Jon Hopkins - Immunity
Critic Score
Based on 33 reviews
2013 Ratings: #23 / 1115
Year End Rank: #16
User Score
2013 Rank: #20
Liked by 136 people
June 3, 2013 / Release Date
LP / Format
Domino / Label
Sign In to rate and review

CRITIC REVIEWS

100
musicOMH

This is an intelligent and deeply human album and it would be no exaggeration to say that it’s already a modern classic. 

100
Louder Than War

This is a must-own release and I guarantee that in five years time, this will be looked at like the seminal album it is and will be held in the same high esteem as Ambient Works, Jilted Generation, or Music For Airports. Flawless.

90
Crack Magazine

In an age where electronic producers can command huge fees for releasing one 'banger', Jon Hopkins is a musician who specialises in composition above production. Immunity, so rich in emotion and craftsmanship, is an essential antidote to the quick fix.

90
Resident Advisor

Immunity is a journey to be savoured, revisited regularly in the knowledge that some new landmark will emerge each and every time.

90
The 405

Hopkins has delivered what is undoubtedly his best album to date. Its more beat-driven approach may scare off the purists, but even in its maximalist moments, there is the fragile beauty and tenderness he has become known for. 

87
Beats Per Minute

Immunity is brilliant. It’s both a culmination of Hopkins’ earlier achievements and a progression beyond them. 

85
XLR8R

Immunity is not for everyone, especially those who come to electronic music merely for its club-ready, dancefloor offerings. But for those who listen seeking to peer into sonic worlds that might not otherwise exist, Hopkins has created one which is rich with gorgeous detail and worth fully exploring.

85
The Line of Best Fit

At times, it will have you lurching for the nearest patch of danceable floor; at others, your head will be thrust back, eyes closed in bliss

85
Pitchfork

It all adds up to a remarkably visceral, sensual, confident electronic record that stays absorbing from beginning to end, and should finally catapult Hopkins to stardom in his own story.

84
Sputnikmusic

Even though the blueprint here is simple enough, the end product is far more huge than the sum of its parts-- the main reason Immunity is such an easy album to get lost in.

80
The Needle Drop

On Immunity, electronic music producer Jon Hopkins focuses in on the worlds of house and techno, fusing the characteristics of these genres with some pretty atmospheric and grandiose keyboards.

80
Drowned in Sound

Immunity is an album which puts a well-placed confidence in rewarding the patience of the listener, melding together current club trends with a vulnerable humanity to create an hour-long arc of total immersion.

80
The Observer
Hopkins's beats shuffle and trip but there is a great clarity of focus throughout, and a delicate beauty.
80
NOW Magazine

Immunity does require some patience, and I’m not completely on board with his decision to turn over the second half of the album to stripped-down minimalist excursions. If you don’t drift off too early, though, it all resolves, making for a sonically rich and delicately nuanced album.

80
Time Out London
Taken overall, ‘Immunity’ is an album of reconciled differences: it’s complicated without being off-putting; euphoric but not tacky; and human at the same time as being mechanical. Frankly, it’s an amazing achievement.
80
Exclaim!

At just an hour in length, Immunity savours every moment, pulling on your heartstrings, lifting you off your feet and inviting you right back for more.

80
The Skinny

Of course, Hopkins doesn't need to play up to the Scottish indie folk crowd, but Immunity succeeds in marrying both sides of his varied palette.

80
DIY

With this record Hopkins has finally succeeded in putting on record a definitive statement of his musical vision and ideas. 

80
Under the Radar

By concentrating on his own endeavors, Jon Hopkins has created one of the year's most intriguing electronic recordings.

80
Consequence of Sound

Like the majority of media consumers who prefer to stay engaged with their tech, Immunity attests that technology can be a tool for a new era of collective human existence.

80
SPIN
Classically trained Brian Eno bro removes brain, discovers body, throws grimy-glorious rave for the rest of us.
80
NME

‘Immunity’ is expertly paced, and as good for coming down as it is for coming up.

80
PopMatters

Hopkins is working on large-scale art but also in miniature, focusing our ears in on small details while stretching everything out to an impressive degree.

70
Clash
As an album, ‘Immunity’ takes you everywhere, while, track by track, you have your pick: from something to get everyone dancing, to the soundtrack of the sun rising over a perfect night, ending with a beautiful bonus bit of King Creosote for the hypnotic title track.
70
Spectrum Culture

With Immunity, Hopkins shows himself to be an artist who’s no longer behind the scenes, but providing his own refreshing spin on what’s come before him.

70
AllMusic

Immunity shows how he's grown, in his subtle, accomplished way, as a composer and producer, yet its tracks occasionally feel like the surroundings for a focal point that never arrives. 

60
The Irish Times
The peaks and troughs in tempo and mood, although endlessly pretty, result in a bumpy listen while simultaneously reinforcing Hopkins's place (the thinking person's Gui Boratto, a more moderate Four Tet) within the electronica landscape.
amygoodall
100

shit heals

UltimateLifeFrm
90

Now THIS is the kind of Electronic music that I love to hear. The type that is willing to explore multiple sound designs to full advantage.

The 1st half of this album goes pretty hard in this case as it delivers some of the most satisfying Electronic music that can transition from calm Ambient to some cleverly crafted IDM & Techno.

The glitchy sound design mixed with some bass-heavy Techno / Microhouse rhythms is equally sharp but smooth, as well as harsh but tender.

The 2nd half is much ... read more

nino21321312312
95

Immunity is amazing in every element, Production is warm with a lot of beautiful moments and exciting progression. This album creates so much emotion and space to sit and relax to some of the best electronic music.

Gisse
85

Day 2 / 5 of listening to random electronic albums: Immunity - Jon Hopkins

Now, This album goes hard but is also beautiful. To me, there's two halves to this album. For the most part, the first half of the album goes pretty hard, meaning that it contains some classic and hard techno/edm music. The second half of the album is much more focused on relaxing and ambient electronic music that might be similar to artists such as C418 or even Aphex Twin at times. Both of these sections I love. The ... read more

DrakeBonna
88

Favourite Tracks:

Open Eye Signal
Collider

Nerdlaw
94

Yeah, it's a must-hear for a reason. Never have I heard an album that melds house beats with pure ambient bliss so effectively, making an atmosphere that can not be matched. The grooves on tracks like Open Eye Single are so fucking amazing, it still blows my mind to this day. I give it a 94 at this moment, but I could see myself giving it higher on another relisten. This album is fucking spectacular, even if some of the tracks don't hold my attention as well as others.

Purchasing Immunity from Amazon helps support Album of the Year. Or consider a donation?
Become a Donor
Donor badge, no ads + more benefits.
Advertisement

Track List

1We Disappear
4:49
87
2Open Eye Signal
7:48
91
3Breathe This Air
5:29
86
4Collider
9:21
85
5Abandon Window
4:57
85
6Form By Firelight
5:45
81
7Sun Harmonics
11:54
83
8Immunity
9:56
90
Total Length: 1 hour
Sign in to comment
3mo
7mo
7mo
9mo
10mo


Added on: June 2, 2013