Freeze, Melt

Freeze, Melt is the sixth studio album by Australian electronic music band Cut Copy. It was released on 21 August 2020 by Cutters Records and The Orchard. The album was produced by the band leader, Dan Whitford. Freeze, Melt spawned three singles: "Love Is All We Share", "Cold Water" and "Like Breaking Glass".

Freeze, Melt
Studio album by
Cut Copy
Released21 August 2020 (2020-08-21)
Length40:48
Label
ProducerDan Whitford
Cut Copy chronology
Haiku from Zero
(2017)		 Freeze, Melt
(2020)
Singles from Freeze, Melt
  1. "Love Is All We Share"
    Released: 8 May 2020
  2. "Cold Water"
    Released: 26 June 2020
  3. "Like Breaking Glass"
    Released: 5 August 2020

Background

The album was written over three years, after Dan Whitford had relocated to Copenhagen, Denmark, and recorded in nine days in Park Orchards, Victoria, just outside Melbourne.[1] The first song created for the album was "Cold Water".[2] Musically, the material is a departure from Cut Copy's previous, more dance-oriented style and turns towards ambient music.[3] The more introspective nature of the album is a result of Whitford's life in a Scandinavian country.

Release and promotion

On 8 May 2020, Cut Copy released the single "Love Is All We Share". It was followed by the second single, "Cold Water", on 26 June 2020, along with the announcement of the album release. The third single preceding the album, "Like Breaking Glass", was released on 5 August 2020. All songs from the album were accompanied by visualisers created by Takeshi Murata and Christopher Rutledge.

In August, the band announced a tour in Europe for spring 2021.

Reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?6.4/10[4]
Metacritic69/100[5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Clash8/10[7]
Pitchfork6.5/10[8]
PopMatters7/10[9]
Slant Magazine[10]

Freeze, Melt received mixed to favourable reviews from professional music critics upon its initial release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 69, based on 8 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[5] At AnyDecentMusic?, it scored 6.4 out of 10 points.[4]

In a positive review for AllMusic, Tim Sendra acclaimed Freeze, Melt as Cut Copy's "most inward looking and sparsely constructed work to date" and "a daring move for the band".[6] Writing for Clash magazine, Josh Crowe concluded that it is "as meticulous as it is melancholy, which is what makes it so profoundly personal and universal at the same time".[7] In a more critical review in the Slant Magazine, the album was described as "intriguingly knotty but a bit self-defeating".[10]

Track listing
Freeze, Melt track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Cold Water"
  • Dan Whitford
  • Ben Browning
  • Tim Hoey
5:11
2."Like Breaking Glass"
  • Whitford
  • Browning
4:51
3."Love Is All We Share"Whitford6:00
4."Stop, Horizon"
  • Whitford
  • Browning
  • Mitchell Scott
  • Hoey
5:28
5."Running in the Grass"
  • Whitford
  • Hoey
6:00
6."A Perfect Day"Whitford4:08
7."Rain"
  • Whitford
  • Scott
5:00
8."In Transit"
  • Whitford
  • Browning
  • Hoey
4:10
Total length:40:48

Charts
Chart performance of Freeze, Melt
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[11] 53
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[12] 69
UK Dance Albums (OCC)[13] 5

References
  1. Ross, Annabel (19 August 2020). "Cut Copy talk going "Scandinavian minimal" for their cool, meditative new album 'Freeze, Melt'". NME. Archived from the original on 21 August 2020. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  2. Lancaster, Brodie (20 August 2020). "Cut Copy on the role of dance music when dancefloors are closed: 'It doesn't really make sense'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 12 October 2020. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  3. Ross 2020, While Whitford eagerly soaked up Copenhagen’s renowned underground fast techno scene at night, outside of the club he was mostly listening to ambient electronic music, which influenced his own songwriting. The singing on the album is plaintive rather than celebratory and often cedes ground to the production, especially on tracks such as the largely instrumental ‘Stop, Horizon’ and lyric-free closer ‘In Transit’.
  4. "Freeze, Melt by Cut Copy reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Archived from the original on 12 October 2020. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  5. "Freeze, Melt by Cut Copy Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 12 October 2020. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  6. Sendra, Tim. "Freeze, Melt - Cut Copy | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 12 October 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  7. Crowe, Josh (19 August 2020). "Cut Copy - Freeze, Melt". Clash. Archived from the original on 12 October 2020. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  8. Dorris, Jesse (25 August 2020). "Cut Copy: Freeze, Melt Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 12 October 2020. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  9. Cochrun, Kyle (24 August 2020). "Cut Copy Trade in Accessibility for Expansion on 'Freeze, Melt'". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 12 October 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  10. Lyons-Burt, Charles (18 August 2020). "Review: Cut Copy's Aptly Titled Freeze, Melt Is an Album Caught Between Modes". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on 12 October 2020. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  11. "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 31 August 2020". No. 1591. Australian Recording Industry Association. 31 August 2020. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  12. "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  13. "Official Dance Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
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