Lesser Matters

Lesser Matters
Studio album by The Radio Dept.
Released	4 March 2003 (2003-03-04)
Genre	Dream pop indie pop shoegaze
Length	43:10
Label	Labrador Shelflife
Producer	Johan Duncanson Martin Larsson
The Radio Dept. chronology
Lesser Matters (2003) Pet Grief (2006)
Singles from Lesser Matters
"Where Damage Isn't Already Done" Released: 2003 "Why Won't You Talk About It?" Released: 31 May 2004 (2004-05-31)[1] "Ewan" Released: 13 December 2004 (2004-12-13)[2]

Lesser Matters is the debut studio album by Swedish indie pop band The Radio Dept. It was released on 4 March 2003 by Labrador Records.[3]

The song "Keen on Boys" was featured in Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette, also appearing on the soundtrack to the film.[4] "Strange Things Will Happen" was also featured in The Fault in Our Stars.[5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	84/100[6]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[7]
Drowned in Sound	9/10[8]
Mojo	[9]
NME	9/10[10]
Now	4/5[11]
Q	[12]
Uncut	[13]

Lesser Matters received rave reviews from critics. The album holds a rating of 84 out of 100 on the review aggregation website Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim".[6] It was ranked the ninth best album of 2004 by NME.[14]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Johan Duncanson, except where noted

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Too Soon"	Duncanson Martin Larsson	1:17
2.	"Where Damage Isn't Already Done"		2:43
3.	"Keen on Boys"	Duncanson Larsson	4:53
4.	"Why Won't You Talk About It?"		3:08
5.	"It's Been Eight Years"		2:33
6.	"Bus"		2:58
7.	"Slottet #2" (The Castle #2)		3:07
8.	"1995"		3:11
9.	"Against the Tide"		4:23
10.	"Strange Things Will Happen"		4:24
11.	"Your Father"		4:01
12.	"Ewan"		2:23
13.	"Lost and Found"	Duncanson Larsson	4:09
Total length:			43:10

Personnel

Credits for Lesser Matters adapted from album liner notes.[15]

The Radio Dept. Johan Duncansson – vocals, guitar, keyboards Martin Larsson – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals Lisa Carlberg – bass, piano Per Blomgren – drums Additional musicians Elin Almered – lead vocals (track 10) Johannes Burström – Roland Juno-60 synthesiser (tracks 3 and 8)

Production Johan Duncansson – mixing, recording Martin Larsson – mixing, recording Thomas Eberger – mastering Artwork and design Elin Almered – cover artwork, painting Mattias Berglund – sleeve design Mårten Carlberg – photography

Charts

Chart (2003–04)	Peak position
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[16]	31
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[17]	29

References

1. "Why Won't You Talk About It? (CD – Rex #35) – The Radio Dept". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
2. "Ewan (CD – XL #XLS 203CD) – The Radio Dept". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
3. "The Radio Dept. – Lesser Matters". Labrador Records. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
4. "Amazon.com Marie Antoinette soundtrack". Amazon. Retrieved 2006-10-27.
5. Various artists, The Fault In Our Stars: Music From The Motion Picture, retrieved 2021-12-06
6. "Reviews for Lesser Matters by The Radio Dept". Metacritic. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
7. Hoffman, K. Ross. "Lesser Matters – The Radio Dept". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
8. Dobson, Gareth (15 November 2004). "Album Review: The Radio Dept. – Lesser Matters". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 6 December 2010. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
9. "The Radio Dept.: Lesser Matters". Mojo (131): 101. October 2004.
10. Nicolson, Barry (20 September 2004). "Radio Dept : Lesser Matters". NME. Archived from the original on 12 July 2008. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
11. Boles, Benjamin (25 September 2004). "The Radio Dept". Now. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
12. "The Radio Dept.: Lesser Matters". Q (219): 129. October 2004.
13. "The Radio Dept.: Lesser Matters". Uncut (88): 100. September 2004.
14. "NME End Of Year Lists 2004". Rocklist.net. 9 January 2011. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
15. Lesser Matters (liner notes). The Radio Dept. Labrador Records. 2003. LAB035.
16. "Swedishcharts.com – The Radio Dept. – Lesser Matters". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
17. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 July 2018.