Crest is a collaborative studio album by Swedish musicians Bladee and Ecco2K, released on 17 March 2022 through Year0001.
Production and composition
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
| 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
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
References
- ^ 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.
This page was last edited on 29 April 2024, at 03:09