The Puzzle / Snuggles
The Puzzle and Snuggles are the nineteenth and the twentieth studio albums by Canadian metal musician Devin Townsend, released on his own label HevyDevy Records on December 3, 2021. They are his first ambient albums since his 2006 album The Hummer.
| The Puzzle / Snuggles | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | December 3, 2021 | |||
| Recorded | 2020-2021 | |||
| Studio | The Armoury Studios, The Farm, Devlab, and The Armory, Vancouver, Canada | |||
| Genre | Ambient, experimental[1] | |||
| Length | 65:17 (The Puzzle), 38:32 (Snuggles) | |||
| Label | HevyDevy | |||
| Producer | Devin Townsend | |||
| Devin Townsend chronology | ||||
| ||||
Production and touring
Devin Townsend has explained that The Puzzle is "an elaborate and much more chilled out" version of his 2004 album Devlab[2] and "more a collaborative, multimedia art project that acts as a stopgap between Empath and the next record" that "gave me a chance to purge and be completely creatively free", whereas Snuggles is "meant to be something you listen to in order to feel better... Puzzle is chaos, Snuggles is calm. The whole project is meant to express that I think there is a light at the end of this dark tunnel we’ve been through."[3] The two albums serve as a prelude to a "more traditional album", Lightwork to be produced by Garth Richardson (Rage Against the Machine, Mudvayne, Nickelback) and "an ambitious project he’s been teasing for years called The Moth".[4]
These albums, specifically Lightwork, will be supported with a European tour in April and May 2022.[5] Townsend will also be the opener for American progressive metal band Dream Theater's European Tour at the same time.[6]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Devin Townsend.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Chromatic Ridge" | 3:43 |
| 2. | "Life Is but a Dream" | 3:29 |
| 3. | "Yucky Lung" | 1:22 |
| 4. | "Kittenhead" | 1:13 |
| 5. | "Shark in the Ice" | 1:49 |
| 6. | "Devil in the Details" | 0:58 |
| 7. | "Hammerhead Sugarplum" | 3:47 |
| 8. | "Me and the Moon" | 4:12 |
| 9. | "Anxiety in Pyjamas" | 3:28 |
| 10. | "The Yugas" | 3:01 |
| 11. | "Albert Hall" | 3:58 |
| 12. | "StarChasm" | 3:59 |
| 13. | "Perfect Owl" | 2:17 |
| 14. | "Maybe over the Void" | 2:56 |
| 15. | "Light Year Whale" | 4:31 |
| 16. | "FrogFlowers" | 1:11 |
| 17. | "Mother" | 4:28 |
| 18. | "Southern Sky Geometry" | 2:11 |
| 19. | "The Puzzle" | 5:22 |
| 20. | "Monuments of Glitch" | 7:22 |
| Total length: | 65:17 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Beyond Measure" | 1:31 |
| 2. | "Blue Dot" | 3:07 |
| 3. | "Drifting and Dreaming" | 4:26 |
| 4. | "Sundance" | 0:53 |
| 5. | "Minds Are Changing" | 3:46 |
| 6. | "The Ocean" | 4:54 |
| 7. | "Distant, Elegant" | 3:34 |
| 8. | "Replikiss" | 3:33 |
| 9. | "I Agree" | 3:23 |
| 10. | "Tryst" | 3:30 |
| 11. | "Sunset Rump" | 1:32 |
| 12. | "The Option" | 4:23 |
| Total length: | 38:32 | |
References
- "THE WEEKLY INJECTION: New Releases From DEVIN TOWNSEND, VOLBEAT, and More Out Today - 12/3". Metal Injection. 2021-12-03. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
- "Devin Townsend: Empath". Exclaim!. March 29, 2019.
- "Devin Townsend Explains Two New Albums, The Puzzle and Snuggles, in New Documentary Series". MetalSucks. August 9, 2021.
- "Devin Townsend Outlines Plans for Next Several Albums (Including The Moth!)". MetalSucks. August 25, 2021.
- "DEVIN TOWNSEND Announces 'Lightwork' Album, European Tour". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
- "DREAM THEATER Announces DEVIN TOWNSEND As Opener For European Tour". Metal Injection. 2021-10-31. Retrieved 2021-12-05.