Desire, I Want to Turn Into You | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | February 14, 2023 | |||
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Length | 45:25 | |||
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Caroline Polachek chronology | ||||
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Singles from Desire, I Want to Turn Into You | ||||
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Everasking Edition cover | ||||
Singles from Desire,I Want to Turn Into You:Everasking Edition | ||||
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Desire,I Want to Turn Into You is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter and producer Caroline Polachek,under her own name. It was released on February 14,2023,by Sony Music,The Orchard,and Polachek's imprint Perpetual Novice. [1] [2] [3] Polachek produced most of the album alongside Danny L Harle.
It was supported by the singles "Bunny Is a Rider", [4] "Billions", [5] "Sunset", [6] "Welcome to My Island", [7] "Blood and Butter" and "Smoke". The album received widespread acclaim from critics,with several calling it Polachek's best work and acclaiming its experimentation. It charted in Belgium,New Zealand,Spain,Switzerland,the UK,and the US. It received a nomination for Best Engineered Album,Non-Classical at the 66th Grammy Awards. [8]
A reissue of the album,subtitled Everasking Edition,was released on February 14,2024,the standard edition's first anniversary. It was supported by the singles "Dang" and a new version of "Butterfly Net" featuring Weyes Blood.
After releasing Pang in late 2019,Polachek was set to tour the record,but was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Polachek stayed in London and began work on Desire,I Want to Turn Into You with close collaborator Danny L Harle. She considers the album to be a major partnership with Harle,as the record has "few other collaborators in the mix". She continued work on the album in London until mid-2021,where she briefly relocated to Barcelona alongside Harle and new collaborator Sega Bodega. [9]
In November 2021,Polachek was featured on Charli XCX's "New Shapes" alongside Christine and the Queens. She then embarked on a North American tour with French musician Oklou for the remainder of 2021. [10]
Dua Lipa announced Polachek as a supporting act on the North American and Canadian legs of the Future Nostalgia Tour from February to July 2022, [11] performing at many festivals as well. Polachek was featured on Flume's "Sirens" in March, [12] and wrote and produced the track "Afar" for Hyd in July. [13] She rescheduled European tour dates to finish work on Desire,I Want to Turn Into You. [14]
Six weeks ahead of the album release,in an interview with The Guardian ,Polachek confirmed three more song titles:"Blood and Butter","Pretty in Possible",and "Smoke". [15]
Desire,I Want to Turn Into You has been described as an art pop,alternative pop,and new-age record,with elements of electronic,rock,and trip-hop. [16] [17] [18] [19] Shaad D'Souza of The Guardian wrote:"Ratcheting up both the fantastical elements of its predecessor as well as its humour and pop instinct,Desire is an eclectic,elaborate and cheekily deranged sequel,and one of the year's most anticipated releases". The album features bagpipes,children's choirs,Spanish guitar,"beats that run the gamut" from Ray of Light -style trip-hop to dembow,Celtic folk,and early '00s-style radio pop. Polachek herself described it as "a very maximalist album". [15]
Desire,I Want to Turn Into You was announced in December 2022. [20] At the 66th Annual Grammy Awards on February 4,2024,Polachek hinted that she would be releasing something on Valentine's Day, [21] which is Desire's first anniversary. Three days later,the reissue of the album,subtitled Everasking Edition,was announced. [22]
Polachek released the lead single "Bunny Is a Rider" in July 2021,which was written before she went into lockdown. [23] She released the trip hop inspired "Billions" as a single in February. [24] Polachek stated the song took 19 months to finish. [25] The single featured a rework of "Long Road Home",her collaboration with Oneohtrix Point Never from his 2020 album Magic Oneohtrix Point Never ,as the B-side. [26] "Sunset" was released as a single in October. Polachek has cited Ennio Morricone 's Spaghetti Western film scores as an influence on the song. [27] "Welcome to My Island",which Polachek calls her "brattiest song to date",was released alongside the album announcement. [20] On January 20,a remix by Charli XCX and the 1975's George Daniel was released. [28] "Blood and Butter" was released on January 31,2023. "Smoke" was released as a single on April 6,2023,during her Spiraling Tour. It was accompanied by a music video that premiered on the same day.
Polachek released "Dang" on October 17,2023, [29] as the lead single from Desire,I Want to Turn Into You:Everasking Edition. She performed the song the same evening on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert . [30] After Polachek and Weyes Blood performed "Butterfly Net" live together several times throughout 2023,including at the Glastonbury and Fuji Rock Festivals,they released their joint version of the song on February 7,2024, [31] alongside the Everasking Edition announcement.
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 8.5/10 [32] |
Metacritic | 94/100 [33] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [34] |
Clash | 9/10 [35] |
DIY | [36] |
Exclaim! | 9/10 [37] |
The Line of Best Fit | 9/10 [38] |
NME | [39] |
Paste | 9.2/10 [40] |
Pitchfork | 8.7/10 [41] |
PopMatters | 10/10 [16] |
Rolling Stone | [42] |
Upon release,Desire,I Want to Turn Into You received widespread acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic,which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics,the album received an average score of 94,based on 19 critical reviews,indicating "universal acclaim". [33] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave the album a 8.5 out of 10,based on their assessment of the critical consensus. [32]
Reviewing the album for AllMusic,Matt Collar opined that the album "finds Polachek unapologetically embracing her inner pop diva,purposefully referencing a '90s and early-2000s pop aesthetic. This is an album of balmy trip-hop grooves,where electric bass riffs,finger-snap beats,and sky-blue synths caress her angelically swooping vocals like dolphins chasing a boat. It's an immediately evocative vibe that she commits to,deftly walking a fine line between earnest romanticism and artful irony." He concluded that with the album,"Polachek breaks free from outside expectations and transforms her inner anxieties into an intoxicating pop euphoria." [43]
Cat Zhang of Pitchfork wrote that the album was the best of Polachek's career,giving it the distinction of Best New Music. [41] Maura Johnston reviewed the album positively for Rolling Stone ,calling Polachek an "undeniable talent as a vocalist and arranger" and the album an "example of what happens when pop sets out to transcend its own limits." [42]
In a mixed review for NME ,Ella Kemp praised Polachek's experimentation but said that some tracks "suffer[ed] from a more abstract vision" and called the album an "uneven collection". [39] Gabbie Nirenburg also provided a middling review for No Ripcord,calling the album "just fine". She questioned if there was "anything on this record that is really SO unique or special or different from every other competent art pop album out there?" [44]
Publication | Accolade | Rank | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
AllMusic | Best Albums of 2023 | — | [45] |
The Atlantic | The 10 Best Albums of 2023 | 3 | |
Beats Per Minute | Top 50 Albums of 2023 | 3 | |
Billboard | The 50 Best Albums of 2023 | 26 | |
The Boston Globe | Our 50 Favorite Albums of 2023 | — | [49] |
British GQ | Best Albums of 2023 | — | |
BrooklynVegan | Top 55 Albums of 2023 | 6 | |
Consequence | The 50 Best Albums of 2023 | 5 | |
Crack | The Top 50 Albums of the Year | 5 | |
DIY | Albums of the Year 2023 | 1 | |
Exclaim! | 50 Best Albums of 2023 | 1 | |
The Fader | The 50 Best Albums of 2023 | 17 | |
God Is In The TV | Albums of the Year for 2023 | 2 | |
Gorilla vs. Bear | Albums of 2023 | 43 | |
The Guardian | The 50 best albums of 2023 | 3 | |
The Independent | The 30 Best Albums of 2023 | 7 | |
The Line of Best Fit | The Best Albums of 2023 | 38 | |
Magnet | Top 25 Albums Of 2023 | 5 | |
The New York Times | Best Albums of 2023 | 2 | |
NME | The 50 best albums of 2023 | 6 | |
Paste | 50 Best Albums of 2023 | 4 | |
Pitchfork | 50 Best Albums of 2023 | 2 | |
PopMatters | The 80 Best Albums of 2023 | 4 | |
Resident Advisor | The Best Albums of 2023 | — | [68] |
The Ringer | The 27 Best Albums of 2023 | 5 | |
Rolling Stone | 100 Best Albums of 2023 | 28 | |
The Skinny | The Skinny's Albums of 2023 | 2 | |
Slant Magazine | The 50 Best Albums of 2023 | 5 | |
Stereogum | The 50 Best Albums Of 2023 | 11 | |
Time Out | 30 Best Albums of 2023 | 7 | |
Under the Radar | Top 100 Albums of 2023 | 3 | |
Uproxx | The Best Albums Of 2023 | — | [76] |
Vogue | The Best Albums of 2023 | — | [77] |
Polachek embarked on the Spiraling Tour to promote Desire, I Want to Turn Into You. [78] The tour included North America, Europe, Asia and Australia, beginning on 10 February in Brighton, England and ending on 13 December 2023 in Brisbane, Australia.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Welcome to My Island" |
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| 3:53 |
2. | "Pretty in Possible" |
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| 3:36 |
3. | "Bunny Is a Rider" |
|
| 3:17 |
4. | "Sunset" |
|
| 2:43 |
5. | "Crude Drawing of an Angel" |
|
| 3:28 |
6. | "I Believe" |
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| 4:07 |
7. | "Fly to You" (featuring Grimes and Dido) |
| 4:05 | |
8. | "Blood and Butter" |
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| 4:28 |
9. | "Hopedrunk Everasking" |
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| 3:19 |
10. | "Butterfly Net" |
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| 4:36 |
11. | "Smoke" |
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| 2:57 |
12. | "Billions" |
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| 4:56 |
Total length: | 45:24 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
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13. | "Dang" |
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| 2:44 |
14. | "Spring Is Coming with a Strawberry in the Mouth" |
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| 3:53 |
15. | "Butterfly Net" (featuring Weyes Blood) |
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| 5:33 |
16. | "Meanwhile" |
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| 1:28 |
17. | "Coma" |
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| 5:44 |
18. | "Gambler's Prayer" |
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| 3:47 |
19. | "Long Road Home" (featuring Oneohtrix Point Never) |
|
| 3:44 |
20. | "I Believe" (Acoustic Version) |
|
| 4:35 |
Total length: | 76:44 |
Notes
Musicians
Technical
Artwork
Chart (2023) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA) [80] | 53 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [81] | 48 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [82] | 55 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [83] | 35 |
French Albums (SNEP) [84] | 197 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [85] | 44 |
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [86] | 31 |
Scottish Albums (OCC) [87] | 8 |
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [88] | 67 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [89] | 25 |
UK Albums (OCC) [90] | 23 |
UK Independent Albums (OCC) [91] | 2 |
US Billboard 200 [92] | 87 |
US Heatseekers Albums ( Billboard ) [93] | 13 |
US Independent Albums ( Billboard ) [94] | 19 |
Chairlift was an American synth-pop band formed by Caroline Polachek and Aaron Pfenning. They formed the band in 2005 while living in Boulder, Colorado, and Patrick Wimberly joined them when they moved to Brooklyn, New York, in 2007. The three released their debut album Does You Inspire You in 2008. Pfenning left the band in 2010, and the new duo released two more albums—2012's Something and 2016's Moth—before announcing the end of Chairlift in December 2016.
Héloïse Adélaïde Letissier, known professionally as Rahim C Redcar, and formerly as Christine and the Queens, is a French singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Nantes, he started learning piano at the age of four and found inspiration in one of London's clubs while studying. Redcar released a series of extended plays (EPs) throughout 2011–2013.
Caroline Elizabeth Polachek is an American singer, producer, and songwriter. Raised in Connecticut, Polachek cofounded the indie pop band Chairlift while studying at the University of Colorado. The duo emerged from the late-2000s Brooklyn music scene with the sleeper hit "Bruises". In 2014, she released her first solo project, Arcadia, as Ramona Lisa. Under CEP, she released Drawing the Target Around the Arrow in 2017.
Jonathan Patrick Wimberly is an American record producer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer and mixing engineer best known as being one-half of the synth-pop duo Chairlift. The band parted ways in 2017 so Wimberly and former bandmate Caroline Polachek could focus on their careers as producers/songwriters.
Sophie Xeon, known mononymously as SOPHIE, was an English music producer, songwriter, and DJ. Her work is known for its brash take on pop music and is distinguished by experimental sound design, "sugary" synthesized textures, and incorporation of influences from underground dance styles. It would help pioneer the 2010s hyperpop microgenre.
Alexander Guy Cook is an English music producer and the head of the UK record label PC Music. Cook released his first solo singles in 2014. He has also collaborated with PC Music artists such as Hannah Diamond, GFOTY, EASYFUN, Danny L Harle and felicita. He formed the one-off project QT with musician Sophie and performance artist Hayden Dunham, producing the 2014 single "Hey QT".
Daniel Jack Eisner Harle is a British music producer and composer who records under the name Danny L Harle. He was formerly signed to the London-based PC Music label and is a member of Dux Content with A. G. Cook. He has produced, composed, and remixed music for a number of artists; most prominently, he executive produced Caroline Polachek's 2019 album Pang and 2023 album Desire, I Want to Turn Into You. He released his debut album Harlecore (2021) through the label Mad Decent, featuring collaborations with Polachek, Hudson Mohawke, and Lil Data.
Natalie Laura Mering, known professionally as Weyes Blood, is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. She was primarily raised in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. She has been performing her own material under variations of the name Weyes Blood since 2003.
"Door" is a song by American singer-songwriter and producer Caroline Polachek from her third studio and major-label debut album Pang. It was released as the lead single from the album on June 19, 2019. Polachek's imprint label under The Orchard is called Perpetual Novice after a line in "Door". The song is the first release by Polachek under her own name, having previously released music under "Ramona Lisa", "CEP", and as part of the band "Chairlift". The song was written and produced by Polachek, Dan Nigro and Jim-E Stack and Danny L Harle. "Door" was released alongside a psychedelic-inspired music video.
Pang is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter and producer Caroline Polachek, under her own name. It was released by Sony Music, The Orchard, and Polachek's imprint Perpetual Novice on October 18, 2019. The album received critical acclaim from and was placed on several critics' year-end lists, topping Dazed's list. Commercially, Pang peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart and number 40 on the Independent Albums chart, making it Polachek's first charting solo album.
The discography of American singer-songwriter and producer Caroline Polachek consists of four studio albums, one remix album, one instrumental album, two extended plays, 13 singles, and seven promotional singles. Polachek previously released music under the names Ramona Lisa and CEP, before releasing her debut album under her real name in 2019. She also issued three albums as a member of the band Chairlift, from 2008 to 2016.
Magic Oneohtrix Point Never is the ninth studio album by American electronic producer Daniel Lopatin, under his alias Oneohtrix Point Never, released on October 30, 2020, via Warp. The album draws on a psychedelic radio aesthetic strongly inspired by Magic 106.7, the mondegreen namesake of Lopatin's project, and was recorded during COVID-19 lockdowns, between March and July 2020.
Harlecore is the debut full-length album by British electronic musician Danny L Harle. It was released 26 February 2021 via Mad Decent. The album draws heavily on rave music, and features Harle taking on the personas of four different DJs, including: DJ Danny, MC Boing, DJ Mayhem and DJ Ocean.
"Bunny Is a Rider" is a song by American singer Caroline Polachek, released on July 14, 2021, through Perpetual Novice. It is the lead single from her fourth studio album Desire, I Want to Turn Into You. Written and co-produced by Polachek, it features production by frequent collaborator Danny L Harle. The song received critical acclaim and was named the best song of 2021 by Pitchfork.
Crash is the fifth studio album by English singer Charli XCX, released on 18 March 2022. It was her last album to be released under her record contract with Asylum Records. Charli announced the album title, release date, and artwork on 4 November 2021. Her website was also updated with information about the album's 2022 tour. The album was preceded by the four singles "Good Ones", "New Shapes" featuring Christine and the Queens and Caroline Polachek, "Beg for You" featuring Rina Sawayama, "Baby" and two promotional singles, "Every Rule" and "Used to Know Me", the latter released as the fifth single in April 2022.
"Billions" is a song by American singer-songwriter and record producer Caroline Polachek. It was released on February 9, 2022 as the second single from Polachek's fourth album, Desire, I Want to Turn Into You (2023).
"Welcome to My Island" is a song by American singer-songwriter and record producer Caroline Polachek. It was released on December 5, 2022 through Perpetual Novice as the fourth single from Polachek's fourth album, Desire, I Want to Turn Into You (2023).
"Butterfly Net" is a song by American singer-songwriter Caroline Polachek, included on her fourth studio album Desire, I Want to Turn Into You, released on February 14, 2023. The song was written and produced by Polachek along with Danny L Harle. A remix version featuring American singer Weyes Blood was released on February 7, 2024, as the second single from the reissue of the album, subtitled Everasking Edition.
"Dang" is a song by American songwriter and producer Caroline Polachek, released on October 17, 2023 as the lead single from Desire, I Want to Turn Into You: Everasking Edition. It was written and produced by Polachek with Danny L Harle and Cecile Believe.
The Spiraling Tour was the third headlining concert tour by American singer-songwriter and producer Caroline Polachek, in support of her fourth studio album, and second under her name, Desire, I Want to Turn Into You (2023). The tour began on 10 February 2023 in Brighton, England, and concluded on 13 December 2023 in Brisbane, Australia.
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