Albums to watch

Singularity

Jon Hopkins

Singularity

Fifth studio album of ambient techno from the English composer, follow up to 2013's Mercury-nominated Immunity

ADM rating[?]

8.0

Label
Domino
UK Release date
04/05/2018
US Release date
04/05/2018
  1. 10.0 |   The Skinny

    A simply stunning album of emotional highs and lows
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  2. 10.0 |   The Arts Desk

    Transformation is what it’s all about – this is a healing trip of sorts
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  3. 10.0 |   A.V. Club

    There’s no prescribed narrative, but Singularity still tells a grand story—a synesthetic evocation of how it feels to be alive
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  4. 10.0 |   NME

    Details are where this album is most rewarding: every moment is deeply considered
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  5. 9.1 |   Pretty Much Amazing

    He represents a continued sea change in electronic music, one that favors repeated listening and patience over brute intensity
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  6. 9.0 |   Loud And Quiet

    Stick with Hopkins’ vision and his open-minded take on an altered state becomes an experience that reveals itself a little more with every glorious listen
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  7. 9.0 |   The Quietus

    This could be but a dazzling glimpse of the scope of Hopkins’ ability and vision
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  8. 9.0 |   musicOMH

    He remains a wholly individual voice in a congested field, a single phrase played from his piano speaking volumes. And Singularity is his best album yet
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  9. 8.3 |   Pitchfork

    A beat-music odyssey that thrums with spiritual resonance
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  10. 8.0 |   All Music

    As striking as Immunity was, Singularity feels more developed, and it's ultimately a tough call as to which album is more exciting
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  11. 8.0 |   Sputnik Music (staff)

    In self-reflection, Hopkins deconstructs Singularity; for all its avenues, detours, desperate reaches and anxious retreats, true inner peace rests on a foundation of simplicity
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  12. 8.0 |   Under The Radar

    An album that will remain in the memory long after the final note is played and will demand repeated listens
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  13. 8.0 |   Clash

    Hopkins remains in ascension, and no one is on his level right now
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  14. 8.0 |   The FT

    An album themed around the concept of the psychedelic experience, with a strong narrative drive
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  15. 8.0 |   DIY

    Varied and consistently compelling
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  16. 8.0 |   The Irish Times

    Like Immunity, it’s beautiful and it’s heartbreaking
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  17. 8.0 |   PopMatters

    There is a distinct symmetry to the album with the effectiveness of the more urgent first half benefitting from the more ambient, immersive second, on an album that begs to be heard as a unified whole
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  18. 8.0 |   Earbuddy

    Singularity is a meditative experience overall
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  19. 8.0 |   Mojo

    Meticulously constructed, yet with melodies and rhythms born out of improvisation, it's an album of two halves, moving from euphoric collapse to an uncertain contentment. Print edition only

  20. 8.0 |   Q

    Rich enough to let your mind wander through it. Print edition only

  21. 8.0 |   Exclaim

    An album that, in its best moments, finds one of electronic music's great minds operating in peak form
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  22. 8.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    Ultimately, Singularity will shape your summer of 2018 the same way Immunity did of 2013, and all power to it
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  23. 7.6 |   Resident Advisor

    In a way, Singularity is the ultimate Jon Hopkins album
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  24. 7.5 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    May not be a huge departure from the sound that we’ve previously heard from Hopkins, but this record is a masterclass in musical sonics - a reminder that music should be absorbed, not left to simply pass us by
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  25. 7.0 |   Uncut

    Even if the landscape is occasionally a little too pleasant, the overall trip is well worth taking. Print edition only

  26. 7.0 |   Spectrum Culture

    Singularity, as an experience, goes through such a vast range of life, and the beauty is in the seamlessly graceful transition through it all
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  27. 7.0 |   The 405

    Some may find Singularity are a bit too obvious and dramatic, but in regards to sound-design and production, however, each track is executed to near-perfection
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  28. 7.0 |   Crack

    Singularity is the satisfying sound of an artist who – instead of petering out after a couple of early victories – is still perfecting his craft nearly two decades after he started
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  29. 6.0 |   The Observer

    There’s not enough food for the brain or fuel for the feet here
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  30. 6.0 |   The Music

    It's great to see Hopkins working again, but someone ought to tell him that the law of diminishing returns applies to repeatedly used formulae
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  31. 4.0 |   The Guardian

    Too much of this album is the sort of thing people stick on to make their drug comedowns feel meaningful
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