Albums to watch

Quiet Signs

Jessica Pratt

Quiet Signs

Third album from the San Francisco freak-folk singer-songwriter and her first recorded in a studio

ADM rating[?]

7.9

Label
City Slang
UK Release date
08/02/2019
US Release date
08/02/2019
  1. 10.0 |   Q

    An utterly captivating record from its first second to its last. Print edition only

  2. 9.0 |   PopMatters

    Emptiness, according to Jessica Pratt, is an opportunity to find meaning. As a result, Quiet Signs builds strength as it galvanizes simplicity
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  3. 9.0 |   Loud And Quiet

    Primed to be one of the year’s standout releases
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  4. 9.0 |   All Music

    Though earlier albums saw her crafting a strange otherworld, the perpetual sunset hinted at before is painted here in new dimensions, making this set of songs her best and easiest to revisit
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  5. 8.5 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    A testament to the power of simplicity
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  6. 8.4 |   Pitchfork

    Her best yet—a collection of hushed reveries that unspool like daydreams
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  7. 8.3 |   Consequence Of Sound

    A delicate dance that never wavers or shakes
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  8. 8.0 |   The Skinny

    An endlessly replayable collection of vintage songs
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  9. 8.0 |   DIY

    Her most arresting work to date
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  10. 8.0 |   The Irish Times

    Throughout is a recreation of subtle lo-fi hiss that might ordinarily underwhelm discerning ears, but which in fact adds to the striking atmosphere
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  11. 8.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    Despite its economy and modest conception, Pratt’s insistence on chiseling away as much as possible from her songs – but maintain their emotional core – actually adds to their mystique
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  12. 8.0 |   The Music

    A cohesive work of impressionistic music that instantly sets a mood
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  13. 8.0 |   Mojo

    Over and over again, Pratt hovers on the brink of revelation, yet Quiet Signs puts down a code, that, brilliantly, it's not quite possible to break. Print edition only

  14. 8.0 |   Uncut

    Doesn't recreate the lo-fi sound of her previous records so much as she elaborates on it. Print edition only

  15. 8.0 |   The Quietus

    There is no sense here of a ‘difficult third album’, nor the kind of alarming change of direction that breaks fans’ hearts, but rather a skilful honing of a craft – a less frantically picked guitar here, a more softly spoken word there, a little bit of flute
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  16. 8.0 |   Exclaim

    A breeze of an album that somehow hits you like a ton of bricks. Just another enigmatic turn for Jessica Pratt
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  17. 8.0 |   No Ripcord

    Whereas Pratt once settled on a colder and more reserved state, Quiet Signs manages to present a more empathetic side of her that was once concealed
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  18. 8.0 |   Crack

    Yet on Quiet Signs, the most intense moments are often where the sound is most fragile, when Pratt encourages us to find more tangible meanings in the quieter moments around us
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  19. 8.0 |   Spectrum Culture

    This release is just shy of being a career-defining work, and hopefully Pratt’s next—whenever that might be—reaches that status
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  20. 8.0 |   musicOMH

    May not be her commercial breakthrough – someone as esoteric as Pratt could be waiting a while for that – but it’s certainly her best album to date
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  21. 7.4 |   Paste Magazine

    If you take a moment to find a quiet space and just sit with this record’s hollow parts, embracing them for the condensed elements they are, you might just find your own slice of heaven
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  22. 7.0 |   Rolling Stone

    The samey-ness among songs playing as a strength, conjuring a mood and maintaining it, yet never feeling predictable, in part because it’s hard to get a bead on precisely what each song is about
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  23. 7.0 |   American Songwriter

    Kudos to Pratt and producer/keyboardist/assistant Al Carlson for sticking with a clearly non-commercial sound where her quiet, comforting talent is as alluring and elusive as the fluttering of butterfly wings
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  24. 7.0 |   Under The Radar

    Since decamping to Los Angeles, her sound has gained a wide-scope cinematic feel without losing any of its raw intimacy
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  25. 7.0 |   Clash

    It’s a quietly self-assured and immersive album that should mark out and reaffirm Pratt’s singularity
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  26. 6.0 |   The Observer

    Muted mystery that beguiles
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  27. 6.0 |   The Guardian

    If some songs risk being that bit too hazy and undefined, Quiet Signs offers another magical otherworld to escape into
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