Gentle Confrontation

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Gentle Confrontation
A photograph of James with short pink hair resting her head on her tattooed arm
Studio album by
Loraine James
Released22 September 2023 (2023-09-22)
GenreElectronic[1]
Length56:38
LabelHyperdub
ProducerLoraine James
Loraine James chronology
Building Something Beautiful for Me
(2022) 		Gentle Confrontation
(2023) 		Whatever the Weather II
(2025)
Singles from Gentle Confrontation
  1. "2003"
    Released: 23 May 2023[2]

Gentle Confrontation is the fifth album by London-based electronic musician Loraine James, released on 22 September 2023 through Hyperdub. It was produced by James and received acclaim from critics.

Background

[edit]

On 23 May 2023, Loraine James announced the release of her fifth studio album, along with the release of the first single "2003".[2]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.9/10[3]
Metacritic84/100[4]
Review scores
SourceRating
MojoStarStarStarStar[5]
Pitchfork8.0/10[1]
The SkinnyStarStarStarStar[6]
Uncut8/10[7]

Gentle Confrontation received a score of 84 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on four critics' reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[4] Uncut called the album "a varied, disjointed, entirely unpredictable yet utterly singular record",[7] and Mojo felt that "it's the emotional, cathartic journey of the chief protagonist that captivates the most".[5] Pitchfork's Christine Kakaire wrote that James "uses chaotic arrangements and glitchy drums to express knotty, difficult-to-name emotions" on the album, which "sprawls, and each track settles into a distinct tonality".[1]

The Wire called the tracks "vignettes of memory and emotion, which see her thoughtful production informed by IDM, glitch and electronic emo. True to the album's concept, there's a charming bedroom maximalism" and concluded that it is a "lovely, affecting record".[4] Patrick Gamble of The Skinny found that the "most interesting moments are those where James' voice takes centre stage" as she "take a scalpel blade to her discography, only to reassemble the pieces into a record that plays like a victory lap".[6]

Accolades

[edit]
Publications' year-end list appearances for Gentle Confrontation
Critic/Publication List Rank Ref
Clash Clash's Albums of the Year 8 [8]
Exclaim! Exclaim!'s Top 50 Albums of 2023 26 [9]
The Guardian The Guardian's Top 50 Albums of 2023 36 [10]
NME NME's Best Albums of 2023 25 [11]
PopMatters PopMatters' Top 80 Albums of 2023 13 [12]

Track listing

[edit]
Gentle Confrontation track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Gentle Confrontation"Loraine James4:20
2."2003"
  • James
  • Jeff McIlwain
2:39
3."Let U Go" (featuring Keiyaa)
4:23
4."Déjà Vu" (featuring Ritchie)
  • James
  • Nathanial Ritchie
2:51
5."Prelude of Tired of Me"James2:02
6."Glitch the System (Glitch Bitch 2)"James3:34
7."I DM U"James4:23
8."One Way Ticket to the Midwest (Emo)" (featuring Corey Mastrangelo)James2:25
9."Cards with the Grandparents"James3:21
10."While They Were Singing" (featuring Marina Herlop)
  • James
  • Herlop
4:22
11."Try for Me" (featuring Eden Samara)
  • James
  • Eden Samara
4:04
12."Tired of Me"James2:19
13."Speechless" (with George Riley)
  • James
  • George Riley
4:57
14."Disjointed (Feeling Like a Kid Again)"James4:05
15."I'm Trying to Love Myself"James3:22
16."Saying Goodbye" (featuring Contour)
3:31
Total length:56:38

References

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  1. ^ a b c Kakaire, Christine (27 September 2023). "Loraine James: Gentle Confrontation Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  2. ^ a b Minkser, Evan (23 May 2023). "Loraine James Announces New Album". Pitchfork. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  3. ^ "AnyDecentMusic Review". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "Gentle Confrontation by Loraine James Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Loraine James – Gentle Confrontation". Mojo. October 2023. p. 86.
  6. ^ a b Gamble, Patrick (19 September 2023). "Loraine James album review: Gentle Confrontation". The Skinny. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Loraine James – Gentle Confrontation". Uncut. October 2023. p. 29.
  8. ^ "Albums of the Year 2023". Clash. 13 December 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  9. ^ "Exclaim!'s 50 Best Albums of 2023". Exclaim!. 30 November 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  10. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2023". The Guardian. 23 December 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  11. ^ "Albums of the Year 2023". Clash. 13 December 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  12. ^ "The 80 Best Albums of 2023". PopMatters. 23 December 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2024.