Post-American

For the magazine, see Sojourners.

For the time period, see Post-American era.

Post-American is the first full-length studio album by American post-hardcore band MSPAINT, released on February 20, 2023.

Post-American
Studio album by MSPAINT
Released	February 20, 2023 (2023-02-20)
Recorded	Late 2022
Studio	Nick Panella's home studio, Hattiesburg, Mississippi, United States Pit Recording Studios
Genre	Post-hardcore, synth-punk
Length	30:06
Language	English
Label	Convulse
Producer	Ian Shelton Taylor Young
MSPAINT chronology
MSPAINT (2020) Post-American (2023) No Separation (2025)
Singles from Post-American
"Acid" "Delete It" "Titan of Hope"

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Loud and Quiet	8/10[1]
Pitchfork	7.4/10[2]
The Alternative	[3]

Writing for Loud and Quiet, Kyle Kohner gave this album an 8 out of 10, calling it "one of the most refreshing punk records anyone will hear this year".^[1] Nina Corcoran of Pitchfork rated Post-American a 7.4 out of 10, praising frontman Deedee in particular as "the final garnish on an album defined by unexpected combinations" that "instills a humble profundity in MSPAINT’s music".^[2] In a profile of MSPAINT published before the release of this album, Stereogum's Julia Towers predicted this would be one of the best albums of the year^[4] and in a June round-up of the best albums of 2023, the publication placed this at third, with Chris DeVille writing that "there’s nothing quite like this album".^[5]

In a June 19 review of the best albums of 2023, editors at Paste ranked this 23 for being "an invigorating call to prioritize love and justice in a time when virtually every part of society and culture encourages robotic mindlessness".^[6] In Exclaim!, this was rated the 19th best album of 2023.^[7] Editors at Stereogum chose this for the ninth best album of 2023.^[8] Editors at Pitchfork included this in their list of the 37 best rock albums of 2023.^[9] Editors at BrooklynVegan included this on their list of the 55 best albums of 2023.^[10]

A piece by Nina Corcoran for Pitchfork chose this album to spotlight how American hardcore punk music embraced experimentation and cross-genre elements in 2023.^[11]

Track listing

Lyrics by Deedee, music by MSPAINT.

1. "Information" – 2:13
2. "Think It Through" – 2:58
3. "Acid" – 2:45
4. "Hardwired" – 2:52
5. "Delete It" – 2:22
6. "S3" – 1:26
7. "Decapitated" – 3:13
8. "Post‐American" – 3:06
9. "Free from the Sun" – 2:21
10. "Titan of Hope" – 3:28
11. "Flowers from Concrete" – 3:22

Personnel

MSPAINT

• Deedee – vocals
• Quinn Mackey – drums
• Nick Panella – electronics
• Randy Riley – bass guitar

Additional personnel

• Cody Bass – artwork
• Mike Resigner – character designs for artwork
• Ian Shelton – vocals on "Delete It", production
• Brock Stephens – insert artwork
• Nick Townsend – mastering at Infrasonic Sound
• Taylor Young – recording, mixing, production

See also

• List of 2023 albums