Crest (album)
| Crest | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 17 March 2022 | |||
| Genre | Progressive pop[1] | |||
| Length | 30:56 | |||
| Label | Year0001 | |||
| Producer | Whitearmor | |||
| Bladee chronology | ||||
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| Ecco2K chronology | ||||
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Crest is a collaborative studio album by Swedish musicians Bladee and Ecco2K, released on 17 March 2022 through Year0001.
Production and composition[edit]
To record Crest, Bladee, Ecco2k, Whitearmor, members of the Swedish collective Drain Gang, rented a small red house in the south of Sweden close to the cliff-bound beach from Ingmar Bergman's fantasy epic The Seventh Seal.[2][3][4] Keegan Brady of Rolling Stone described the location as "fitting" due to the album being "distinctly Swedish".[3] Bladee said that, with the album, "[they] began to understand how growing up in Sweden, and being Swedish, is something to be proud of", in contrast to the group's rejection of national pride in their youth.[3] Brady further added that Crest "isn't concerned with nationalism per sé, more like an embrace of, and coming to terms with, one's core roots."[3] The album cover was hand-drawn by Bladee.[5]
The track "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" had been released as a single on 24 February 2020.[6][7] Crest was released as a surprise album on 17 March 2022 via Year0001, as a follow-up to the duo's previous single "Amygdala",[2][5] and amidst Drain Gang's world tour.[8]
It was classified as progressive pop by Pitchfork.[1]
Cassidy George of 032c felt that describing Crest as "a collection of hymns" was more fitting than describing it as an art-pop album.[9]
Reception[edit]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Pitchfork | 8/10[10] |
| The Needle Drop | 8/10[a] |
According to Cassidy George of 032c, Crest was critically acclaimed.[9] Nadine Smith wrote a 8/10 review to Pitchfork.[10] while Anthony Fantano of The Needle Drop gave it a "strong 7 to a light 8".[11] Günseli Yalcinkaya of Dazed described it as a "[level]-up in [Drain Gang]'s move towards global domination".[8] The Fader staff considered it the 22nd best album of 2022.[12] Pitchfork included it in their list of "Best Progressive Pop Music" of the year.[1]
Track listing[edit]
All tracks are written by Benjamin Reichwald, Ludwig Rosenberg, and Zak Arogundade
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Flag Is Raised" | 2:59 |
| 2. | "5 Star Crest (4 Vattenrum)" | 8:50 |
| 3. | "White Meadow" | 3:30 |
| 4. | "Faust" | 2:06 |
| 5. | "Yeses (Red Cross)" | 3:02 |
| 6. | "Desire Is a Trap" | 2:51 |
| 7. | "Chaos Follows" | 2:31 |
| 8. | "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" | 2:15 |
| 9. | "Heaven Sings" | 2:52 |
| Total length: | 30:56 | |
Notes[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "The Best Progressive Pop Music of 2022". Pitchfork. 13 December 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
- ^ a b Rowley, Glenn (18 March 2022). "Bladee and Ecco2k Release Surprise Album Crest: Stream". Consequence. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
- ^ a b c d Brady, Keegan (19 April 2022). "Inside the Cathartic Bliss of Drain Gang, Gen Z's Emo Torchbearers". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
- ^ Yalcinkaya, Günseli (13 June 2022). "Whitearmor: 'Everything I've ever wanted to say has been in the melodies'". Dazed. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
- ^ a b Li, Nicolaus (18 March 2022). "Bladee and Ecco2k Deliver Surprise Joint Album, Crest". Hypebeast. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
- ^ Maicki, Salvatore (24 February 2020). "Bladee and Ecco2k link for new single "Girls just want to have fun"". The Fader. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
- ^ Ingvaldsen, Torsten (24 February 2020). "Bladee & Ecco2K Connect for Uptempo Cut "Girls just want to have fun"". Hypebeast. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
- ^ a b Yalcinkaya, Günseli (18 March 2022). "7 albums to stream this week". Dazed. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
- ^ a b George, Cassidy (4 May 2023). "Drain Gang". 032c. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
- ^ a b Smith, Nadine. "Bladee / Ecco2k: Crest". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
- ^ a b Fantano, Anthony (24 March 2022). Bladee & Ecco2k – Crest Album Review. The Needle Drop. Retrieved 27 April 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ Ross, Alex Robert; Darville, Jordan; Williams-Kirtley, Gyasi; Renshaw, David; Raw, Son; Madden, Emma; Paul, Larisha; Elder, Sajae; Helfand, Raphael; Maicki, Salvatore; Oloworekende, Wale; Joyce, Colin; D'Souza, Shaad; Joshi, Tara; Callender, Brandon. "The 50 best albums of 2022". The Fader. Retrieved 16 December 2023.