Pink Noise (album)

Pink Noise
Studio album by Laura Mvula
Released	2 July 2021 (2021-07-02)
Studio	Firepit (London) RAK (London) Spark (London) Noatune (London) Doghouse (Henley-on-Thames) Trinity House (Frome) Flightless Bird (Los Angeles)
Genre	Electropop [1] R&B synth-funk [2]
Length	37:33
Label	Atlantic
Producer	Laura Mvula Dann Hume
Laura Mvula chronology
1/f (2021) Pink Noise (2021)
Singles from Pink Noise
"Safe Passage" Released: 3 March 2021 "Church Girl" Released: 17 March 2021 "Got Me" Released: 12 May 2021

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	89/100 [3]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[4]
Clash	[5]
DIY	[6]
Entertainment Weekly	A− [7]
The Arts Desk	[8]
The Independent	[9]
The Line of Best Fit	[10]
NME	[11]
The Observer	[12]
Tom Hull – on the Web	B+ ( ) [1]
Retro Pop	[13]

Pink Noise is the third studio album by the British singer Laura Mvula, released on 2 July 2021 by Atlantic Records. ^[14] Its release was five years after The Dreaming Room , released in 2016. ^[15] The album was preceded by the singles "Safe Passage" and "Church Girl", the latter being issued along with the album's announcement. ^[16]

Background

Mvula called the album the one she "always wanted to make", and described it as "made with warm sunset tones of the '80s", saying it "took three years of waiting and waiting and fighting and dying and nothingness and then finally an explosion of sound". ^[17]

The album follows the 1/f EP, released in February 2021. The EP was named after the technical name for pink noise on the frequency spectrum. ^[14]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Laura Mvula and Dann Hume.

Pink Noise track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Safe Passage"	3:12
2.	"Conditional"	2:49
3.	"Church Girl"	3:45
4.	"Remedy"	4:02
5.	"Magical"	4:12
6.	"Pink Noise"	3:29
7.	"Golden Ashes"	4:09
8.	"What Matters" (featuring Simon Neil)	4:08
9.	"Got Me"	3:26
10.	"Before the Dawn"	4:21
Total length:		37:33

Personnel

Musicians

• Laura Mvula – lead vocals, backing vocals, synthesizers, synth bass
• Dann Hume – electric guitar (tracks 1–6, 9, 10), percussion (5, 7)
• Karl Rasheed-Abel – bass guitar (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9)
• Oli Rockberger – backing vocals (tracks 1, 3, 4)
• Troy Miller – percussion (tracks 1, 3), drums (5, 6)
• Mike Davis – trumpet (tracks 2, 4–7)
• Tom Walsh – trumpet (tracks 2, 4–7)
• Trevor Mires – trombones, bass trumpet (tracks 2, 4–7)
• James Gardiner-Bateman – saxophones (tracks 2, 4–7)
• Daniel Hutchinson – electric guitar (tracks 5, 8), backing vocals (5)
• Everton Nelson – first violin (tracks 5–7, 10)
• Marianne Haynes – second violin (tracks 5–7, 10)
• Clifton Harrison – viola (tracks 5–7, 10)
• James Douglas – cello (tracks 5–7, 10), backing vocals (5)
• Simon Neil – vocals (track 8)

Technical

• Laura Mvula – production (all tracks), drum arrangements (track 1)
• Dann Hume – production, mixing, engineering (all tracks); drum production (tracks 1–4, 6–10)
• Troy Miller – co-production, string arrangements (tracks 5, 6, 10); additional production (1–4, 7), engineering (5, 6), percussion engineering (1, 3), horn arrangements (2, 4–6),
• Stuart Hawkes – mastering, lacquer cut
• Robbie Nelson – engineering (tracks 5, 6, 10), horn engineering (2, 4, 7), string engineering (7)
• Adam Noble – Simon Neil vocal engineering (track 8)

Visuals

• Danny Kasirye – photography
• Alex Cowper – design

Charts

Chart performance for Pink Noise

Chart (2021)	Peak position
Scottish Albums (OCC) [18]	6
UK Albums (OCC) [19]	21
UK R&B Albums (OCC) [20]	1

References

1. Hull, Tom (5 July 2021). "Music Week". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
2. "Pink Noise by Laura Mvula". Rate Your Music . Retrieved 12 July 2021.
3. "Pink Noise by Laura Mvula Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic . Retrieved 8 July 2021.
4. Kellman, Andy (8 July 2021). "Laura Mvula – Pink Noise". Allmusic . Retrieved 12 July 2021.
5. Harrison, Emma (1 July 2021). "Laura Mvula – Pink Noise | Reviews". Clash . Retrieved 5 July 2021.
6. Kerwick, Sean (2 July 2021). "LAURA MVULA - PINK NOISE". DIY . Retrieved 7 August 2021.
7. Moore, Marcus J. (1 July 2021). "Laura Mvula's Pink Noise is about shaking off life's struggles". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved 5 July 2021.
8. Quinn, Peter (30 June 2021). "Album: Laura Mvula - Pink Noise". The Arts Desk . Retrieved 7 August 2021.
9. Brown, Helen (2 July 2021). "Laura Mvula review, Pink Noise: Artist shows queenly integrity on this Eighties-influenced album". The Independent . Retrieved 5 July 2021.
10. Cobbald, David (28 June 2021). "Pink Noise is the righteously groove-laden emancipation of Laura Mvula". The Line of Best Fit . Retrieved 5 July 2021.
11. Levine, Nick (30 June 2021). "Laura Mvula – 'Pink Noise' review: a triumph of sparkling '80s-style ear candy". NME . Retrieved 5 July 2021.
12. Empire, Kitty (4 July 2021). "Laura Mvula: Pink Noise review – an album of overdue fun". The Observer . Retrieved 5 July 2021.
13. Gotto, Connor (5 July 2021). "Laura Mvula - Pink Noise" . Retrieved 15 July 2021.
14. Blistein, Jon (17 March 2021). "Laura Mvula Previews New Album 'Pink Noise' With 'Church Girl'". Rolling Stone . Retrieved 19 March 2021.
15. Elder, Sajae (17 March 2021). "Laura Mvula announces new album Pink Noise, shares new song 'Church Girl'". The Fader . Retrieved 19 March 2021.
16. Reilly, Nick (17 March 2021). "Laura Mvula announces third album 'Pink Noise' and shares new track 'Church Girl'". NME . Retrieved 19 March 2021.
17. Monroe, Jazz (17 March 2021). "Laura Mvula Announces New Album Pink Noise, Shares Song: Listen". Pitchfork . Retrieved 19 March 2021.
18. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
19. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
20. "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 July 2021.