Pang

## ***Pang***Studio album by Caroline Polachek

* Final
* Original

### Producer(s)

Danny L Harle (also executive) · Caroline Polachek (also executive) · Dan Carey · A. G. Cook · Jim-E Stack · Daniel Nigro · Valley Girl · Andrew Wyatt

## Singles from *Pang*

1. "Door"
Released: June 19, 2019
2. "Ocean of Tears"
Released: July 24, 2019
3. "Parachute"
Released: July 24, 2019
4. "So Hot You're Hurting My Feelings"
Released: September 16, 2019
5. "Look At Me Now"
Released: October 14, 2019

***Pang*** is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter and producer Caroline Polachek and debut under her given name. It was released by Sony Music, The Orchard, and Polachek's imprint Perpetual Novice on October 18, 2019.

## Background

In 2017, Polachek began working frequently with PC Music producers Danny L Harle and A.G. Cook after the dissolution of her band Chairlift. She appeared on Harle's single "Ashes of Love" back in 2016, and she also began collaborating with him and Cook in contributions with other artists, such as Superfruit and Charli XCX. In 2017 she partnered with Harle in Los Angeles with the intent of pitching songs to Katy Perry. A magic mushroom trip convinced Polachek to start working on her own material, which was originally going to be a "warmer, auburn, folk-tinged, peaceful album" called *Calico*. When the two began work on the project they "came up with something that overshadowed *Calico* and kickstarted a fruitful collaboration".

In an interview with *Dazed*, Polachek revealed what it was like to work with a range of different people, noting that "Working with different artists is always a learning experience, a new skill for the tool belt, even when it's more about realising what doesn't work." She elaborated, saying that she feels more in control of the things she writes and produces, and that she's "...Ultimately the one in control, the one who is filtering and controlling the palette in real time. I don't leave it up to someone else. It's actually more and more liberating to just get in and start making stuff."

Throughout the duration of 2018, Polachek shared a number of images of her in the studio to record material and hinted at the possibility of working on an album in their captions.

### Album title

The title *Pang* comes from "experiencing inexplicable adrenal rushes" that Polachek experienced "that stopped her from sleeping and accelerated her metabolism", which she referred to as "pangs".

## Composition

*Pang* is a pop, indie pop and experimental pop album influenced by ambient, new age, R&B, trap-pop, hip hop, trip hop, sophisti-pop, and classical music Its sound is described as "almost symphonic" and "blend[s] acoustic and synthetic textures into a surrealist yet affecting listen"  The album exists in a space in between moody electronica and upbeat pop. As Mark Moody of No Ripcord put it, "best listened to sad and lonely in your bedroom, Pang is the perfect dance album for smart and sensitive boys and girls after their day’s journaling are done."

"New Normal" shifts between different keys and features "a conspicuously yeehaw opening of slide guitar to an almost dancehall beat to sputtering percussion and vocal clips from hip-hop". "Ocean of Tears" is an hip-hop-tinged R&B track influenced by Kate Bush, Imogen Heap, and Annie Lennox. "Insomnia"'s "ecstatic aches" are reminiscent of Björk and Weyes Blood "Caroline Shut Up" takes influence from 60s soul singers and doo-wop and is "equal parts seductive and bewildering". "So Hot You're Hurting My Feelings" is a "new wave masterpiece" that takes influence from 80s pop and has been compared to the work of Haim

*Pang* is a break-up album inspired by her divorce from husband of two years Ian Drennen six months into its production. The album explores lyrical themes of "living unexpected dreams, getting away with something sneaky-fun, tears in public and in oceans" and "love songs about the moment of surrender, the pain preceding it, and the euphoria after." In "I Give Up", Polachek succumbs to an "apathetic kind of self defeat"  "Door" talks about "the disorienting and uniquely human feeling of blindly chasing a desire without knowing whether you will ever reach it." "Parachute" is described as "the audio-equivalent of feeling like you’re seconds away from death but have absolutely no problem with it," .

## Critical Reception

*Pang* received a score of 82 out of 100 based on 14 critics on review aggregate site Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim". In a review for AllMusic, Matt Collar suggested that, "[Caroline] Polachek further distills her approach with a collection of deeply emotive songs that showcase her delicate vocals and intricate pop sensibilities" with "arrangements that straddle the line between moody electronica and adult contemporary pop." Jack Bray of The Line of Best Fit called *Pang* a "remarkable debut album assured of its legitimacy and brilliance" Nick Lowe of *Clash* referred to the album as "fresh and ethereal" and a synthesis of Polachek's previous work, saying it combined "the playfulness of Chairlift, the theatricality of Ramona Lisa and the futuristic glimpses of CEP." Lowe also commended her "staggering" and "heavenly" vocals. Katherine St. Asaph of Pitchfork also praised her "near-operatic vocalizations", "controlled vocal leaps, and precise staccato." Ben Thomas of The Guardian praised the album's lyrics about break-ups, saying that "Caroline Shut Up" in particular "lets you right inside her lustful waltz-time neuroses." Tiny Mix Tapes's Reggie MT referred to the album "an absolute triumph of 'expressionist storybook goth' that recalls the great emotive artists in pop and New Age history, from Elizabeth Fraser to Imogen Heap, Enya to her (our) girl Charli".

## Tracklist

Pang Tour · Videography · Photography

"The Gate"
"Pang"
"New Normal
"Hit Me Where It Hurts"
"I Give Up"
"Look At Me Now"
"Insomnia"

"Ocean of Tears"
"Hey Big Eyes"
"Go As a Dream"
"Caroline Shut Up"
"So Hot You're Hurting My Feelings"
"Door"
"Parachute"

Other Tracks
"Breathless"
"Simmer (Remix)"

Caroline Polachek