Qualm | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 3 August 2018 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 56:36 | |||
Label | Ninja Tune | |||
Producer | Helena Hauff | |||
Helena Hauff chronology | ||||
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Qualm is the second studio album by German electronic music DJ and record producer Helena Hauff. It was released on 3 August 2018 by Ninja Tune. [1] The album was critically acclaimed and the track "Hyper-Intelligent Genetically Enriched Cyborg" was named as one of the best electronic tracks of 2018 by Pitchfork . [2] In comparison to her previous album, Discreet Desires (2015), the tracks on it had more traditional song structure and they were "more poppier." [3]
While creating the album, Hauff used one synthesizer, which was Roland TR-808, and one drum machine. [4] [3]
The title has multiple definitions. The German meaning of "qualm" is "smoke" or "fumes", as in English language, it is "an uneasy feeling of doubt, worry, or fear." [5]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 7.6/10 [6] |
Metacritic | 82/100 [7] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The A.V. Club | B+ [9] |
Clash | 8/10 [10] |
Financial Times | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Guardian | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Independent | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Pitchfork | 7.8/10 [14] |
Q | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Resident Advisor | 3.0/5 [16] |
Uncut | 7/10 [17] |
Qualm received positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 82, based on 15 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim". [7] Philip Sherburne of Pitchfork stated that Qualm is a "spartan mix of techno, acid, EBM, and coldwave". [14] Nathan Wesley of The Line of Best Fit opined that the album is a "nocturnal, adventurous album that sees Hauff take a progressive leap forward from her 2015 debut Discreet Desires ." [18] Andrew Moore of Clash remarked that Qualm is a "statement of romantic infatuation amongst an otherwise hash, twisted and raw landscape. A glance into the past and a look to the future." [10]
All tracks are written by Helena Hauff.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Barrow Boot Boys" | 6:04 |
2. | "Lifestyle Guru" | 5:43 |
3. | "Btdr-Revisited" | 3:29 |
4. | "Entropy Created You and Me" | 2:42 |
5. | "Fag Butts in the Fire Bucket" | 4:03 |
6. | "Hyper-Intelligent Genetically Enriched Cyborg" | 6:03 |
7. | "The Smell of Suds and Steel" | 8:11 |
8. | "Primordial Sludge" | 5:33 |
9. | "Qualm" | 2:33 |
10. | "No Qualms" | 3:22 |
11. | "Panegyric" | 5:19 |
12. | "It Was All Fields Around Here When I Was a Kid" | 3:34 |
Notes
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Qualm. [19]
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