Lesser Matters

Lesser Matters
Lesser Matters
Studio album by The Radio Dept.
Released	4 March 2003
Genre	Dream pop; indie pop; shoegaze;
Length	43:10
Label	Labrador; Shelflife;
Producer	Johan Duncanson; Martin Larsson;
The Radio Dept. chronology
Singles from Lesser Matters
	"Where Damage Isn't Already Done"; Released: 2003; "Why Won't You Talk About It?"; Released: 31 May 2004; "Ewan"; Released: 13 December 2004;

Lesser Matters is the debut studio album by Swedish indie pop band The Radio Dept. It was released on 4 March 2003 by Labrador Records.^[3]

The song "Keen on Boys" was featured in Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette, also appearing on the soundtrack to the film.^[4] "Strange Things Will Happen" was also featured in The Fault in Our Stars.^[5]

Music

The album's style is dream pop, drawing additional influence from noise pop and classic indie pop. AllMusic compared the album's music to the works of My Bloody Valentine, the Jesus and Mary Chain, Orange Juice, Felt, the Cure and New Order.^[6]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	84/100^[7]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[8]
Drowned in Sound	9/10^[9]
Mojo	^[10]
NME	9/10^[11]
Now	4/5^[12]
Q	^[13]
Uncut	^[14]

Lesser Matters received rave reviews from critics. The album holds a rating of 84 out of 100 on the review aggregation website Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim".^[7] It was ranked the ninth best album of 2004 by NME.^[15] AllMusic gave the album four stars out of five, praising the songwriting.^[6]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Johan Duncanson, except where noted.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Too Soon"	Duncanson Martin Larsson	1:17
2.	"Where Damage Isn't Already Done"		2:43
3.	"Keen on Boys"	Duncanson Larsson	4:53
4.	"Why Won't You Talk About It?"		3:08
5.	"It's Been Eight Years"		2:33
6.	"Bus"		2:58
7.	"Slottet #2" (The Castle #2)		3:07
8.	"1995"		3:11
9.	"Against the Tide"		4:23
10.	"Strange Things Will Happen"		4:24
11.	"Your Father"		4:01
12.	"Ewan"		2:23
13.	"Lost and Found"	Duncanson Larsson	4:09
Total length:			43:10

Personnel

Credits for Lesser Matters adapted from album liner notes.^[16]

The Radio Dept.

Johan Duncansson – vocals, guitar, keyboards
Martin Larsson – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
Lisa Carlberg – bass, piano
Per Blomgren – drums

Additional musicians

Elin Almered – lead vocals (track 10)
Johannes Burström – Roland Juno-60 synthesiser (tracks 3 and 8)

Production

Johan Duncansson – mixing, recording
Martin Larsson – mixing, recording
Thomas Eberger – mastering

Artwork and design

Elin Almered – cover artwork, painting
Mattias Berglund – sleeve design
Mårten Carlberg – photography

Charts

Chart (2003–04)	Peak position
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)^[17]	31
UK Independent Albums (OCC)^[18]	29

References

↑ "Why Won't You Talk About It? (CD – Rex #35) – The Radio Dept". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
↑ "Ewan (CD – XL #XLS 203CD) – The Radio Dept". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
↑ "The Radio Dept. – Lesser Matters". Labrador Records. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
↑ "Amazon.com Marie Antoinette soundtrack". Amazon. Retrieved 2006-10-27.
↑ Various artists, The Fault In Our Stars: Music From The Motion Picture, retrieved 2021-12-06
1 2 Lesser Matters - The Radio Dept. | Album | AllMusic, retrieved 2026-05-26
1 2 "Reviews for Lesser Matters by The Radio Dept". Metacritic. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
↑ Hoffman, K. Ross. "Lesser Matters – The Radio Dept". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
↑ Dobson, Gareth (15 November 2004). "Album Review: The Radio Dept. – Lesser Matters". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 6 December 2010. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
↑ "The Radio Dept.: Lesser Matters". Mojo (131): 101. October 2004.
↑ Nicolson, Barry (20 September 2004). "Radio Dept : Lesser Matters". NME. Archived from the original on 12 July 2008. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
↑ Boles, Benjamin (25 September 2004). "The Radio Dept". Now. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
↑ "The Radio Dept.: Lesser Matters". Q (219): 129. October 2004.
↑ "The Radio Dept.: Lesser Matters". Uncut (88): 100. September 2004.
↑ "NME End Of Year Lists 2004". Rocklist.net. 9 January 2011. Archived from the original on November 18, 2009. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
↑ Lesser Matters (liner notes). The Radio Dept. Labrador Records. 2003. LAB035.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
↑ "Swedishcharts.com – The Radio Dept. – Lesser Matters". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
↑ "Official Independent Albums Chart on 5/9/2004 – Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 July 2018.

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[1] "Why Won't You Talk About It? (CD – Rex #35) – The Radio Dept". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 September 2018.

[2] "Ewan (CD – XL #XLS 203CD) – The Radio Dept". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 September 2018.

[3] "The Radio Dept. – Lesser Matters". Labrador Records. Retrieved 10 September 2018.

[4] "Amazon.com Marie Antoinette soundtrack". Amazon. Retrieved 2006-10-27.

[5] Various artists, The Fault In Our Stars: Music From The Motion Picture, retrieved 2021-12-06

[:0-6] 1 2 Lesser Matters - The Radio Dept. | Album | AllMusic, retrieved 2026-05-26

[mc-7] 1 2 "Reviews for Lesser Matters by The Radio Dept". Metacritic. Retrieved 16 January 2011.

[8] Hoffman, K. Ross. "Lesser Matters – The Radio Dept". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 January 2011.

[9] Dobson, Gareth (15 November 2004). "Album Review: The Radio Dept. – Lesser Matters". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 6 December 2010. Retrieved 16 January 2011.

[10] "The Radio Dept.: Lesser Matters". Mojo (131): 101. October 2004.

[11] Nicolson, Barry (20 September 2004). "Radio Dept : Lesser Matters". NME. Archived from the original on 12 July 2008. Retrieved 16 January 2011.

[12] Boles, Benjamin (25 September 2004). "The Radio Dept". Now. Retrieved 22 February 2020.

[13] "The Radio Dept.: Lesser Matters". Q (219): 129. October 2004.

[14] "The Radio Dept.: Lesser Matters". Uncut (88): 100. September 2004.

[15] "NME End Of Year Lists 2004". Rocklist.net. 9 January 2011. Archived from the original on November 18, 2009. Retrieved 16 January 2011.

[16] Lesser Matters (liner notes). The Radio Dept. Labrador Records. 2003. LAB035.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

[ac_Sweden_The_Radio_Dept.-17] "Swedishcharts.com – The Radio Dept. – Lesser Matters". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 July 2018.

[ac_UKIndependent_-18] "Official Independent Albums Chart on 5/9/2004 – Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 July 2018.

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