She inhabits an unheimlich realm where desire is indistinguishable from panic but where comfort appears in the strangest places.
She is now alive, raw, and unmistakably human, and she revels in all the desires and tribulations this implies with a radical bluntness that, if Shaking’s subject matter is anything to go by, is meant to explode any old-fashioned societal norms for how women should love, live, and express themselves. And of course, she’s going to do it while completely defying any assumptions we may have about her music.
The journey to dive into commitment that Dreijer takes her listeners on with Plunge boasts more moods and colors than Fever Ray's debut, or any single Knife album; ultimately, it's some of her most powerful work with yet.
Plunge guarantees that Dreijer is still a unique talent who couldn’t make uninteresting music if she tried.
As one might imagine from its themes, Plunge feels more immediate and open than Fever Ray’s debut.
Plunge is the natural next step, a realization of impulses that have long lain dormant, or at least unrecognized.
She seems a lot happier, or at least more energetic and outgoing, coming into second album Plunge. But that only seems to bring her up against more frustrations in the world around her, which are wrought vividly throughout.
Her debut as Fever Ray set the expectation for Dreijer’s solo venture but ‘Plunge’ is going to be another rich reward for committed listening.
Nothing is romanticized on Plunge. Instead it’s just honest, occasionally bleak, and irrefutably human.
Pitch-shifted into a pervading mood of menace, Dreijer’s vocals grapple with sex and relationships, with political engagement never far away. Her electronics, meanwhile, are unrelentingly engaging, never just hitting presets.
The good thing about the new record Plunge for fans of her beautifully dark debut release from eight years ago is that it now only fully complies to Fever Ray’s urge for adventurous and uncompromising compositions but it also has the same nocturnal paradise as its predecessor.
The electronic work is fantastic throughout Plunge, never adhering to presets and making full use of every beat, burst and throb. When coupled with Dreijer’s slick, razor-sharp vocal you have a monster of a record that gets more impressive with every listen.
This is a joyous artistic rebirth, its creator shaking her tail feathers, pushing her own boundaries and immersed in emotion and whim brought out from within.
Plunge is a worthy addition to Dreijer’s career discography, and fans of Fever Ray and the Knife are sure to enjoy it. It’s an energetic and erotic record that may very well soundtrack some of the freakier parties you attend this fall. Still, it doesn’t capture the full scope of Dreijer’s ambition.
Plunge is a very unique album that can be as melodic and intimate as it can be chilling and alien. After repeated plays, all of these aspects end up being enjoyed since it is apparent that these songs were built with an honest, emotional grit.
Fever Ray returns in a diminished capacity with a long-awaited sophomore album.
THIS HOUSE MAKES IT HARD TO FUCK
So Fever Ray snuck through with one of my favorite albums of the year. I honestly didn't know what to expect when this album was announced; I didn't know where Karin had left to go after Shaking the Habitual and her first Fever Ray album, so I figured she'd stay on hiatus for a while longer.
Rather than a radical reinvention, though, as she usually pursues, Plunge is a refinement of the Fever Ray sound, bringing a clearer, sharper focus to Karin's voice and ... read more
Fever Ray shatters her hibernation with a more immediate sound, this time pumped full of a hyper-sexualized and perverse energy only she could compete with. After eight long years, she returns with a more direct approach to her sound, opting to abandon the strong atmospheric textures that pushed her debut to decade-defining status, and instead choosing to present her message with more immediacy.
Karin Dreijer Andersson, also known as Fever Ray, first made a splash in the music world as one ... read more
so fucking good... literally what the fuck
this is my introduction to ray's work and i'm just completely blown away. sitting here, after listening to this record's entirity, it's a lot to process and a lot to take in. basically, one of the most interesting and intricate electronic albums i've heard in a while
this is what electropop should sound and look like. although reasonably accessible, plunge is a surreal trip unlike any other; the minimalistic, heavy beats, drone-like synths and her ... read more
Getting into Fever Ray's music is something that has personally taken me a while to understand. Even today I cannot fully understand their discography.
After a debut album which was quite good, it left me eager to hear its successor. Something that stands out to me about this is the period of time between these two albums, thinking that the creative process for Plunge could be something different from their debut album, and of course it was.
Although to be honest, Plunge, for me is Fever ... read more
This album gives me the impression that Fever Ray are more hostile, I would even dare to say more bloodthirsty, than they ever were. The sharp, metallic instrumentation combined with their high pitched vocals, quirky lyric delivery and generally happy, energetic melodies gives me a sense of bittersweet madness more than any album I have ever listened to. In this album, not just the lyrics speak to you. The instrumentation is also rich as a language with its own vocabulary.
1 | Wanna Sip 3:28 | 83 |
2 | Mustn't Hurry 4:17 | 90 |
3 | A Part of Us 3:30 feat. Tami T | 75 |
4 | Falling 5:03 | 77 |
5 | IDK About You 3:40 | 78 |
6 | This Country 3:12 | 77 |
7 | Plunge 5:36 | 78 |
8 | To The Moon and Back 4:37 | 84 |
9 | Red Trails 4:50 | 84 |
10 | An Itch 3:45 | 81 |
11 | Mama's Hand 4:58 | 77 |
#3 | / | Crack Magazine |
#3 | / | PopMatters |
#3 | / | The 405 |
#3 | / | The Quietus |
#5 | / | Dazed |
#7 | / | The A.V. Club |
#9 | / | Pitchfork |
#12 | / | Slant Magazine |
#12 | / | Stereogum |
#15 | / | Highsnobiety |