Cascade (Floating Points album)

Cascade
Studio album by
Floating Points
Released13 September 2024 (2024-09-13)
Studio
  • EMS4 (London)
  • Sunfair (California)
  • Different Fur (California)
  • Rancho De La Luna (California)
GenreElectronic
Length57:32
LabelNinja Tune
Floating Points chronology
Promises
(2021) 		Cascade
(2024)
Singles from Cascade
  1. "Vocoder"
    Released: 2022[1]
  2. "Birth4000"
    Released: 2023[2]
  3. "Del Oro"
    Released: 2024[3]
  4. "Key103"
    Released: 2024[4]
  5. "Ocotillo"
    Released: 2024[5]

Cascade is a studio album by British electronic musician Sam Shepherd under the alias Floating Points. It was released on Ninja Tune on 13 September 2024.[6] It topped the UK Dance Albums Chart.[7] It received universal acclaim from critics.[6]

Background

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Cascade is Floating Points' first solo studio album since Crush (2019).[8] He collaborated with Pharoah Sanders and London Symphony Orchestra on Promises (2021).[9] He then created his first ballet score, Mere Mortals, in collaboration with San Francisco Ballet.[10] Cascade was inspired by his hometown of Manchester.[11] The song "Afflecks Palace" refers to an emporium in the city.[12] The song "Key103" takes its title from a Manchester radio station.[13] The album's cover art was created by Akiko Nakayama.[14] "Vocoder", "Birth4000", "Del Oro", "Key103", and "Ocotillo" were released as singles from the album.[15][16]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic83/100[6]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[17]
Clash8/10[18]
The Line of Best Fit8/10[19]
MusicOMH[20]
Pitchfork8.0/10[21]
PopMatters7/10[22]
Under the Radar[23]

On the review aggregator website Metacritic, Cascade received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 83 out of 100 from 13 critics.[6]

Brandon Miller of PopMatters commented that "Across nine tracks, Floating Points guides listeners through a series of self-reflective passages and hard club drops, suitable for both sweaty dance floors and moments of existential solitude."[22] Robin Murray of Clash stated, "an autobiographical paean to club culture, it acts as a window of insight into his electronic imagination, while also slapping hard."[18] Paul Simpson of AllMusic called it "yet another marvelous Floating Points album, and easily the most successful work he's made as a dance producer."[17] Krystal Rodriguez of Billboard stated, "A collection of unconventional club bangers, it pulses with twitchy textures, glistening melodies, synth freak-outs and gravelly drums."[24]

Accolades

[edit]
Year-end lists for Cascade
Publication List Rank Ref.
Exclaim! Exclaim!'s 50 Best Albums of 2024
46
[25]
MusicOMH musicOMH's Top 50 Albums of 2024
11
[26]
Rolling Stone The 100 Best Albums of 2024
83
[27]
Slant Magazine The 50 Best Albums of 2024
36
[28]
Stereogum The 50 Best Albums of 2024
32
[29]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Sam Shepherd.

Cascade track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Vocoder (Club Mix)"7:31
2."Key103"7:22
3."Birth4000"4:46
4."Del Oro"6:14
5."Fast Forward"7:38
6."Ocotillo"8:43
7."Afflecks Palace"6:38
8."Tilt Shift"4:40
9."Ablaze"3:57
Total length:57:32

Personnel

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Credits adapted from liner notes.[30]

Charts

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Chart performance for Cascade
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[31] 84
Scottish Albums (OCC)[32] 15
UK Albums (OCC)[33] 90
UK Dance Albums (OCC)[7] 1
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[34] 4

References

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  1. ^ Eede, Christian (9 March 2022). "Floating Points Releases New Single, 'Vocoder'". The Quietus. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  2. ^ Renshaw, David (17 October 2023). "Floating Points returns with "Birth4000"". The Fader. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  3. ^ Kelly, Tyler Damara (4 June 2024). "Floating Points returns with new single, "Del Oro"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  4. ^ Welsh, April Clare (10 July 2024). "Floating Points announces new album, 'Cascade', shares single: Listen". DJ Mag. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  5. ^ Hakimian, Rob (22 August 2024). "Floating Points unveils a percolating electronic painting in "Ocotillo"". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d "Cascade by Floating Points". Metacritic. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Official Dance Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  8. ^ Strauss, Matthew (9 July 2024). "Floating Points Announces New Album Cascade, Shares New Song "Key103": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  9. ^ Malin, Marina (9 July 2024). "Floating Points Announces New Album and Shares Video for New Song "Key103"". Under the Radar. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  10. ^ Kelly, Tyler Damara (9 July 2024). "Floating Points unveils details of his new album, Cascade". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  11. ^ Bell, Kaelen (10 July 2024). "Floating Points Announces New Album 'Cascade,' Shares "Key103"". Exclaim!. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  12. ^ Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (13 September 2024). "Floating Points: Cascade album review — cerebral, kinetic dance music". Financial Times. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  13. ^ Murray, Robin (9 July 2024). "Floating Points Announces New Album 'Cascade'". Clash. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  14. ^ Sacher, Andrew (9 July 2024). "Floating Points announces new album 'Cascade,' shares "Key103"". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  15. ^ Lawson, Michael (9 July 2024). "Floating Points unveils new dance floor-focused album, Cascade". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  16. ^ Breihan, Tom (22 August 2024). "Floating Points – "Ocotillo"". Stereogum. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  17. ^ a b Simpson, Paul. "Cascade - Floating Points". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  18. ^ a b Murray, Robin (20 September 2024). "Floating Points – Cascade". Clash. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  19. ^ Oinonen, Janne (11 September 2024). "Floating Points goes minimalist on Cascade". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  20. ^ Hogwood, Ben (13 September 2024). "Floating Points – Cascade". MusicOMH. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  21. ^ Ryce, Andrew (13 September 2024). "Floating Points: Cascade". Pitchfork. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  22. ^ a b Miller, Brandon (25 September 2024). "Floating Points Returns to Electronic Music with 'Cascade'". PopMatters. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  23. ^ Verity, Alfie (4 October 2024). "Floating Points: Cascade (Ninja Tune)". Under the Radar. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  24. ^ Rodriguez, Krystal (13 September 2024). "Friday Dance Music Guide: The Week's Best New Tracks From Rüfüs du Sol, Four Tet & Ellie Goulding, Anna Lunoe & More". Billboard. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  25. ^ "Exclaim!'s 50 Best Albums of 2024". Exclaim!. 28 November 2024. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  26. ^ "musicOMH's Top 50 Albums Of 2024". MusicOMH. 18 December 2024. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  27. ^ "The 100 Best Albums of 2024". Rolling Stone. 2 December 2024. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  28. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2024". Slant Magazine. 12 December 2024. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  29. ^ "The 50 Best Albums Of 2024". Stereogum. 2 December 2024. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  30. ^ Floating Points (2024). Cascade (CD booklet). Ninja Tune.
  31. ^ "Ultratop.be – Floating Points – Cascade" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  32. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  33. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  34. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
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