Released in 2007, Wincing the Night Away is the third studio album from The Shins and the record that pushed the band firmly into the mainstream without abandoning their introspective core. Arriving after the cult success of Oh, Inverted World and Chutes Too Narrow, the album reflects a band under growing pressure, channelling anxiety, isolation, and creative strain into songs that feel both immediate and carefully wrought.
Produced by Joe Chiccarelli alongside frontman James Mercer, the album expands The Shins’ palette with richer textures, sharper dynamics, and a heightened sense of tension. Tracks like ‘Phantom Limb’, ‘Australia’, and ‘Sleeping Lessons’ balance melodic warmth with unease, capturing a moment of transition where expectation and self-doubt sit side by side. Wincing the Night Away stands as a pivotal chapter in the band’s catalogue — polished, uneasy, and quietly enduring.
TRACKS
Sleeping Lessons
Australia
Pam Berry
Phantom Limb
Sea Legs
Red Rabbits
Turn on Me
Black Wave
Spilt Needles
Girl Sailor
A Comet Appears
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