Thief – instruments, music
• Summer Soul – backing vocals
• Ko Jae-Hyun – instruments

Artwork

• Shin Hye-Jung – artwork

Notes and References

1. Web site: Mid-Air Thief Made A Beloved, Award Winning Album And Still Hasn't Shown His Face . https://web.archive.org/web/20190802013540/http://www.mtv.com/news/3133453/mid-air-thief-interview-crumbling/ . dead . August 2, 2019 . Enis . Eli . . January 8, 2019 . October 3, 2019.
2. Web site: 공중도둑 (Mid-Air Thief) - 무너지기 LISTEN . September 21, 2018 . Reggie MT . . July 19, 2019.
3. Web site: BTS, 한국대중음악상 '올해의 음악인' 수상… "상 의미 잘 안다" . Kim . Su-jeong. February 27, 2019 . No Cut News . ko . September 26, 2019.
4. Web site: Sayan. Ghosh. Sayan Ghosh: Mid-Air Thief accrues online following. The Michigan Daily. University of Michigan. 21 October 2018. 15 April 2019.
5. Web site: Top Albums of 2018 - Rate Your Music. live. Rate Your Music. Sonemic, Inc.. 20 December 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211229050025/https://rateyourmusic.com/charts/top/album/2018/ . December 29, 2021 .
6. Web site: Best Albums of 2018 by User Score . Album of The Year.
7. Web site: 앨범 정보 > 공중도둑 – 무너지기 . . July 31, 2018 . December 28, 2018.
8. Web site: 무너지기 (Crumbling) 공중도둑 (Mid-Air Thief) . . . . July 19, 2019.
9. Web site: Crumbling Botanical House . . . July 23, 2019.
10. Web site: Topshelf Records. Mid-Air Thief - Crumbling. Topshelf Records. 17 June 2019.
11. http://www.weiv.co.kr/archives/23797 공중도둑 – 무너지기 (2018)
12. Web site: Pretty Much Amazing's 2018: Year in Review Albums of the Year . Pretty Much Amazing . January 4, 2019 . September 25, 2019 . November 7, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201107233625/https://prettymuchamazing.com/features/best-albums-2018/ . dead .
13. Crumbling. Mid-Air Thief. liner notes. 2018.