Front Row Seat to Earth was supported by three singles: "Seven Words", released on August 10, 2016, "Do You Need My Love?", released on September 7, 2016, and "Generation Why", released on October 3, 2016. Despite not being promoted as a single, "Used to Be" received a music video on November 7, 2016. The album's cover art was photographed by Katie Miller[5] beside the Salton Sea.
Composition
Donning "the misty sounds of late '60s folk and '70s AM radio,"[6]Front Row Seat to Earth pushes forward in Blood's "glacial slide towards psychedelic folk", yielding comparisons to Kevin Ayers, Vashti Bunyan, Linda Perhacs, and Bridget St. John.[2] The lyrics are based on various subjects, including romantic difficulties ("Do You Need My Love?"), addiction ("Diary"),[7] and concerns about the modern world ("Generation Why").[8] The latter would be further explored on Natalie Mering's following album, Titanic Rising (2019).[9]
Singles
"Seven Words" was released as the album's lead single on August 10, 2016.[10] It was called "Best New Track" by Pitchfork, with reviewer Sam Sodomsky stating that the song "conjures a kaleidoscopic vision of the 1970s' best kept secrets".[11] An accompanying music video was released the same day, in which Mering is kidnapped by a taxi driver who forcibly feeds her with something that looks like octopus, after which she turns into a mermaid.[12]Mexican Summer issued a 7-inch single for "Seven Words" in October 2016, which featured digital bonus track "Three Tears" as a B-side. Some of these were distributed randomly to Vinyl Me Please subscribers,[13] while others were sold on tour at Weyes Blood gigs.[citation needed]
"Do You Need My Love" was released digitally on September 7, 2016, as the album's second single.[14] Like with the previous single, Pitchfork also called the song "Best New Track".[15] "Generation Why", the album's third single, followed on October 3, 2016.[16]
A promotional video for "Used To Be" was also released on November 7, after the album had been issued.[17]
Front Row Seat To Earth received widespread acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 82, based on 12 reviews.[19] Michael Hann for The Guardian, referred to the album as "beautiful, unsettling and wholly compelling". Emily Mackay of The Observer gave a lukewarm review, even though she stated that Mering's "deep, pure, Karen Carpenter croon...could still slavering beasts".[25]
The digital download that came with the vinyl edition also featured an exclusive bonus track, "Three Tears" (4:59), that played at the end of the album after "Front Row Seat". It also featured on the B-side of the 7" edition of "Seven Words", but has otherwise not been made available elsewhere.[28]
