In These Times (Makaya McCraven album)

In These Times is the sixth studio album by American musician Makaya McCraven. It was released on September 23, 2022, by International Anthem Recording Company, Nonesuch Records and XL Recordings. The release features collaborations with Jeff Parker, Brandee Younger, Macie Stewart, Junius Paul, Marta Sofia Honer and Lia Kohl.

Production
The album tracks were completed over a period of seven years, and constructed in five different studios and four live performance spaces.

Background
On June 23, 2022, Makaya McCraven announced the release of the new album. The first single "Seventh String" was released alongside the announcement.

The second single "Dream Another" was released on July 19, 2022. The music video for the single, which is directed by Nik Arthur, features photographic animations in the style of a zoopraxiscope.

McCraven released the third single "The Fours" on September 13, 2022.

Critical reception
In These Times was met with "universal acclaim" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 87, based on 11 reviews. Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave the release a 7.9 out of 10 based on a critical consensus of 7 reviews.

Thom Jurek of AllMusic described the album as its "own jazz labyrinth, and as such is destined for repeated listening and startling discovery." At Clash, Robin Murray wrote: "A challenging yet continually beautiful project, In These Times contains a terrific sense of unity, one that belies the lengthy manner of its gestation."

Stereogum made the album as their "Album of the Week" on September 20, 2022.

Commercial performance
In These Times ranked at number 85 in Scotland, number 56 in Germany, and number 92 in Switzerland.