Open the Gates (Irreversible Entanglements album)

Open the Gates
Studio album by Irreversible Entanglements
Released	November 12, 2021
Recorded	January 5, 2021
Studio	Rittenhouse Soundworks (Philadelphia)
Genre	Free jazz funk post-punk
Length	73:40
Label	Don Giovanni International Anthem
Producer	Irreversible Entanglements
Irreversible Entanglements chronology
Who Sent You? (2020) Open the Gates (2021) Protect Your Light (2023)

Open the Gates is the third studio album by American free jazz collective Irreversible Entanglements. It was released through Don Giovanni Records and International Anthem in November 2021. ^[1]

Composition

Musically, Open the Gates sees the quintet merge their free jazz roots with "mutant" funk and "angular" post-punk. ^{[2] [3]}

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	86/100 [4]
Review scores
Source	Rating
All About Jazz	[5]
AllMusic	[2]
Loud and Quiet	6/10 [6]
Pitchfork	7.8/10 [3]

Open the Gates was acclaimed by music critics. On Metacritic, it holds a score of 86 out of 100, indicating "universal acclaim", based on five reviews. ^[4]

Dustin Krcatovich for The Quietus called it "righteous music", seeing it as "an exciting dilation of [the quintet's] sonic universe". ^[7]

Track listing

Open the Gates track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Open the Gates"	2:39
2.	"Keys to Creation"	13:41
3.	"Lágrimas Del Mar"	8:03
4.	"Storm Came Twice"	7:20
5.	"Water Meditation"	20:39
6.	"Six Sounds"	10:30
7.	"The Port Remembers"	10:48
Total length:		73:40

Personnel

Irreversible Entanglements

• Camae Ayewa – voice, synth
• Keir Neuringer – saxophone, synth, percussion
• Aquiles Navarro – trumpet, synth
• Luke Stewart – double bass, bass guitar
• Tcheser Holmes – drums, percussion

Technical

• Irreversible Entanglements – production
• Michael Richelle – recording
• Dave Vettraino – mixing at International Anthem Studios, Chicago
• Dave Cooley – mastering at Elysian Masters, Los Angeles

Charts

Chart performance for Open the Gates

Chart (2021)	Peak position
UK Album Downloads (OCC) [8]	71
UK Jazz & Blues Albums (OCC) [9]	16

References

1. "Open The Gates by Irreversible Entanglements" . Retrieved December 22, 2021.
2. Thom Jurek. "Open the Gates - Irreversible Entanglements". AllMusic . Retrieved November 22, 2021.
3. Megan Iacobini De Fazio (November 18, 2021). "Irreversible Entanglements: Open the Gates Album Review". Pitchfork . Retrieved December 22, 2021.
4. "Open the Gates by Irreversible Entanglements Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic . Retrieved December 22, 2021.
5. Chris May (December 30, 2021). "Irreversible Entanglements: Open The Gates album review @ All About Jazz". All About Jazz . Retrieved January 13, 2022.
6. Dafydd Jenkins (November 8, 2021). "Irreversible Entanglements - Open The Gates - Reviews - Loud & Quiet". Loud & Quiet . Retrieved December 22, 2021.
7. Dustin Krcatovich (November 12, 2021). "Irreversible Entanglements". The Quietus . Retrieved December 22, 2021.
8. "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
9. "Official Jazz & Blues Albums Chart Top 30". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 28, 2025.

External links

• Open the Gates at Discogs (list of releases)