-=- SHGZ -=-
* Shoegaze * Indie * Post-Rock * Grunge * Dream Pop * Psych-Rock * Ethereal *
ARTIST..: PinkPantheress
ALBUM...: Heaven Knows
GENRE...: Electronic
STYLE...: Contemporary R&B, Alt-Pop, Liquid Drum'n'Bass, Dance-Pop, 2-Step, Breakbeat, Alt-R&B
YEAR....: 2023
LABEL...: Warner
COUNTRY.: UK
PLACE...: London, Greater London
BORN....: 18 April 2001, Bath, Somerset, UK
ENCODER.: LAME 3.100 -V0
BITRATE.: 257 kbps avg
QUALITY.: 44.1kHz / Joint Stereo
SOURCE..: CD
TRACKS..: 13
SIZE....: 63.22 MB
URL..: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaven_Knows_(PinkPantheress_album)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PinkPantheress
- TRACKLIST
1 Another Life Ft. Rema 2:53
2 True Romance 2:16
3 Mosquito 2:26
4 The Aisle 2:45
5 Nice To Meet You 2:03
6 Bury Me Ft. Kelela 2:18
7 Internet Baby 2:11
8 Ophelia 2:33
9 Feel Complete 2:43
10 Blue 2:59
11 Feelings (Demo) 3:03
12 Capable Of Love 3:43
13 Boy's A Liar Pt. 2 Ft. Ice Spice 2:12
(Bonus Track)
Total Playtime: 34:05
NOTICE: Bonus Track 13 not listed on cover.
*
- As if a Y2K Shakespeare were musing on sticky sweet star-crossed love amid
metaphors for abandonment on a bedazzled Motorola Razr. -
Death appears many times across 'Heaven knows', but as expected, comes hidden
in cutesy, upbeat two-minute hits. The slow burning of a doomed relationship
- and an inability to let go of ensuing entanglements - begets an
existentialism best symbolised as a grievous journey into the afterlife,
where PinkPantheress lands only in purgatory. Her debut full-length proper is
that, but over slick lo-fi garage and dream pop, as if a Y2K Shakespeare were
musing on sticky sweet star-crossed love amid metaphors for abandonment on a
bedazzled Motorola Razr.
Its title draws direct lineage to 2021 mixtape 'To Hell With It', but 'Heaven
knows' elevates the full scope of PinkPantheress - the artist and entity -
beyond a heady viral fame origin. It's a sort of re-rebirth into the
genre-slippery, emo-meets-jungle nature that brought her accolades, yet
PinkPantheress's scope does not betray that original saccharine UK garage
niche, nor her penchant for earnest, bitesize emo-like hits, especially when
taking nosedives into unexpected terrain.
It's almost undetectable, since much of the artist's staple cybercore remains
- she stays at the helm of a bold resurgence of noughties Brit aesthetics,
all the while expanding upon her one-size-fits-all allure. In playing with
'90s hip hop on 'Feel complete', she ups the energy, while the spooky '80s
synths on opener 'Another life' feel completely unexpected. Later, a familiar
McFly melody is a caricaturish but pleasing throwback on 'True romance', and
Robyn-style noughties nu-disco on album high 'The aisle' showcases a
previously unseen pop sheen to the singer. And to ignore her standout
performances with Kelela on the gooey and guttural 'Bury me' and the Charli
XCX-indebted 'Blue' would be criminal. Meanwhile, adding alt-pop credibility
to an already thrilling debut is the backing from a host of leading pop
artisans; Danny L Harle, Mura Masa, Count Baldor and Oscar Scheller all
perfectly splice their perspectives with the record's super-sweet hyperbolic
melancholia. It feels like a renaissance of sorts - a reanimation of
noughties UK garage with extra pop sewn in - not only of genre, but of the
artist herself. 'Heaven knows' pushes PinkPantheress into new realms of utter
brilliance
*
- PinkPantheress Opens a Vibrant New Chapter With the Ambitious 'Heaven
Knows' -
The path from TikTok phenom to career artist is a challenging one, and while
22-year-old British singer-songwriter PinkPantheress has navigated it far
better than most, a big test comes with "Heaven Knows," her first
conventional full-length album.
Conventional because her actual debut album, 2021's excellent "To Hell With
It," squeezed 10 songs into just 18-and-a-half minutes and found the young
artist bending pop music's standards to her TikTok-incubated style: complete
songs - with verses and choruses and a bridge - clocking in at 1:48, 1:22,
1:36, with the longest topping out at just over two and a half minutes. But a
few months later she dropped "Boy's a Liar," one of the biggest singles of
this year, the remix of which boosted her into the upper echelons of the
charts with no small thanks to Ice Spice, who slipped a saucy rap into the
song's "Pt. 2" remix and still kept the running time at 2:11.
"Heaven Knows" is a different story. The songs and the list of collaborators
are longer and bigger - Pink is the lead producer on nearly every song, but
joined by two-time Grammy producer of the year Greg Kurstin (Adele, Paul
McCartney, Foo Fighters), Danny L. Harle (Caroline Polachek, Dua Lipa),
London on Da Track (Young Thug, Summer Walker), Bnyx (Travis Scott, Drake)
and others, with "Boy's a Liar" collaborator Mura Masa present on most of the
songs but usually relegated to an "additional producer" role.
At first blush it might seem that she "brought in some big guns," but a close
listen reveals an ambitious young artist with an imaginative wish list of
collaborators, wandering farther from her established sound as the album goes
on. Surprisingly, the opening Kurstin-produced tracks are the most
familiar-sounding - skittering drum n' bass beats, rimshots, rubbery bass and
atmospheric keyboards laying down a plush but lively featherbed for Pink's
sweet, honeyed vocals. But a few songs in she starts to break formation,
exploring bigger beats and hook, bringing a harder-hitting R&B/pop foundation
to her style (although her collaboration with Bnyx on "Feelings" landed a
maybe little too close to Grimes). Her voice can grow one-dimensional over
the course of forty-odd minutes, but it's balanced with top-shelf features
from British rapper Central Cee, Nigerian singer Rema, and best of all
American R&B vocal gymnast Kelela's stellar turn on "Bury Me."
There's a whiff of wistful nostalgia in seeing PinkPantheress veer away from
micropop, but artists need to evolve and she's exploring rather than
conforming. "Heaven Knows" is a big chapter in what is hopefully a long
story.
*
She has TikTok in the palm of her hand - young starlet PinkPantheress has
taken the internet by storm since 2021 with her alternative early 2000s
inspired tracks defining the internet era, and she thrives in the maturity of
her sound in her debut album, 'Heaven Knows'. Still ringing true to the
sample-based, alternative and garage driven production of her smash hits
'Just for me' and 'Break it off', the record plays to her strengths and to
her musical growth.
Known for her glitch-like, 'short but sweet' tracks, PinkPantheress gives her
fans what they want on this album - a cohesive amalgamation of unique songs
which don't fall into the trap of being over-produced or 'sounding the same'.
A look on modern relationships, the deeper meaning behind the condensed
tracks doesn't fail to shine through, which is impressive for an artist at
just 22-years-old, as she explores parasocial relationships in 'True
Romance', the influencer dynamic in 'Nice to meet you' and retrospective
breakups in 'The aisle'.
The strongest and rawest lyricism however is in 'Feelings', where her own
career anxiety is explored in lyrics such as "everyone singing your chorus,
never give it up" and "no one ever told me not to worry". The same sentiment
is shown in an angstier tone in vocal-driven 'Internet baby (interlude)',
where she has her moment to express "I am not your internet baby" - perhaps a
retaliation to her TikTok success. Given her influence on the younger
generation, moments like this from such prominent artists are important to
dispel the myth of perfection displayed around the celebrity life. And
vocally, you can hear that her confidence has grown since 2021's 'to hell
with it'. No longer is her vocal talent drowned in over-production, as
'Internet baby (interlude)' and smoother, acoustic driven tracks such as
'Feel complete' spotlight her impressive vocal ability - and of course many
tracks feature a high-pitched "yeah!" - aka PinkPantheress' own authoritative
stamp on her music.
The multi-layered melodies and instrumentation supporting PinkPantheress'
intriguing lyrics is where the album's great execution is evidenced. From her
breakthrough singles and tracks already released from the record, I expected
an album based entirely on a computer-produced/ synth sound, and I was
pleasantly surprised to hear electric guitar riffs on 'Another life', a
string crescendo on 'Ophelia' and acoustic guitar backings sprinkled
throughout. It makes me wish that the varied, instrumental based and
genre-bending tracks such as 'Capable of love' were the ones picked more
often as singles - this track being released as a single however seems like a
step in the right musical direction for PinkPantheress.
Collaborations can be hit or miss, but the features are what gives the record
an extra edge in a busy market - dare I say that 'Nice to meet you' with
Central Cee is one of my favourite tracks on the record. Rema, Central Cee
and Kelela all fit into PinkPantheress' distinctive sound, and make a unique
stamp when doing so - for example, Central Cee's verse appears more
pared-back than his solo releases, which makes for a great combination and a
collaboration which I think should be done again in the future. And of
course, ending the album with 'Boy's a Liar Pt.2' featuring Ice Spice is
fitting, not only because of its chart success but as a wholesome and fun
ending to the record - ringing true to the fact that PinkPantheress is still
just a 22-year-old doing what she loves, which is making music.
A long time coming, 'Heaven knows' is a debut album that was well worth the
wait from PinkPantheress, and a sign of a promising career from the singer.
If her TikTok dominance is anything to go by, the UK charts better watch out.
*
- the blueprint for the future of British pop -
"I don't care about the beats, I care about the pen," PinkPantheress told NME
back in February. It's very telling of her ethos; one that skyrocketed the
musician to fame, leaving behind an entire wave of imitators grasping at the
fringes of Pink's genius. Since posting her debut single 'Break It Off'
online in early 2021, Pink has proved time and time again that she's
Britain's most singular new talent, and her full-length debut 'Heaven Knows'
is proof. How has she managed to do it?
Listen to the creativity that floods this record. Pink speaks on subjects
that other artists wouldn't think to touch, and does so with flair. Writing
about wealth can easily mutate into champagne problems, but on 'Mosquito',
Pink singles out the anxieties of maintaining security: "I had prayed out
loud / And lord you answered me too early". On 'Feelings', she unpacks how
imposter syndrome can manifest for a rising popstar: "I realise that I'm
peaking too early." These aren't necessarily the most relatable emotions, but
Pink communicates the unique challenges of her world through a doe-eyed,
girl-next-door perspective.
Pink has always been a private character, one who doesn't even like people
knowing her birth name; it makes sense that there are moments of remove on
'Heaven Knows' that allow her imagination to flourish. 'Feel Complete'
depicts a fictional account of alcoholism with a pounding drum groove is
paired with a cooing, 90s'-style R&B flourish. 'Ophelia' and its harp solo
shrouds the song in a surreal atmosphere - complete with a killer narrative
twist.
There's also plenty of moments where Pink challenges her own sound, one that
has previously seen her pigeonholed into a 'Y2K meets drum 'n' bass' label
tirelessly. There's organs, tablas, drill bass slides, and rock-inspired
drums on 'Heaven Knows', all of which suggest a commitment to artistry that
will continue beyond this debut. Yet, equally, these instrumentals can be so
evocative and imaginative that it's difficult for guest features to find
their feet. In itself, that's a testament to Pink's individual flow and
production style, but it does a disservice to several songs on the album.
The starry, breakbeat-inflected 'Nice To Meet You' has one of the best
choruses on 'Heaven Knows': "I pray that I'll die before my baby / I'll take
a risk if anyone tries to touch my baby") - yet Central Cee's monotone
delivery feels mismatched and lacklustre against Pink's effortless charisma.
Moreover, on opener 'Another Life', Pink squeezes in church organs, jungle
beats and a squealing guitar solo, but Rema's flow stalls the fluid movement
of the song.
But ultimately, what makes 'Heaven Knows' such a compelling debut is its
ability to create British wistfulness. The emotions and sounds are familiar
enough to pull you in, and peculiar enough to make you stay. Heaven knows the
boundaries of Pink's talent to come.
*
Already a social media star by the time her widely acclaimed mixtape To Hell
with It changed the game in 2021, PinkPantheress made her mainstream
breakthrough in 2023, when the Ice Spice-featuring sequel to her single
"Boy's a Liar" became a major worldwide hit. "Angel," an Irish
folk-influenced tune recorded for Barbie: The Album, also gained the artist
major exposure. The cover art for Heaven Knows, her debut full-length,
suggests that PinkPantheress is undergoing a makeover as a singer of sultry
R&B slow jams. In reality, the album is a fully developed refinement of the
brisk, intricately arranged pop style she's become known for, with lyrics
about romantic infatuations set to pulse-quickening liquid drum'n'bass, U.K.
garage, and filter-house rhythms. Unlike her mixtape, all of the songs exceed
two minutes this time around (though some of them just barely do), and most
of them are packed with enough ideas to make them feel longer than they are.
She co-produced the album's tracks along with previous collaborator Mura
Masa, pop maven Greg Kurstin, Count Baldor, and others, with Danny L. Harle,
Sam Gellaitry, and Oscar Scheller each making contributions. While the songs
generally sound upbeat, the lyrics are much darker, describing obsessions
taken to their extremes. The funereal organs and bursting storm clouds of
"Another Life" provide the album's dramatic introduction, and the lyrics
attempt to process the shock following the death of a partner. Several other
songs mention thoughts of death -- on "Mosquito," PinkPantheress is only
concerned about dying because it would separate her from her loved one, and
"Ophelia" sonically illustrates a drowning scene with bubbling water effects,
detached vocal glitches, and police sirens. The ominously titled "Bury Me," a
drill-influenced duet with Kelela, is about the desire for more than a
surface-level relationship, and "Internet Baby" also seems to search for
something deeper, while feeling attracted by the pressure. On the boom-bap
cut "Feel Complete," she's unsure if she ever really knew her partner, and
she contemplates whether she'll ever be able to love again during the
ambitious, dazzling "Capable of Love." "Boy's a Liar Pt. 2" is tucked away at
the end as a bonus track, but it fits in perfectly with the album's themes of
questioning trust in others as well as one's own self-worth. Crucially, the
song is a joyous dance-pop delight with a bouncy, Jersey club-inspired beat.
Even as PinkPantheress explores her deepest, darkest emotions, her songs are
vibrant, hook-filled, and wildly inventive, making Heaven Knows just as
worthy of repeated listens as To Hell with It, and confirming her status as a
pop visionary.
-=- SHGZ -=-
-=-=-==-=-=-
Shoegaze
is a genre of alternative rock that
originated in the late 80s. The genre is very
difficult to define, and it is even more difficult to evaluate music
within it. Generally, the genre is characterized by its
shimmering vocals, reverberating guitars, and
textural distortion that create
a tranquil, opaque
feeling.
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