Changing Channels (Pangaea album)

Changing Channels is the second studio album by English dubstep musician Pangaea. It was released on 6 October 2023, through Hessle Audio.

Changing Channels
Studio album by
Released6 October 2023 (2023-10-06)
Length31:47
LabelHessle Audio
ProducerKevin McAuley
Pangaea chronology
In Drum Play
(2016)
Changing Channels
(2023)
Singles from Changing Channels
  1. "Installations"
    Released: 16 May 2023
  2. "Changing Channels"
    Released: 13 June 2023
  3. "Hole Away"
    Released: 13 June 2023
  4. "Bad Lines"
    Released: 12 September 2023

Background and singles

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On 16 May 2023, only a few months after the release of the two-track EP Fuzzy Logic / Still Moving Water, the musician released the first single and intro of the album "Installations." With its "chopped-up vocals," the track was created as a nod to his 2011 single "Hex."[1] McAuley shared the news of the album on 13 June 2023. That day also saw the release of two singles: the title-track and "Hole Away,"[2] songs that he described as "tried and tested over the past few weeks and months."[3] To the musician, the album felt like it "distilled all the different elements of" his music of the previous 15 years and called it his "most complete record to date."[4] Upon announcing the album, it was seen as a fusion of "bass abstraction with dynamic, sometimes abrasive club frequencies."[5] On 12 September, McAuley released a third single titled "Bad Lines," a "happy hardcore salute" that blends UK dance music "with his own unique brand of world-building."[6]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Pitchfork8.3/10[7]

Writing for Pitchfork, Philip Sherburne awarded Changing Channels the accolade "Best New Music," saying Pangaea created a record that avoids what other mainstream "chart-pop samples" or "Eurodance classics" are guilty of: "a vaguely guilty-pleasure insinuation of getting away with something naughty." Sherburne opined that the album captures "a welcome shift in flow" while being proof that one "can get silly without sounding stupid."[7]

In Resident Advisor, Changing Channels is described as an album that "takes McAuley's deft touch to route-one house, breakbeat techno and happy hardcore.[8]

Pitchfork ranked it the 36th best album of 2023.[9]

Track listing

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Changing Channels track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Installation"3:43
2."Hole Away"3:31
3."If"5:08
4."The Slip"3:50
5."Changing Channels"7:14
6."Squid"4:31
7."Bad Lines"3:50
Total length:31:47

References

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  1. ^ Eede, Christian (16 May 2023). "Pangaea Shares New Track, 'Installation'". The Quietus. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  2. ^ Krol, Charlotte (14 June 2023). "Pangaea announces new album, 'Changing Channels,' with two singles: Listen". DJ Mag. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  3. ^ Buckle, Becky (13 June 2023). "Pangaea announces new album 'Changing Channels'". Mixmag. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  4. ^ Eede, Christian (13 June 2023). "Pangaea Details New Album, 'Changing Channels'". The Quietus. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  5. ^ Murray, Robin (13 June 2023). "Pangaea Announces New Album 'Changing Channels'". Clash. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  6. ^ Murray, Robin (12 September 2023). "Pangaea's Exhilarating 'Bad Lines' Is A Happy Hardcore Salute". Clash. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  7. ^ a b Sherburne, Philip (6 October 2023). "Pangaea: Changing Channels Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  8. ^ "Pangaea - Changing Channels · Album Review ⟋ RA". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  9. ^ Monroe, Jazz (5 December 2023). "The 50 Best Albums of 2023". Pitchfork. Retrieved 6 December 2023.