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Chapter 1: Snake Oil

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Chapter 1: Snake Oil
Studio album by
Thomas Wesley
ReleasedMay 29, 2020 (2020-05-29)
Genres
Length31:36
Labels
Diplo chronology
LSD
(2019)		 Chapter 1: Snake Oil
(2020)		 MMXX
(2020)
Singles from Chapter 1: Snake Oil
  1. "So Long"
    Released: April 24, 2019
  2. "Lonely"
    Released: September 27, 2019
  3. "Heartless"
    Released: January 31, 2020

Chapter 1: Snake Oil is the second studio album by American DJ and musician Diplo, released under his country music alias Thomas Wesley. The album was released through Mad Decent and Columbia Records on May 29, 2020.[3] It features collaborations by Orville Peck, Cam, Morgan Wallen, the Jonas Brothers, Thomas Rhett, Young Thug, Blanco Brown, Noah Cyrus, Julia Michaels, Clever, Zac Brown, Danielle Bradbery, Ben Burgess, Lil Nas X, and Billy Ray Cyrus.[4] The album also serves as Diplo's first solo studio album in 16 years.

Background

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Diplo (born Thomas Wesley Pentz) grew up in Florida listening to both country music and hip-hop in equal measure. He has described watching Rap City on BET and CMT back-to-back after school and being “as obsessed with Tim McGraw and Alan Jackson as I was with Wu-Tang [Clan] and Dr. Dre.” The project under his real name was conceived as a way to explore country music from an outsider’s perspective while retaining his electronic production style.[5][6]

In a later interview, Diplo admitted he “didn’t really know what [he] was doing” with the project at the time, but felt country was a genre that “could really do without my help.” He had been writing songs that leaned toward country while working in dance and pop, and the Thomas Wesley alias became a vehicle to release them. The album’s title references the historical “snake oil” salesmen of the American West, reflecting a self-aware approach to genre experimentation.[7]

The project’s public origins trace back to Diplo’s 2019 Stagecoach Festival appearance, where he performed a Late Night dance set and debuted his remix of Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus’s “Old Town Road.” That remix and the surrounding cultural moment around “yeehaw” aesthetics helped open the door for the full album.[8]

Release and promotion

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Diplo announced the album and its full track listing on April 20, 2020, via social media, with the caption “my kind of country will unite us all.” The project was positioned as the first chapter in a series under the Thomas Wesley name.[9]

The album was released on May 29, 2020. To celebrate the release, Diplo hosted a special livestream edition of his variety show “The Thomas Wesley Show,” featuring guest appearances from collaborators including Cam, Julia Michaels, the Jonas Brothers, Orville Peck, Thomas Rhett, and Zac Brown. The event was sponsored by Tequila Don Julio and Wrangler, with Chipotle hosting an afterparty that distributed free burrito codes.[10]

Singles

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The lead single, “So Long” (with Cam), was released on April 24, 2019. “Lonely” (with the Jonas Brothers) followed on September 27, 2019. “Heartless” (featuring Morgan Wallen) was released on January 31, 2020; an alternate version with Julia Michaels was also issued and later included on the album. Diplo’s remix of Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus’s “Old Town Road” also appears on the project and had been performed live at Stagecoach and the 2020 Grammy Awards.[11]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic46/100[12]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarHalf star[13]
Clash3/10[14]
DIYStarStar[15]
Entertainment WeeklyC−[16]
The Line of Best Fit3/10[2]
musicOMHStarStarHalf star[17]
NMEStarStar[18]
The ObserverStarStarStar[19]
Pitchfork4.8/10[20]
Rolling StoneStarStarHalf star[21]

Chapter 1: Snake Oil was met with generally mixed to unfavorable reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the release received an average score of 46, based on 9 reviews.[12]

Track listing

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Chapter 1: Snake Oil track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Intro" (featuring Orville Peck)
1:37
2."So Long" (with Cam)
2:52
3."Heartless" (featuring Morgan Wallen)
2:49
4."Lonely" (with Jonas Brothers)
2:19
5."Dance with Me" (with Thomas Rhett and Young Thug)
  • Diplo
  • Jr Blender
  • Tedder
  • King Henry
  • Skelton
  • Maximilian Jaeger[a]
2:50
6."Do Si Do" (with Blanco Brown)
  • Diplo
  • King Henry
  • Maximilian Jaeger[a]
  • Von Boch Scully[a]
2:18
7."On Mine" (with Noah Cyrus)
2:26
8."Real Life Stuff" (featuring Julia Michaels and Clever)
  • Diplo
  • Von Boch Scully
  • Jaeger
3:13
9."Hometown" (featuring Zac Brown and Danielle Bradbery)
  • Pentz
  • Sloan
  • H. Allen
  • Hardy
  • Mathis
  • Diplo
  • King Henry
  • Great Dane[a]
  • Jaeger[a]
3:36
10."Heartbreak" (with Ben Burgess)
  • Diplo
  • King Henry
  • Jaeger
2:17
11."Heartless" (Remix; with Julia Michaels featuring Morgan Wallen)
  • Pentz
  • Michaels
  • Wallen
  • H. Allen
  • Vojtesak
  • Smith
  • Hurd
  • Diplo
  • King Henry
  • Joey Moi
  • Charlie Handsome
2:53
12."Old Town Road" (Diplo Remix; performed by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus)
3:23
Total length:31:36
Deluxe edition (bonus tracks)[22]
No.TitleLength
2."Bottle's Bout Dead" (with Ernest)2:30
3."Horizon" (with Leon Bridges)2:28
Total length:36:34

Notes

  • ^[a] indicates a miscellaneous producer.

Personnel

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Musicians

  • Diplo – drums (2–4, 6–10), programming (2–4, 6–9), remixer (12)
  • King Henry – bass (2, 6, 9, 10), drums (2–4, 6, 9, 10), guitar (2, 4, 6, 9, 10), programming (2–4, 6, 9)
  • Thomas Lea – violin (2)
  • Charlie Handsome – guitar (3)
  • Diablo – programming (3)
  • Jr Blender – drums and programming (4)
  • Ryan Tedder – drums and programming (4)
  • Maximilian Jaeger – drum machine (6, 9), drums (6–10), programming (6–9), guitar (7, 8), keyboards (8)
  • Philip von Boch Scully – drums and programming (6)
  • William John Wilde – harmonica (6)
  • MØ – vocals (7)
  • Orville Peck – bass, guitar, and piano (7)
  • Tommy Brenneck – piano (7)
  • Matt Zara – guitar (8)
  • Great Dane – drums and programming (9)
  • Jocelyn "Jozzy" Donald – background vocals (12)

Technical

  • Eric Lagg – mastering (1, 5–12)
  • Joe LaPorta – mastering (2, 3)
  • Chris Gehringer – mastering (4)
  • Maximilian Jaeger – mixing (1, 3, 6–10), recording (6–10)
  • Sean Moffitt – mixing (2)
  • Serban Ghenea – mixing (4, 5, 11)
  • A Bainz – mixing (5)
  • Zaq Reynolds – recording (1)
  • Analog in the Digital – recording (7)
  • King Henry – recording (10)
  • Cinco – recording (12)
  • Ernesto Olvera-LaPier – engineering (2)
  • Joey Moi – engineering (3, 11)
  • John Hanes – engineering (4, 5, 11)
  • Rich Rich – engineering (4
  • Joe Grasso – engineering (12)
  • Lindsay Marias – vocal production (2)
  • Ryan Tedder – vocal production (4)
  • Hauf – vocal production (10)
  • Benjamin Rice – vocal production (11)
  • Andrew "VoxGod" Bolooki – vocal production (12)
  • Jocelyn "Jozzy" Donald – vocal production (12)
  • Jesse Brock – engineering assistance (2)

Charts

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Certifications

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Certifications for Diplo Presents Thomas Wesley, Chapter 1: Snake Oil
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[33] Platinum 80,000‡
United States (RIAA)[34] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ↑ Malone, Chris (May 29, 2020). "Diplo Goes Country (And Ditches His Stage Name) On New 'Snake Oil' Solo Album". Forbes. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 Caldas, Juliette (May 26, 2020). "Diplo fails to capitalise on any of country music's fusion momentum on his new conceptual outing". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  3. ↑ Gregory, Al (April 19, 2020). "Diplo gets Orville Peck, Young Thug for new country album". Exclaim!. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  4. ↑ Richards, Will (April 19, 2020). "Diplo shares full details of country album as Thomas Wesley featuring Orville Peck and Noah Cyrus". NME. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  5. ↑ "Diplo on His New Nashville Album: 'I'm Not Trying to Make Meme Country'". Rolling Stone. June 5, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Digital Cover Story: Diplo Returns to Country 'Persona' with Second Thomas Wesley Chapter 'Swamp Savant'". American Songwriter. June 26, 2023. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Digital Cover Story: Diplo Returns to Country 'Persona' with Second Thomas Wesley Chapter 'Swamp Savant'". American Songwriter. June 26, 2023. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Diplo Drops Full-Length Country Album "Diplo Presents Thomas Wesley Chapter 1: Snake Oil"". EDM.com. May 29, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Diplo shares tracklist and release date for debut country album 'Diplo Presents Thomas Wesley Chapter 1: Snake Oil'". Dancing Astronaut. April 20, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Diplo's Country Album DIPLO PRESENTS THOMAS WESLEY CHAPTER 1: SNAKE OIL is Out Now". BroadwayWorld. May 29, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Diplo Recruits Orville Peck, Morgan Wallen for 'Snake Oil' LP". Rolling Stone. April 20, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  12. 1 2 "Metacritic Review". Metacritic. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  13. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Review of Chapter 1: Snake Oil at AllMusic. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  14. ↑ Murray, Robin (May 27, 2020). "Clash Magazine Review". Clash. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  15. ↑ Wright, Lisa (May 29, 2020). "Album Review DIPLO - DIPLO PRESENTS THOMAS WESLEY CHAPTER 1: SNAKE OIL". DIY. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  16. ↑ Johnson, Maura (May 28, 2020). "Snake Oil, Diplo's take on country music, is a bummer". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  17. ↑ Devlin, Ben (June 1, 2020). "MusicOMH Review". musicOMH. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  18. ↑ Cooper, Leonie (May 29, 2020). "Diplo – 'Diplo Presents Thomas Wesley Chapter 1: Snake Oil' review: super-producer falls off the saddle". NME. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  19. ↑ Mongredien, Phil (May 31, 2020). "Diplo: Presents Thomas Wesley Chapter One: Snake Oil review – country cash-in". The Observer. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  20. ↑ Blum, Dani (May 30, 2020). "Pitchfork Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  21. ↑ Playful spirit is in short supply on a record where club beats, acoustic strumming, and parched guitar lines usually get siphoned into unobtrusively earnest background pop. [Jun 2020, p.71]
  22. ↑ "Diplo Presents Thomas Wesley: Snake Oil (Deluxe) by Diplo". December 18, 2020.
  23. ↑ The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 8 June 2020. Australian Recording Industry Association. June 8, 2020.
  24. ↑ "Diplo Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  25. ↑ "Diplo Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  26. ↑ "Diplo Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  27. ↑ "ARIA Top 50 Country Albums for 2020". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  28. ↑ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  29. ↑ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  30. ↑ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2023". Billboard. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
  31. ↑ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2024". Billboard. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
  32. ↑ "ARIA Top 100 Country Albums for 2024". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  33. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Diplo – Diplo Presents Thomas Wesley Chapter 1: Snake Oil". Music Canada. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  34. ↑ "American album certifications – Diplo – Diplo Presents Thomas Wesley Chapter 1: Snake Oil". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
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