Tambora

Tambora is the sixth studio album by Romo. It was released on January 21, 2021 following the surprise drops of two of the album's songs, which were never released as physical singles. Like Romo's previous album, Romo (II), Tambora was released with no advance publicity.

Romo named the album Tambora after the stratovolcano eruption that caused a global extreme weather event in 1816 known as the Year Without a Summer. The songs on Tambora deal with themes of anger and resentment, as well as the consequences of inaction when life situations and national and global affairs heightens those feelings of anger and resentment. Most of the lyrics were inspired by the coronavirus pandemic and efforts to undermine the results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

Tambora was preceded by the surprise drops of "The Scorched Earth" on November 20, 2020 and "Lupus (Or, The Fall Of The World's Greatest Superpower)" on January 7, 2021. "No One Ever Gets What They Want" was announced as the album's first and only single, due for a February 19 release. The album, like its predecessor, received widespread acclaim from music critics.

Background
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Songs
"The Scorched Earth" was the first song released from the album, surprise dropped just two and a half months after Romo (II). Romo wrote the first part of the song out of frustration of the falling out with a friend over differences in political opinion, and the second part of the song out of feelings of anger and despondency over "Madame Bullshit", the second and final single from Romo (II), underperforming on the singles chart and its music video receiving a poor critical response.

"No Summer" was described as a sequel of sorts to "Pandora Kills", using the backdrop of the eruption of Mount Tambora in 1815 to tell a story of Earth rebelling against humanity for the excesses of modern times. The scene setting in the lyrics drew inspiration from Romo's experiences walking through deserted towns during the coronavirus pandemic.

"Tall Tales Of True Love", a three-part, 10-minute song, describes a narrator's frustration with failing to find a romantic partner and feeling isolated from friends who are in relationships. Like the first verse of "Turned Ugly", which explores similar themes, Romo drew from personal experience in the writing process.

"Screams From The Light Years" describes a narrator's feelings of gloom and anger over the injustices of the world that people go through, while acknowledging her privilege makes her numb and blind to the ordeals of others. The song contains a reference to King Crimson's 1969 song "21st Century Schizoid Man" in the line "Iron claw nudges the button for the napalm fire."

"Lupus (Or, The Fall Of The World's Greatest Superpower)" was the second song released from the album, issued January 6, 2021 hours after a coup attempt at the U.S. Capitol as the U.S. Senate convened to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election. It is also the longest song on the album, at 15 minutes long. Co-written with her sole labelmate Luke Ramada, it is a four-part, multi-genre epic Romo wrote as a criticism of U.S. Republican lawmakers who opposed more generous coronavirus stimulus checks to Americans struggling to support themselves during the pandemic and supported efforts to undermine Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election. A press release from The Empire described the song as a spiritual successor to "Diamond Venom" from Romo (II), which also was a multi-part, multi-genre epic that dealt with political themes.

"No One Ever Gets What They Want", the album's closing track and lead single, was written as a reverse of "Madame Bullshit", which starts angry and ends melancholy, by including ballad-like verses and an angry, defiant hook. Romo wrote the song with the intention of including a song that "reminds people why they loved Romo in the first place."

The album features uncredited guest vocals from Luke Ramada on "No Summer", who co-wrote the song as well as "Lupus (Or...)", and Andre Cassenove of Indigo Peak co-produced "No One Ever Gets What They Want" with Romo, marking their first co-production since POPSTAR 2: Belle After Death in 2009.

Critical
Like Romo (II), Tambora was met with widespread critical acclaim following its surprise release. The album currently holds an 84/100 rating on Metacritic based on 7 reviews, indicating generally favorable reviews.

The general consensus was that Tambora worked as a companion piece to Romo (II), but differed from its predecessor because of its more spontaneous nature, which brought greater raw emotion and urgency than was present on her previous albums.

"The Scorched Earth" was negatively received upon its surprise drop in November 2020, largely because of Romo's erratic disposition at the time and the perception that she was not grateful for her success up to that point despite "Madame Bullshit" underperforming, with others concerned for Romo's mental health. However, it received more positive reviews when reassessed within the context of the album, with many praising not only the depth of its lyrics but also the imagery contained within them. Romo has said "The Scorched Earth" picks up where "The Empire", the closing song on Romo (II), left off, going from the hopeful note of basking in the legacy of her art to seeing her legacy threatened.

The highest praise for the album went to Romo's collaborations, lauding the songwriting and vocal contributions of Luke Ramada on "No Summer" and "Lupus (Or...)", both considered among the album's best songs, for helping Romo expand her musical ground and lyrical depth even further. Romo's reunion with Indigo Peak on lead single "No One Ever Gets What They Want" also was praised, with NME describing it as "her most instant song since 'Schizo Pop'".

Commercial
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Track listing
All songs written and produced by Jenna Romo, except where otherwise noted.

1. "The Scorched Earth" 2. "No Summer" 3. "Tall Tales Of True Love" 4. "Screams From The Light Years" 5. "Lupus (Or, The Fall Of The World's Greatest Superpower)" 6. "No One Ever Gets What They Want"

Credits
 * "No Summer" and "Lupus (Or, The Fall Of The World's Greatest Superpower)" were co-written by Romo and Luke Ramada. Ramada also provides uncredited guest vocals on "No Summer".
 * "No One Ever Gets What They Want" was co-produced by Romo and Andre Cassenove.
 * "Lupus (Or, The Fall Of The World's Greatest Superpower)" contains an interpolation of "Holiday In Cambodia" by the Dead Kennedys.