After several viral singles and an acclaimed mixtape, the young sorceress of drum and bass finally released her long-awaited LP Heaven knows.
Right from the opening track “Another life,” PinkPantheress seems to be declaring the start of an entirely new project unlike her previous ones. The awe-inspiring organs waste no time in conjuring gothic imagery that remains comfortable in appearing a little cartoonish, eventually working in favour of the track’s playful melody and PinkPantheress’ vocal delivery.
The second track “True romance,” adopts a less gothic atmosphere, instead bouncing atop the sample of a cheering crowd to elevate the track’s story about yearning for a famous performer on stage. A crush of such nature may look ridiculous to outsiders and PinkPantheress certainly knows this, but she’s not going to stop herself from having fun with the idea.
A track like “True romance” demonstrates a key area in which PinkPantheress has evolved since her most recent mixtape to hell with it. The songs on it displayed a passive, introverted bedroom-pop quality, whereas Heaven knows feels more extroverted. It’s less shy and more flirtatious, pulling you in to dance along.
The album’s lead single “Mosquito” is a cut from the tracklist that begs for you to listen to its shimmering synths on repeat. With a two-step drum pattern over breakbeats characteristic to drum and bass music, the track feels like it accidentally time-travelled from the early 2000s and ended up here in the present. The chipper instrumental feels caught between current pop formulas and Y2K- era glam, and PinkPantheress manages to find the sweet spot to create a song that feels like something only she herself could produce.
Where Heaven knows loses momentum is in its second half, when the infectious danceability of its heavy front begins to feel a little stale. The rhythmic choices in drum and bass samples tend to be identifiable and similar, but on the latter side of Heaven knows they manage to feel forgettable due to the lack of variety in production choices outside of them. Even “Blue” – one of the stronger cuts from this side of the album – feels like it is missing the right amount of depth to its house rhythms to push it beyond forgettable territory.
Ending the album on the second single “Capable of love,” would have been a perfectly satisfying conclusion to the album. Thematically it aligns with the rest of the album, serving as a final confessional for yearning and romance. The softer percussion deviates from the perky UK garage music and compels you to listen to the lyrical content.
Unfortunately, the final track “Boys a liar pt. II” featuring Ice Spice spoils the album’s attempt at rounding off its aim for consistency. The track comes from her previous EP Take Me Home and with the added feature artist, it feels made to function like a single. Ultimately, Ice Spice feels out of place and her verse hardly adds anything to the original track, which was already subpar relative to the rest of PinkPantheress’ catalogue.
As an artist, PinkPantheress gives the music scene a lot to be excited about. Her viral success online has not penetrated her humble exterior and noticeable investment in music. But after numerous singles, a mixtape and EPs, her long-awaited debut album doesn’t seem to fit into the album format as intended, leaving it feeling like unfinished business.