Heaven to a Tortured Mind

Heaven to a Tortured Mind is the fourth studio album by American experimental electronic artist Yves Tumor, released April 3, 2020.

Heaven to a Tortured Mind
Studio album by
Yves Tumor
ReleasedApril 3, 2020
Studio
  • Kaiku Studios
  • Paulie's Kro East Studios
  • Saturn Sound
  • Press Play Studios
Genre
Length36:22
LabelWarp
Producer
Yves Tumor chronology
Safe in the Hands of Love
(2018)		 Heaven to a Tortured Mind
(2020)

Background

The album was announced alongside the release of the single "Gospel for a New Century" on February 18, 2020.[3] Two more singles followed, "Kerosene!" which was released on March 9, 2020,[4] and "Romanticist / Dream Palette", which was released March 31, 2020.[5]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.2/10[6]
Metacritic88/100[7]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
Clash8/10[2]
Exclaim!9/10[9]
The Guardian[10]
Paste9.0/10[11]
Pitchfork8.5/10[1]
PopMatters9/10[12]
Q[13]
The Skinny[14]
The Times[15]

Heaven to a Tortured Mind received widespread acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 88 based on 17 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[7] AllMusic critic Heather Phares praised the record, describing it as "an album that suggests the easiest way to define Tumor is as an artist who consistently outdoes themself."[8] Eero Holi of Clash labeled the album as a "psychedelic soul record for the 21st century," further stating: "It’s so heart-rending you could keep yourself wrapped inside its comfort for hours and not come out."[2] Kaelen Bell of Exclaim! characterized the music as "the sound of a new kind of warped pop star — an artist capable of weaving the unending unknown of space and the throb of blood and skin, willing to take us and destroy us and create something wholly new from what remains."[9]

Alexis Petridis of The Guardian thought that the record "sounds coherent" and "is punchy and concise;" Petridis further remarked that "its stylistic leaps and short-circuits always feel intended – the product of someone operating to their own internal logic rather than randomly throwing ideas at the wall."[10] Paste critic Austin Jones praised the record, stating: "The record, with all its idiosyncrasies, will be remembered as a definitive piece by one of our era’s most important rock icons—a pop star as transgressive and rule-breaking as the legends of the ’70s and ’80s we take for granted now."[11] Pitchfork's Kevin Lozano considered Tumor's commercial ambition, writing: "The product of this ambition is a gratifying and intense record, one whose pleasures are viscerally immediate."[1] Reviewing for PopMatters, Paul Carr noted: "Whereas on previous albums, he would obscure himself behind the music, here he steps out of his sonic chrysalis, dons some shiny black wings and soars."[12] Q's Leonie Cooper likewise noted the album's "relatively straight-up approach", dubbing it "sleazy listening at its best".[13]

Accolades
Accolades for Heaven to a Tortured Mind
Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
Paste Paste's 25 Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year
12
[16]
Stereogum Stereogum's 50 Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year
9
[17]
MP3s and NPCs MP3s and NPCs' 10 Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year
N/A
[18]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Yves Tumor, except where noted.

Heaven to a Tortured Mind track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Gospel for a New Century" 3:18
2."Medicine Burn" 4:04
3."Identity Trade" 1:59
4."Kerosene!"Yves Tumor, Jeremiah Raisen5:05
5."Hasdallen Lights" 2:07
6."Romanticist" 1:46
7."Dream Palette" 2:55
8."Super Stars"Yves Tumor, Hirakish3:05
9."Folie Imposée" 3:05
10."Strawberry Privilege" 3:52
11."Asteroid Blues" 2:02
12."A Greater Love"Yves Tumor, Clara La San, Hirakish3:04
Total length:36:22

Sample credits[19]

  • "Gospel for New Century" contains elements from "이송아," performed by Lee Son Ga
  • "Kerosene" contains elements from "Weep of Silence," written by Ken Hensley and John Wetton
  • "Romanticist" contains elements from "김남미 - 오! 그말," performed by Kim Nam Mi; and the composition "Hangman," written by Roy Harper and Jimmy Page
  • "Dream Palette" contains elements from "A Love That's Worth Having," written and performed by Willie Hutch
  • "Super Stars" contains elements from the composition "Three Piece Suit," written by Robert Webb, Martin Henderson, and Frank Holland

Personnel

Album personnel adapted from Bandcamp liner notes.[19]

  • Yves Tumor – vocals, writer, composer, performer, producer
  • Hirakish – vocals (8, 12)
  • Pan Daijing – additional vocals (1)
  • Diana Gordon – additional vocals (4)
  • Kelsey Lu – additional vocals (6)
  • Julia Cumming – additional vocals (7, 10)
  • Clara La San – additional vocals (12)
  • Yves Rothman – synthesizer (4, 6, 8), bass guitar (5), additional programming (1, 4–8, 10), co-producer, engineer, editor
  • Joe Kennedy – guitar (1, 4, 8), bass guitar (4, 7, 11, 12), organ (4, 8), drum machine (6), synth (6, 8, 12), Mellotron (12)
  • Heavy Mellow – guitar (1, 4, 6, 8, 12)
  • Andreas Emanuel – guitar (3, 9, 12)
  • Kenny Gilmore – guitar (2, 6), synth (2)
  • Andy Ramsay – guitar (1), drums (1), effects (1)
  • Gina Ramirez – bass guitar (1-3, 6-8)
  • Henry Schiff – drums (1, 3, 4, 6–8, 11, 12)
  • Sylvain Carton – tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, flute, clarinet (1, 3)

Production

Charts
Sales chart performance for Heaven to a Tortured Mind
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[20] 170
Scottish Albums (OCC)[21] 38
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References
  1. Lozano, Kevin (April 3, 2020). "Yves Tumor: Heaven to a Tortured Mind". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  2. Holi, Eero (April 2, 2020). "Yves Tumor – Heaven To A Tortured Mind". Clash. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  3. Moreland, Quinn (February 18, 2020). "Yves Tumor Announces New Album, Shares Video for New Song: Watch". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  4. Bloom, Madison (March 9, 2020). "Listen to Yves Tumor's New Song "Kerosene"". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  5. Bloom, Madison (March 31, 2020). "Yves Tumor Shares New Song "Romanticist/Dream Palette": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  6. "Heaven To A Tortured Mind by Yves Tumor reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  7. "Heaven to a Tortured Mind by Yves Tumor Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  8. Phares, Heather. "Heaven to a Tortured Mind – Yves Tumor". AllMusic. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  9. Bell, Kaelen (April 1, 2020). "Yves Tumor: Heaven to a Tortured Mind". Exclaim!. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  10. Petridis, Alexis (April 2, 2020). "Yves Tumor: Heaven to a Tortured Mind review – strong, wrong songs of a rare genius". The Guardian. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  11. Jones, Austin (April 3, 2020). "Yves Tumor Destroys Rock Music on Heaven To A Tortured Mind". Paste. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  12. Carr, Paul (April 3, 2020). "Yves Tumor Soars With 'Heaven to a Tortured Mind'". PopMatters. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  13. Cooper, Leonie (June 2020). "Yves Tumor: Heaven to a Tortured Mind". Q. No. 411. p. 100.
  14. Younes, Nadia (April 2, 2020). "Yves Tumor – Heaven to a Tortured Mind". The Skinny. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  15. Hodgkinson, Will (April 3, 2020). "Yves Tumor: Heaven To A Tortured Mind review — a collision of sounds from an original and slightly scary talent". The Times. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  16. "The Best Albums of 2020 (So Far)". Paste. June 8, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  17. "Best Albums of 2020 So Far". Stereogum. June 10, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  18. Pryor, Terrance. "The best music releases of 2020 so far". MP3s and NPCs. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  19. "Yves Tumor on Bandcamp". Bandcamp. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  20. "Ultratop.be – Yves Tumor – Heaven to a Tortured Mind" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  21. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
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