Gentle Confrontation

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Gentle Confrontation
Loraine James - Gentle Confrontation.png
Studio album by
Released22 September 2023 (2023-09-22)
Genre Electronic [1]
Length56:38
Label Hyperdub
Producer Loraine James
Loraine James chronology
Building Something Beautiful for Me
(2022)
Gentle Confrontation
(2023)

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.

Contents

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 84/100 [2]
Review scores
SourceRating
Mojo Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Pitchfork 8.0/10 [1]
The Skinny Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Uncut 8/10 [5]

Gentle Confrontation received a score of 84 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on four critics' reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". [2] Uncut called the album "a varied, disjointed, entirely unpredictable yet utterly singular record", [5] and Mojo felt that "it's the emotional, cathartic journey of the chief protagonist that captivates the most". [3] 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". [2] 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". [4]

Track listing

Gentle Confrontation track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Gentle Confrontation" Loraine James 4:20
2."2003"
  • James
  • Jeff McIlwain
2:39
3."Let U Go" (featuring Keiyaa)4:23
4."Déjà Vu" (featuring Ritchie)
  • James
  • Nathanial Ritchie
2:51
5."Prelude of Tired of Me"James2:02
6."Glitch the System (Glitch Bitch 2)"James3:34
7."I DM U"James4:23
8."One Way Ticket to the Midwest (Emo)" (featuring Corey Mastrangelo)James2:25
9."Cards with the Grandparents"James3:21
10."While They Were Singing" (featuring Marina Herlop)
  • James
  • Herlop
4:22
11."Try for Me" (featuring Eden Samara)
  • James
  • Eden Samara
4:04
12."Tired of Me"James2:19
13."Speechless" (with George Riley)
  • James
  • George Riley
4:57
14."Disjointed (Feeling Like a Kid Again)"James4:05
15."I'm Trying to Love Myself"James3:22
16."Saying Goodbye" (featuring Contour)
3:31
Total length:56:38

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Kakaire, Christine (27 September 2023). "Loraine James: Gentle Confrontation Album Review". Pitchfork . Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 "Gentle Confrontation by Loraine James Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic . Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  3. 1 2 "Loraine James – Gentle Confrontation". Mojo . October 2023. p. 86.
  4. 1 2 Gamble, Patrick (19 September 2023). "Loraine James album review: Gentle Confrontation". The Skinny . Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  5. 1 2 "Loraine James – Gentle Confrontation". Uncut . October 2023. p. 29.