Like Drawing Blood

Like Drawing Blood is the second album by Gotye. All the sounds on the album were collected and assembled or performed by Wally De Backer in bedrooms around Melbourne between 2003 and 2005, and the record was mixed and mastered by François Tétaz (Wolf Creek soundtrack, Machine Translations, Architecture in Helsinki). It was featured heavily by Triple J in May 2006. At the J Award of 2006, the album was nominated for Australian Album of the Year.[1]

Like Drawing Blood
Studio album by Gotye
Released	May 21, 2006 (Australia) May 30, 2008 (Belgium)
Recorded	2003–2005
Genre	Art pop, indie rock, downtempo, electronica
Length	47:50
Label	Independent Creative Vibes
Gotye chronology
Boardface (2003) Like Drawing Blood (2006) Mixed Blood (2007)
Singles from Like Drawing Blood
"Learnalilgivinanlovin" Released: 2006 (Australia); 2008 (Belgium) "Hearts a Mess" Released: 2007 "Coming Back" Released: 2008 (Belgium)

Two songs from Like Drawing Blood rated in the Triple J Hottest 100, 2006: "Hearts a Mess" at #8, and "Learnalilgivinanlovin" at #94.[2] Like Drawing Blood also received the number 1 spot on the 2006 Triple J Album Poll for best album of the year, as voted by Triple J listeners.[3]

The album was also released in Belgium, in 2008, with three alterations: it contains a new version of "Learnalilgivinanlovin" with higher-pitched vocals in the chorus; the track "Coming Back" removes a sample in the intro and bridge; and the song "A Distinctive Sound" is replaced by a new version of "The Only Thing I Know" (the original appeared on Gotye's debut album Boardface). Also, three singles were released in Belgium: "Learnalilgivinanlovin", "Hearts a Mess", and "Coming Back".[4]

Like Drawing Blood has also received the number 11 spot on the 2011 Triple J Hottest 100 Australian Albums of All Time, as voted by the Triple J listeners.

In 2012 it was awarded a double silver certification from the Independent Music Companies Association,[5] which indicated sales of at least 40,000 copies throughout Europe.

Track listing

Australian release (2006)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Like Drawing Blood"	Gotye	0:22
2.	"The Only Way"	Gotye Bruno Libert Raymond Vincent	4:49
3.	"Hearts a Mess"	Gotye Irving Budgie William Attaway	6:06
4.	"Coming Back"	Gotye	6:54
5.	"Thanks for Your Time"	Gotye	4:18
6.	"Learnalilgivinanlovin"	Gotye	2:50
7.	"Puzzle with a Piece Missing"	Gotye	5:41
8.	"A Distinctive Sound"	Gotye	6:17
9.	"Seven Hours with a Backseat Driver"	Gotye	4:44
10.	"Night Drive"	Gotye	5:12
11.	"Worn Out Blues"	Gotye Carol Connors David Shire	0:38

International release (2008)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Like Drawing Blood"	0:21
2.	"The Only Way"	4:44
3.	"Hearts a Mess"	6:05
4.	"Coming Back" (2008 version)	6:08
5.	"Thanks for Your Time"	4:20
6.	"Learnalilgivinanlovin" (2008 version)	2:49
7.	"Puzzle with a Piece Missing"	5:40
8.	"Seven Hours with a Backseat Driver"	4:43
9.	"The Only Thing I Know" (2008 version)	7:03
10.	"Night Drive"	5:11
11.	"Worn Out Blues"	0:38

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
The Age	(favorable)[6]
Allmusic	[7]
Pitchfork Media	(6.8/10)[8]
PopMatters	(7/10)[9]

The album was well received by critics. Andrew Drever of The Age said of the album that "De Backer bravely tackles a mind-boggling array of musical styles with conviction and flair...That he never once missteps, pulling off every musical style he attempts with aplomb and skill, highlights the arrival of an important new talent." [10] Pitchfork described the album as "full of dark pop, produced with an open clarity that separates the numerous sounds and consequently comes off as huge and sweeping...Like Drawing Blood is memorable and captivating."[11] PopMatters gave the album a favourable review, stating that "Like Drawing Blood plays as a remarkably consistent, high quality electronic mix album, with thoughtful song/song transitions and a sustained, easily established mood."[12] Allmusic editor Jon O'Brien called the album "an impressively eclectic cut-and-paste affair" and stated, "A little more control in the editing suite might have helped, then, but Like Drawing Blood is still an engaging and diverse affair".[7]

Appearances in media

• "Hearts a Mess" was featured in the 6th episode of the Seven Network's TV Show Packed to the Rafters.
• "Hearts a Mess" from Like Drawing Blood was featured in the 23rd episode entitled "The Wrath of Con" of the second season of the CW TV show Gossip Girl.
• "Learnalilgivinanlovin'" appears in the end credits of the 2010 film Going the Distance.
• "Hearts a Mess" appeared in the soundtrack 2013 film The Great Gatsby.

Credits

• Wally De Backer – lead and backing vocals, writing, production, performance, artwork
• Jacob Uljans – vocal recording on "Thanks for Your Time"
• Lucas Taranto – bass guitar on "Coming Back"
• Francois Tetaz – mixing, mastering, additional production
• Tim Shiel – album layout

Chart performance

Chart	Year	Peak position
Australian Albums Chart[13]	2006/11	13
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[4]	2008	45

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[14]	Platinum	70,000^^
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

1. "The J Award 2006". Triple J. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2006. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
2. Triple J Hottest 100 2006
3. 2006 Triple J Album Poll
4. "Gotye – Like Drawing Blood" (in Dutch). Ultratop.
5. http://www.impalamusic.org/node/163
6. The Age review
7. O'Brien, Jon. "Like Drawing Blood - Goyte". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2012-03-09.
8. Pitchfork Media review
9. PopMatters review
10. "Like Drawing Blood - CD Reviews - Music - Entertainment". theage.com.au. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
11. "Gotye: Like Drawing Blood | Album Reviews". Pitchfork. 2007-02-22. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
12. Raper, Dan. "Gotye: Like Drawing Blood < PopMatters". Popmatters.com. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
13. "Gotye - Like Drawing Blood". australian-charts.com/.
14. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2011 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 12 January 2013.