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CRITIC REVIEWS
100
Caroline Polachek dives into the contradictory crux of the human experience on Desire, I Want to Turn Into You, an album of breathtakingly original pop songs.
9mo
100
After a long career, this grandstanding collection sounds like Polachek’s big moment.
9mo
100
On ‘Desire, I Want To Turn Into You’, she offers up hope, catharsis and real euphoria. A record of love in its initial ravenous infatuated rumblings, and occasionally when it erupts into something bigger.
9mo
100
The sheer range of Polachek’s songcraft makes you realise you are in the presence of a commanding talent. She has drawn comparison with Kate Bush and Bjork, not because she sounds like them, but because she has a similar blend of extraordinary vocal ability, florid imagination, and genre-bending boldness.
9mo
100
It embraces the unconventional with resounding ease, finding its voice in the skilled hands of two of pop’s most forward-thinking pioneers, both busy rethinking just what it can be.
9mo
100
Caroline Polachek stretches the boundaries of the surreal as she explores her desire for desire itself on her compelling new record.
9mo
92
Polachek's sophomore effort centers on a need for closeness while pushing her sound into the stratosphere.
9mo
90
Caroline Polachek gifts fans with one of the best art pop records of the year.
90
Despite only being February, Caroline Polachek has set a serious precedent for any pop releases that follow it this year. She is an artist completely in her own lane, refusing to conform, every moment on this record a vicissitude. Her commitment to her craft is undeniable, her talent indisputable.
9mo
90
While 2019's shimmering Pang was rich with ideas but sometimes light on songcraft — Desire, I Want to Turn Into You feels like the arrival of Caroline Polachek, a statement of intent that finally lassos her myriad musical ambitions into something singular.
9mo
90
The tight 12-track collection is doe-eyed, confident, and sonically varied – not only is it wholly different from its predecessor, it’s a portrait of someone in love. From its opening screams welcoming the listener to her world, Desire, I Want to Turn Into You is an island where romance is meshed with clearly focus artistic vision.
9mo
90
She delivers an effortless balance between ambition and accessibility, offering a record that is both a deeply layered work of art and full of euphoric escapist joy.
9mo
90
With Desire, I Want to Turn into You, Polachek breaks free from outside expectations and transforms her inner anxieties into an intoxicating pop euphoria.
8mo
88
Using a three-ring circus of sounds and voices, Polachek leaves no stone unturned on a mission to transcend common notions of desire.
9mo
87
Caroline Polachek’s best album of her career is a transformative pop experience, a passionate, richly melodic odyssey into the darkest corners of love.
9mo
86
Albums like this are rare and special, highlighting pop’s capacity to sculpt our emotions and steer us towards something better beyond the horizon.
9mo
82
Desire, I Want To Turn Into You is Polocheks best collection thus far and that is saying a lot as her last release Pang is almost pure pop perfection. With this album, Polochek’s constant desire to dig deeper adds more depth to the songs than some of her precious work and it’s really revelatory stuff.
9mo
80
Her second album stands out as a glittering showcase for her encyclopedic musical knowledge and formidable voice.
9mo
80
Caroline Polachek does it again.
9mo
80
On ‘Desire…’ Polachek is staring out at the sunny horizon and beyond. The experimental star not only surrenders to big pop moments, but signs hand-painted details where you can choose to follow the clues in search of something deeper, or simply lose yourself in the ocean swell.
9mo
60
The end of what has been a convoluted rollout ... is a muddled album that seems less sure of itself than 2019’s Pang; this kind of maximalism involves walking a tightrope between gaudy and glorious, and Desire is poised one minute, wobbly the next.
9mo
60
Both Welcome to My Island and I Believe are true pop bangers, and Smoke has an arrestingly powerful bassline that melds beautifully with her shimmering voice. Still, there are enough missteps for my palate that keep this squarely in the “just fine” column and keep me scratching my head about its overall reception.
9mo
60
The follow-up to 2019’s ‘Pang’ is hindered by a lengthy rollout, but Polachek’s sheer ambition is never in doubt.
9mo
God I love being queer
Singer, songwriter, producer, geese screamer: Caroline Polachek. She’s been at this for a while, though you’d be forgiven if you thought she was a newer face, as this latest phase of her career feels entirely separated from what came before. She got her start in the indie pop duo Chairlift with Patrick Wimberly, and while they never had a huge hit single or album chart topper they still managed to garner a fairly decent following that’s only garnered ... read more
RANT TIME!!!
So, I'm usually not one to share personal stuff, but I will make an exception just this time. I'm very emotional right now, so this might be an incomprehensible mess, if you don't want to deal with that, just skip this one. I am gay. I have supressed that fact for most of my life, but I have come to terms with it by now. Still, I have never told anyone about it. It's pretty lame to come out as a 20 year old and it's even lamer to come out to people who I've never met, never will ... read more
Before Caroline Polachek drops pop album of the year… anybody wanna admit they got a crush on me 🥺
What makes a good pop song? This is a question I find myself constantly pondering, especially when listening to most of the dog shit that populates the top of the Billboard charts. At its core, pop music is music at its most accessible- prioritizing catchiness and accessibility above all else. This is why 95% of mainstream pop artists suck monster cock. Very few artists strive to push ... read more
simple on the surface, but turn any song up and you'll notice so much detail waiting to be unpacked.
This Album is so smooth and ethereal sounding with vocals that are supper impressive and creatively delivered. I loved listening to this album even though the first 2 songs are ok, the middle is amazing. But then it gets a bit weaker with track 7,8 and 9. I still think there are redeeming qualities with those songs but I personally just don't vibe with them as much, then it kicks backs with some of my favorites. Although my absolute favorite song is sunset. Album art 9/10
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Track List
| 1 | Welcome To My Island 3:52 | 88 |
| 2 | Pretty In Possible 3:36 | 84 |
| 3 | Bunny Is a Rider 3:13 | 85 |
| 4 | Sunset 2:42 | 87 |
| 5 | Crude Drawing Of An Angel 3:28 | 81 |
| 6 | I Believe 4:07 | 86 |
| 7 | Fly To You 4:05 | 82 |
| 8 | Blood And Butter 4:27 | 87 |
| 9 | Hopedrunk Everasking 3:19 | 77 |
| 10 | Butterfly Net 4:36 | 84 |
| 11 | Smoke 2:57 | 85 |
| 12 | Billions 4:57 | 89 |
Total Length: 45 minutes
Year End Lists
| #1 | / | DIY |
| #1 | / | Exclaim! |
| #1 | / | Les Inrocks |
| #1 | / | OOR |
| #2 | / | Pitchfork |
| #2 | / | The New York Times: Lindsay Zoladz |
| #2 | / | The Skinny |
| #3 | / | Rough Trade UK |
| #4 | / | Paste |
| #4 | / | PopMatters |
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1d
me when i crawl on the subway floor like a nasty lil slut looking for a new sugar daddy to fill my pockets an my p-
Added on: December 5, 2022