Gentle Confrontation is the fifth album by London-based electronic musician Loraine James, released on 22 September 2023 through Hyperdub. It was produced by James and received acclaim from critics.
| Gentle Confrontation | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 22 September 2023 | |||
| Genre | Electronic[1] | |||
| Length | 56:38 | |||
| Label | Hyperdub | |||
| Producer | Loraine James | |||
| Loraine James chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Gentle Confrontation | ||||
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Background
editOn 23 May 2023, Loraine James announced the release of her fifth studio album, along with the release of the first single "2003".[2]
Critical reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.9/10[3] |
| Metacritic | 84/100[4] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Mojo |   [5] |
| Pitchfork | 8.0/10[1] |
| The Skinny | [6] |
| Uncut | 8/10[7] |
Gentle Confrontation received a score of 84 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on four critics' reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[4] Uncut called the album "a varied, disjointed, entirely unpredictable yet utterly singular record",[7] and Mojo felt that "it's the emotional, cathartic journey of the chief protagonist that captivates the most".[5] Pitchfork's Christine Kakaire wrote that James "uses chaotic arrangements and glitchy drums to express knotty, difficult-to-name emotions" on the album, which "sprawls, and each track settles into a distinct tonality".[1]
The Wire called the tracks "vignettes of memory and emotion, which see her thoughtful production informed by IDM, glitch and electronic emo. True to the album's concept, there's a charming bedroom maximalism" and concluded that it is a "lovely, affecting record".[4] Patrick Gamble of The Skinny found that the "most interesting moments are those where James' voice takes centre stage" as she "take a scalpel blade to her discography, only to reassemble the pieces into a record that plays like a victory lap".[6]
Accolades
edit| Critic/Publication | List | Rank | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clash | Clash's Albums of the Year | 8 | [8] |
| Exclaim! | Exclaim!'s Top 50 Albums of 2023 | 26 | [9] |
| The Guardian | The Guardian's Top 50 Albums of 2023 | 36 | [10] |
| NME | NME's Best Albums of 2023 | 25 | [11] |
| PopMatters | PopMatters' Top 80 Albums of 2023 | 13 | [12] |
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Gentle Confrontation" | Loraine James | 4:20 |
| 2. | "2003" |
| 2:39 |
| 3. | "Let U Go" (featuring Keiyaa) |
| 4:23 |
| 4. | "Déjà Vu" (featuring Ritchie) |
| 2:51 |
| 5. | "Prelude of Tired of Me" | James | 2:02 |
| 6. | "Glitch the System (Glitch Bitch 2)" | James | 3:34 |
| 7. | "I DM U" | James | 4:23 |
| 8. | "One Way Ticket to the Midwest (Emo)" (featuring Corey Mastrangelo) | James | 2:25 |
| 9. | "Cards with the Grandparents" | James | 3:21 |
| 10. | "While They Were Singing" (featuring Marina Herlop) |
| 4:22 |
| 11. | "Try for Me" (featuring Eden Samara) |
| 4:04 |
| 12. | "Tired of Me" | James | 2:19 |
| 13. | "Speechless" (with George Riley) |
| 4:57 |
| 14. | "Disjointed (Feeling Like a Kid Again)" | James | 4:05 |
| 15. | "I'm Trying to Love Myself" | James | 3:22 |
| 16. | "Saying Goodbye" (featuring Contour) |
| 3:31 |
| Total length: | 56:38 | ||
References
edit- ^ a b c Kakaire, Christine (27 September 2023). "Loraine James: Gentle Confrontation Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
- ^ a b Minkser, Evan (23 May 2023). "Loraine James Announces New Album". Pitchfork. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
- ^ "AnyDecentMusic Review". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
- ^ a b c "Gentle Confrontation by Loraine James Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
- ^ a b "Loraine James – Gentle Confrontation". Mojo. October 2023. p. 86.
- ^ a b Gamble, Patrick (19 September 2023). "Loraine James album review: Gentle Confrontation". The Skinny. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
- ^ a b "Loraine James – Gentle Confrontation". Uncut. October 2023. p. 29.
- ^ "Albums of the Year 2023". Clash. 13 December 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
- ^ "Exclaim!'s 50 Best Albums of 2023". Exclaim!. 30 November 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
- ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2023". The Guardian. 23 December 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
- ^ "Albums of the Year 2023". Clash. 13 December 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
- ^ "The 80 Best Albums of 2023". PopMatters. 23 December 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2024.