The Lamb as Effigy

Sprain's sophomore album The Lamb as Effigy would be released on September 1st, 2023 and would be their very last album they would make. On the 16th of next month, Sprain would announce on their Twitter and Instagram that the band would be disbanding. Citing that they as a band decided that there was no longer a "logical path forward". The Lamb as Effigy is most notable for it's dissonant and eclectic instrumentation and Alex Kent's dark, abstract and avant-garde lyricism. As Sprain completely switches up their sound from their slowcore, post-hardcore, indie roots they've been associated with since their self-titled 2018 EP Sprain and flips their sound over their hand and completely dives to post-rock and noise rock territory. With the finished result ultimately being an album that's completely chaotic, manic, and freewheeling. A far outcry from what they've made up until this point.

This album was met with lukewarm reviews by music critics. Pitchfork, an affluential music review / music critic website, would give this an album a 7 and cite that their "beauty of the drone" would ultimately become "oppressive". But while the average music score for this album is an 80 according to AOTY, audiences praised this album for being unnerving, challenging, mysterious, and dark and hailing this as album of the year. With the user score being just one point above their 80 score.

Before the band disbanded, Alex Kent would go on reddit and do a AMA. He cited that the inspirations for this album being, The End of Evangelion, a 1997 Japanese anime film, and movies from filmmakers Bela Tarr and Tsai Ming Liang. Saying that the three of them were, "amazing". But his influences wouldn't be limited to just film. Alex would later say on the same AMA that vocalists like Michael Gira, Nick Cave and Jamie Stewart would be influential to him on this album.

While the title of the album would be listed as The Lamb as Effigy on streaming platforms, this album also has another name. Being longer than it's counterpart, the album is also known as, The Lamb As Effigy Or Three Hundred And Fifty XOXOXOS For A Spark Union With My Darling Divine.

Singles before the album was released would end up on this album. their most popular track off the album Man Proposes, God Disposes would be released on June 20th, Privilege of Being on July 12nd, and We Think So Ill of You would be the last single of the band to be released on August 23rd; of the very same year.