History of a Feeling

History of a Feeling is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Madi Diaz, released on August 27, 2021, through Anti-. Diaz co-produced the album with Andrew Sarlo, which follows seven years after her previous studio album, Phantom (2014). It received positive reviews from critics.

Background
Diaz began writing the album in 2018 after a break-up.

Critical reception
History of a Feeling received a score of 80 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on five critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception. Mojo called it "gorgeous and achingly candid", while Uncut felt that "Diaz deftly carries the torch, fusing stripped-down, bleeding-heart acoustic meditations with bursts of fiery instrumentation, her glossy voice at once tender and insistent, rhythmically narrating her loveworn journey with precise, clever turns of phrase". Marcy Donelson of AllMusic characterized it as a "notably personal and forthright set of songs" that concern "a painful breakup, issues of identity surrounding the transitioning of her former partner, and even the centering of the events, which tended to relegate Diaz to a bystander role".

Reviewing the album for Pitchfork, Shaad D'Souza described it as "a spare, unvarnished, and occasionally volatile style of indie rock that feels in step with the newly sharpened edge to her lyricism", with D'Souza writing that each song is "driven by a strong, indelible vocal melody memorable and polished enough to sit on a far more commercial record". Under the Radar's Caleb Campbell found it to be "unrepentantly dramatic and gorgeously messy" and "a concerted exorcism of all of Diaz's rage, resentment, and sadness".