Plunge
Details
LP / Format
Rabid, Mute / Label
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CRITIC REVIEWS
100
A true, audacious trip, the album squirms and twists, transforming from one thing to another – but without losing sight of its focus.
91
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.
90
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.
90
Moving away from the roots of Fever Ray, but retaining its crucial characteristics, she is able to redefine the project.
90
As one might imagine from its themes, Plunge feels more immediate and open than Fever Ray’s debut.
87
On her second album as Fever Ray, Karin Dreijer is more conflicted, more manic—and more in love, too.
86
Plunge is the natural next step, a realization of impulses that have long lain dormant, or at least unrecognized.
85
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.
83
When we last saw her working alone, she seemed wild but in line, questioning the world. This time, she has no time for boundaries, questioning larger factors of life by overlooking the rules we use to describe them, subjecting herself to complete immersion and pushing listeners to do the same.
80
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.
80
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.
80
Plunge builds on Fever Ray's - to borrow a graphic novel phrase - 'universe building' self-titled debut to create her most direct and personal record to date. On top of this, Dreijer has cemented her place within alternative music's dynasty, and it's refreshing to hear an outwardly queer and fiercely political artist convey a clear message without having the music, performance or reception fall over the potential weight of those themes.
80
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.
80
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.
80
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.
75
While definitely not the easiest listen, there’s enough powerful concepts and ideas on this record that you’ll want to give it a second look
75
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.
70
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.
50
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
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
Karin Dreijer Andersson, also known as Fever Ray, first made a splash in the music world as one ... read more
OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH my dear lord, a surprise drop from an artist who's last record, nearly ten years ago, deeply solidified my love and appreciation the most for electronic sounds. Guess I'm gonna have to really plunge into this one.
In case you haven't heard already, Fever Ray is a one-of-a-kind project. A solo project of Karin Dreijer Andersson (1/2 of the duo, The Knife, some beautiful fuckin' weirdos) which initially baffled me as an amateur music listener at the time as I usually found ... read more
In case you haven't heard already, Fever Ray is a one-of-a-kind project. A solo project of Karin Dreijer Andersson (1/2 of the duo, The Knife, some beautiful fuckin' weirdos) which initially baffled me as an amateur music listener at the time as I usually found ... read more
The last 3 tracks are exactly what I would've wanted from a Fever Ray follow up album, they're very slow paced and twisted yet still manage to feel like an extension of what made the debut great, it feels refreshing but it still maintains the eerie atmosphere and strong tone that makes the debut so quality. For the most part though, I feel like she kinda lost her identity a little too much on this album, the obnoxious, chirpy synths and fast paced drums on To the Moon and Back, This Country ... read more
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Track List
- Wanna Sip
- Mustn't Hurry
- A Part of Us
- Falling
- IDK About You
- This Country
- Plunge
- To the Moon and Back
- Red Trails
- An Itch
- Mama's Hand
Added on: October 26, 2017