Strange Mercy

Strange Mercy is the third studio album by musician St. Vincent, released by 4AD on September 12, 2011, in the United Kingdom and a day later in the United States. The album's cover art was designed by St. Vincent, and was photographed by Tina Tyrell. The album peaked at #19 on the Billboard 200, making it St. Vincent's highest charting album yet, only to be surpassed by her next solo album, St. Vincent. In addition, Strange Mercy also received significant critical acclaim.

The album was recognized as one of The 100 Best Albums of the Decade So Far by Pitchfork Media in August 2014.

Background and recording

Strange Mercy was written in Seattle while Annie Clark spent time in isolation there, an experience Clark described as a "loneliness experiment" and "a cleanse." The reason she spent time in isolation was to escape from the information overload she was experiencing with New York and modern technology. Clark arrived in Seattle on October 2010 and stayed at the Ace Hotel. She used a studio provided by Jason McGerr to record her materials.