Pompeii (Cate Le Bon album)

Pompeii
Studio album by Cate Le Bon
Released	4 February 2022 (2022-02-04)
Studio	Plantagenet Street (Wales) Studiowz (Sir Benfro) Golden Retriever Studio (Sydney) Vacant TV Studios (London)
Genre	Art pop
Length	43:18
Label	Mexican Summer
Producer	Cate Le Bon Samur Khouja
Cate Le Bon chronology
Reward (2019) Pompeii (2022) Michelangelo Dying (2025)

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

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. ^[1]

Composition

Musically, Pompeii takes on "penetrating" art pop. ^[2] It is also influenced by Japanese city pop, ^[3] with the style reflected in Le Bon's synth work. ^[4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	8.1/10 [5]
Metacritic	85/100 [6]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[7]
Clash	8/10 [3]
DIY	[8]
Exclaim!	8/10 [4]
The Independent	[9]
The Line of Best Fit	8/10 [10]
NME	[2]
The Observer	[11]
Pitchfork	8.5/10 [12]
The Times	[13]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic , Pompeii received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 85 out of 100 from 20 critic scores. ^[6]

Year-end lists

Publication	List	Rank	Ref.
BrooklynVegan	Indie Basement: Top 40 Albums of 2022	32	[14]
Exclaim!	Exclaim!'s 50 Best Albums of 2022	30	[15]
The Forty-Five	Albums of the year 2022	30	[16]
Mojo	The 50 Best Albums of 2022	21	[17]
New Commute	New Commute's Albums of the Year	N/A	[18]
Northern Transmission	Top 50 Albums of 2022	47
ourculture	The 50 Best Albums of 2022	21	[19]
Paste	The 50 Best Albums of 2022	15	[20]
Pitchfork	The 50 Best Albums of 2022	20	[21]
Pitchfork	The 38 Best Rock Albums of 2022	N/A	[22]
Slant Magazine	The 50 Best Albums of 2022	48	[23]
Slate	The Best Albums of 2022	Honorable Mention	[24]
Treble	The 50 Best Albums of 2022	10	[25]
Uncut	Best New Albums of 2022	13	[26]
Under the Radar	The 100 Best Albums of 2022	36	[27]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Cate Le Bon.

Side one

No.	Title	Length
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.	Title	Length
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

• Cate Le Bon – vocals, guitar, bass guitar, synthesizers, piano, percussion, production
• Samur Khouja – production, mixing, engineering
• H. Hawkline – co-production, design, photography
• Heba Kadry – mastering
• Simon Berckelman – engineering
• Euan Hinshelwood – saxophone, vocal engineering
• Stella Mozgawa – drums
• Stephen Black – saxophone, clarinet
• Chloe Dadd – engineering assistance
• Casey Raymond – photography

Charts

Chart performance for Pompeii

Chart (2022)	Peak position
Portuguese Albums (AFP) [28]	43
Scottish Albums (OCC) [29]	15
UK Albums (OCC) [30]	70
UK Independent Albums (OCC) [31]	6
US Billboard 200 [32]	31

References

1. Power, Ed (29 January 2022). "Cate Le Bon was stranded in Wales so she made a lockdown album". The Irish Times .
2. hunt, El (2 February 2022). "Cate Le Bon – 'Pompeii' review: penetrating art-pop with a surreal sense of isolation". NME .
3. Neale, Matthew (February 2022). "Cate le Bon - Pompeii | Reviews". Clash . Retrieved 1 February 2022.
4. Ranta, Alan (1 February 2022). "Cate Le Bon Turns Isolation into a Creative Eruption on 'Pompeii'". Exclaim! . Retrieved 1 February 2022.
5. "Pompeii by Cate Le Bon reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
6. "Pompeii by Cate Le Bon Reviews and Tracks - Metacritic". Metacritic . Retrieved 1 February 2022.
7. Thomas, Fred. "Pompeii on Allmusic". AllMusic.
8. "Cate Le Bon - Pompeii". DIY . 3 February 2022.
9. O'Connor, Roisin (3 February 2022). "Album reviews: Black Country New Road, Bastille, Cate Le Bon and Animal Collective". The Independent .
10. Lilly, Evan (3 February 2022). "Cate Le Bon daringly explores the obscure corners of pop on Pompeii". The Line of Best Fit .
11. Mongredien, Phil (30 January 2022). "Cate Le Bon: Pompeii review introspective isolation album". The Observer .
12. Pelly, Jenn (7 February 2022). "Cate Le Bon: Pompeii Album Review". Pitchfork . Retrieved 8 February 2022.
13. Hodgkinson, Will (3 February 2022). "The best new music to listen to this week". The Times .
14. Pearis, Bill (22 December 2022). "Indie Basement: Top 40 Albums of 2022". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
15. "Exclaim!'s 50 Best Albums of 2022 | Exclaim!". exclaim.ca. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
16. Gunn, Charlotte (1 December 2022). "Albums of the year 2022". The Forty-Five. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
17. "The 50 Best Albums Of 2022". Mojo. 22 December 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
18. "New Commute Albums of the Year 2022". New Commute. 10 December 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
19. Culture, Our (7 December 2022). "The 50 Best Albums of 2022". Our Culture. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
20. "The 50 Best Albums of 2022". pastemagazine.com. 21 November 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
21. "The 50 Best Albums of 2022". Pitchfork. 6 December 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
22. "The 38 Best Rock Albums of 2022". Pitchfork. 7 December 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
23. Slant Staff (7 December 2022). "The 50 Best Albums of 2022". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
24. Wilson, Carl (9 December 2022). "The Best Albums of 2022". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
25. staff, Treble (6 December 2022). "The 50 Best Albums of 2022". Treble. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
26. Uncut (19 December 2022). "Uncut's Best New Albums Of 2022". UNCUT. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
27. "Under the Radar Magazine". www.undertheradarmag.com. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
28. "Portuguesecharts.com – Cate Le Bon – Pompeii". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
29. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
30. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
31. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
32. "Cate Le Bon Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 May 2025.

External links

• Pompeii at Discogs (list of releases)