Year of the Tiger is a release by Canadian punk band Fucked Up. It is the fifth installment in the band’s long-running Chinese zodiac series, in which the group issues an extended recording for each year of the lunar calendar.

Background Year of the Tiger was released on February 7, 2012, coinciding with the Chinese New Year, as part of Fucked Up’s ongoing Zodiac singles series. The title track had been completed well before its release, with much of the recording predating work on their 2011 album David Comes to Life.

The release was issued on 12-inch vinyl through Matador Records, with a portion of proceeds benefiting the Save the Tiger fund.

Composition The title track, "Year of the Tiger", runs approximately fifteen minutes and features guest contributions from filmmaker Jim Jarmusch, electronic band Austra, and Annie-Claude Deschênes of Duchess Says.

The B-side, "Onno", is a twenty-two-minute instrumental composition described by the band as a studio experiment and a "weird rager".

Track listing Credits adapted from Bandcamp.

Critical reception Critical response to Year of the Tiger was generally positive. Writing for Pitchfork, Douglas Wolk described the release as fully album-length in scope, noting its ambitious structure and extended runtime, and awarded it a score of 7.5 out of 10.

Spin rated the release 7 out of 10, characterizing the title track as meticulously arranged while describing "Onno" as more monotonous and experimental in nature.

NME highlighted the title track’s theatrical scope and guest contributions, calling it a "bells-and-whistles" entry in the band’s Zodiac series.

Personnel Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.

Fucked Up Damian Abraham – vocals Jonah Falco – guitar, drums Mike Haliechuk – guitar Ben Cook - guitar Sandy Miranda – bass, back cover artwork, artwork design, and layout Josh Zucker – guitar

Additional contributors Jon Drew – recording Rodaidh McDonald - recording Shane Stoneback – recording, mixing Jeff McMurrich - recording Joseph Donovan - recording Lorne Hounsell – recording Greg Calbi – mastering Jim Jarmusch – backup vocals Annie-Claude Deschênes – backup vocals Katie Stelmanis – piano Maya Postepski – synths

References