Pompeii (Cate Le Bon album)

Last updated

Pompeii
CATELEBON-POMPEII.jpg
Studio album by
Released4 February 2022 (2022-02-04)
Studio
  • Plantagenet Street (Wales)
  • Studiowz (Sir Benfro)
  • Golden Retriever Studio (Sydney)
  • Vacant TV Studios (London)
Genre Art pop
Length43:18
Label Mexican Summer
Producer
  • Cate Le Bon
  • Samur Khouja
Cate Le Bon chronology
Reward
(2019)
Pompeii
(2022)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 85/100 [1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Clash 8/10 [3]
DIY Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Exclaim! 8/10 [5]
The Independent Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [6]
The Line of Best Fit 8/10 [7]
NME Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [8]
The Observer Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [9]
Pitchfork 8.5/10 [10]
The Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [11]

Pompeii is the sixth studio album by Welsh singer and producer Cate Le Bon, released on 4 February 2022 by Mexican Summer.

Contents

Background and recording

Le Bon began working on the album during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Wales, in a Cardiff Victorian terrace owned by fellow Welsh musician Gruff Rhys. [12]

Composition

Musically, Pompeii takes on "penetrating" art pop. [8] It is also influenced by Japanese city pop, [3] with the style reflected in Le Bon's synth work. [5]

Critical reception

Year-end lists
PublicationListRankRef.
BrooklynVegan Indie Basement: Top 40 Albums of 202232 [13]
Exclaim! Exclaim!'s 50 Best Albums of 202230 [14]
The Forty-FiveAlbums of the year 202230 [15]
Mojo The 50 Best Albums of 202221 [16]
New CommuteNew Commute's Albums of the YearN/A [17]
Northern TransmissionTop 50 Albums of 202247
ourculture The 50 Best Albums of 202221 [18]
Paste The 50 Best Albums of 202215 [19]
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 202220 [20]
Pitchfork The 38 Best Rock Albums of 2022N/A [21]
Slant Magazine The 50 Best Albums of 202248 [22]
Slate The Best Albums of 2022Honorable Mention [23]
TrebleThe 50 Best Albums of 202210 [24]
Uncut Best New Albums of 202213 [25]
Under the Radar The 100 Best Albums of 202236 [26]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Cate Le Bon

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Dirt on the Bed"4:28
2."Moderation"4:04
3."French Boys"5:14
4."Pompeii"4:35
5."Harbour"4:08
Side two
No.TitleLength
6."Running Away"5:43
7."Cry Me Old Trouble"5:04
8."Remembering Me"4:34
9."Wheel"5:28
Total length:43:18

Personnel

Charts

Chart performance for Pompeii
Chart (2022)Peak
position
Portuguese Albums (AFP) [27] 43
Scottish Albums (OCC) [28] 15
UK Albums (OCC) [29] 70
UK Independent Albums (OCC) [30] 6

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References

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  2. Thomas, Fred. "Pompeii on Allmusic". AllMusic.
  3. 1 2 Neale, Matthew (February 2022). "Cate le Bon - Pompeii | Reviews". Clash . Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  4. "Cate Le Bon - Pompeii". DIY . 3 February 2022.
  5. 1 2 Ranta, Alan (1 February 2022). "Cate Le Bon Turns Isolation into a Creative Eruption on 'Pompeii'". Exclaim! . Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  6. O'Connor, Roisin (3 February 2022). "Album reviews: Black Country New Road, Bastille, Cate Le Bon and Animal Collective". The Independent .
  7. Lilly, Evan (3 February 2022). "Cate Le Bon daringly explores the obscure corners of pop on Pompeii". The Line of Best Fit .
  8. 1 2 hunt, El (2 February 2022). "Cate Le Bon – 'Pompeii' review: penetrating art-pop with a surreal sense of isolation". NME .
  9. Mongredien, Phil (30 January 2022). "Cate Le Bon: Pompeii review introspective isolation album". The Observer .
  10. Pelly, Jenn (7 February 2022). "Cate Le Bon: Pompeii Album Review". Pitchfork . Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  11. Hodgkinson, Will (3 February 2022). "The best new music to listen to this week". The Times .
  12. Power, Ed (29 January 2022). "Cate Le Bon was stranded in Wales so she made a lockdown album". The Irish Times .
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