Heaven Knows

by PinkPantheress

Overview

Already a social media star by the time her widely acclaimed mixtape To Hell with It changed the game in 2021, PinkPantheress made her mainstream breakthrough in 2023, when the Ice Spice-featuring sequel to her single "Boy's a Liar" became a major worldwide hit. "Angel," an Irish folk-influenced tune recorded for Barbie: The Album, also gained the artist major exposure. The cover art for Heaven Knows, her debut full-length, suggests that PinkPantheress is undergoing a makeover as a singer of sultry R&B slow jams. In reality, the album is a fully developed refinement of the brisk, intricately arranged pop style she's become known for, with lyrics about romantic infatuations set to pulse-quickening liquid drum'n'bass, U.K. garage, and filter-house rhythms. Unlike her mixtape, all of the songs exceed two minutes this time around (though some of them just barely do), and most of them are packed with enough ideas to make them feel longer than they are. She co-produced the album's tracks along with previous collaborator Mura Masa, pop maven Greg Kurstin, Count Baldor, and others, with Danny L. Harle, Sam Gellaitry, and Oscar Scheller each making contributions. While the songs generally sound upbeat, the lyrics are much darker, describing obsessions taken to their extremes. The funereal organs and bursting storm clouds of "Another Life" provide the album's dramatic introduction, and the lyrics attempt to process the shock following the death of a partner. Several other songs mention thoughts of death -- on "Mosquito," PinkPantheress is only concerned about dying because it would separate her from her loved one, and "Ophelia" sonically illustrates a drowning scene with bubbling water effects, detached vocal glitches, and police sirens. The ominously titled "Bury Me," a drill-influenced duet with Kelela, is about the desire for more than a surface-level relationship, and "Internet Baby" also seems to search for something deeper, while feeling attracted by the pressure. On the boom-bap cut "Feel Complete," she's unsure if she ever really knew her partner, and she contemplates whether she'll ever be able to love again during the ambitious, dazzling "Capable of Love." "Boy's a Liar Pt. 2" is tucked away at the end as a bonus track, but it fits in perfectly with the album's themes of questioning trust in others as well as one's own self-worth. Crucially, the song is a joyous dance-pop delight with a bouncy, Jersey club-inspired beat. Even as PinkPantheress explores her deepest, darkest emotions, her songs are vibrant, hook-filled, and wildly inventive, making Heaven Knows just as worthy of repeated listens as To Hell with It, and confirming her status as a pop visionary. ~ Paul Simpson

Product Details

Release Date:	11/17/2023
Label:	Warner Bros.
UPC:	5054197766107
Rank:	2053

Album Credits

Performance Credits

PinkPantheress   Primary Artist,Vocals
Ice Spice   Primary Artist,Vocals
Mura Masa   Bass,Guitar,Keyboards,Percussion
Rema   Vocals,Featured Artist
Kelela   Vocals,Featured Artist
Central Cee   Vocals,Featured Artist
Tom Levesque   Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Jonny Breakwell   Mixing Engineer,Assistant Engineer,Mixing,Engineer,Vocal Engineer
Stan Greene   Mixing
Oscar Scheller   Composer,Producer
Julian Burg   Engineer,Assistant Engineer
London on Da Track   Composer,Producer
Danny L. Harle   Composer,Producer
Sam Gellaitry   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Assistant Engineer
Derek Anderson   Mixing
Luke Farnell   Engineer,Mixing Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Oxlade   Composer
BNYX   Composer,Producer
Ozedikus   Composer
Count Baldor   Composer,Producer,Additional Production
Vitals   Composer,Producer
Mike Dean   Mixing
Mura Masa   Composer,Producer,Additional Production
Nathan Boddy   Mixing
Greg Kurstin   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Assistant Engineer
Rema   Composer
Spike Stent   Mixing
Stuart Hawkes   Mastering
Kevin Grainger   Mixing
Gary James Kemp   Composer
Matt Tuggle   Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Kelela   Composer
Central Cee   Composer
Noah Glassman   Engineer,Vocal Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Risc   Composer,Producer
PinkPantheress   Composer,Producer,Executive Producer
Jonna Mayer   Design,Art Direction
Cash Cobain   Composer,Producer
Ryan Rajagopal   Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Ice Spice   Composer
RIOTUSA   Engineer
Phil   Composer,Producer,Additional Production,Composer,Producer
Stuart Hawkers   Mastering
Bethel Da Silva Neto   Composer
Daniel Aroseti   Composer
PRESPLAY   Composer,Producer
Wonder   Producer