Crush
Studio album by
Floating Points
Released18 October 2019 (2019-10-18)
GenreElectronic[1]
Length44:01
LabelNinja Tune
ProducerSam Shepherd
Floating Points chronology
Late Night Tales: Floating Points
(2019)		 Crush
(2019)		 Promises
(2021)
Singles from Crush
  1. "LesAlpx"
    Released: 18 June 2019[2]
  2. "Bias"
    Released: April 7, 2020[3]

Crush is the second studio album by British electronic musician Sam Shepherd, released under his alias Floating Points on 18 October 2019 by Ninja Tune.[4][5]

Background and recording

Shepherd began work on the album following a 2017 tour with the xx.[6] Taking inspiration from German krautrock band Harmonia's 2007 album Live 1974, Shepherd played 30 minute improvisational sets using only a Buchla synthesizer and a Korg drum machine.[6] Upon his return to the studio, Shepherd used the same equipment as the basis for recording[6] and completed the album in five weeks.[7] Unlike the debut Floating Points album Elaenia (2015), Crush does not feature any live guitars or drums.[8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.8/10[9]
Metacritic81/100[5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[10]
DIY[11]
Exclaim!7/10[12]
Financial Times[13]
The Independent[14]
Mojo[15]
The Observer[16]
Pitchfork8.3/10[1]
Q[17]
Uncut8/10[18]

Crush received positive reception upon release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from music publications, the album received an average score of 81 based on 16 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[5] Shawn Reynaldo of Pitchfork awarded the album "Best New Music", saying that the project is "an album of mischievous, melodic, stripped-down electronic music". Dylan Barnabe at Exclaim! noted that although "the sonic explorations undermine the album's overall cohesiveness, Crush remains a shining example of Shepherd's growth as an artist".[12] In a mixed review, John Mulvey of Mojo thought that the project was "a decent album, but perhaps not the one some of us were hoping for.".[15]

Accolades

Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
The A.V. Club Top 20 Albums of 2019 17 [19]
DJ Mag Top 50 Albums of 2019 25 [20]
The Independent Top 50 Albums of 2019 25 [21]
Loud and Quiet Top 40 Albums of 2019 9 [22]
Mixmag Top 50 Albums of 2019 2 [23]
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2019 50 [24]
The Vinyl Factory Top 50 Albums of 2019 22 [25]

Track listing

All tracks written and produced by Sam Shepherd. Credits adapted from Apple Music and Tidal.[4][26]

No.TitleLength
1."Falaise"3:54
2."Last Bloom"5:53
3."Anasickmodular"3:12
4."Requiem for CS70 and Strings"2:23
5."Karakul"1:54
6."LesAlpx"4:41
7."Bias"5:08
8."Environments"4:45
9."Birth"3:00
10."Sea-Watch"4:04
11."Apoptose, Pt. I"2:35
12."Apoptose, Pt. II"2:27
Total length:44:01

Charts

Chart (2019) Peak
position
Australian Digital Albums (ARIA)[27] 33
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[28] 163
Scottish Albums (OCC)[29] 20
UK Albums (OCC)[30] 37

References

  1. 1 2 Reynaldo, Shawn (21 October 2019). "Floating Points: Crush". Pitchfork. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  2. ↑ "LesAlpx − Single by Floating Points". Apple Music. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  3. ↑ "Bias - Single by Floating Points". Apple Music. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  4. 1 2 "Crush by Floating Points on Apple Music". iTunes. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 "Crush by Floating Points Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  6. 1 2 3 Sherburne, Philip (28 October 2019). "How Devilish Synths, Political Chaos, and the xx Inspired Floating Points' Crush". Pitchfork. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  7. ↑ Beta, Andy (28 August 2019). "How Floating Points made his unhinged new album Crush". The Fader. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  8. ↑ Edwards, Simon (17 October 2019). "Floating Points: Eco soundsystems". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  9. ↑ "Crush by Floating Points reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  10. ↑ Kellman, Andy. "Crush – Floating Points". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  11. ↑ Sloman, Tom (17 October 2019). "Floating Points – Crush". DIY. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  12. 1 2 Barnabe, Dylan (20 October 2019). "Floating Points: Crush". Exclaim!. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  13. ↑ Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (18 October 2019). "Floating Points: Crush — a purer form of electronic music". Financial Times. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  14. ↑ O'Connor, Roisin (17 October 2019). "Floating Points review, Crush: An insight into Sam Shepherd's brilliant mind". The Independent. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  15. 1 2 Mulvey, John (November 2019). "Floating Points: Crush". Mojo (312): 95.
  16. ↑ Joshi, Tara (20 October 2019). "Floating Points: Crush review – beauty out of chaos". The Observer. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  17. ↑ Howe, Rupert (December 2019). "Floating Points: Crush". Q (405): 109.
  18. ↑ Dalton, Stephen (November 2019). "Floating Points: Crush". Uncut (270): 32.
  19. ↑ "The 20 Best Albums of 2019". The A.V. Club. 19 December 2019. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  20. ↑ "DJ Mag's Top 50 Albums of 2019". DJ Mag. 17 December 2019. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  21. ↑ O'Connor, Roisin (20 December 2019). "The 50 Best Albums of 2019". The Independent. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  22. ↑ "The Loud and Quiet Best 40 Albums of 2019". Loud and Quiet. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  23. ↑ Webb, Lydia; Macaulay, Eden (18 December 2019). "The 50 Best Albums of the Year". Mixmag. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  24. ↑ "The 50 Best Albums of 2019". Pitchfork. 10 December 2019. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  25. ↑ "Our 50 Favourite Albums of 2019". The Vinyl Factory. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  26. ↑ "Crush / Floating Points". Tidal. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  27. ↑ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Digital Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. 28 October 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  28. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Floating Points – Crush" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
  29. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  30. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 October 2019.


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