Topical Dancer
| Topical Dancer | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 4 March 2022 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 50:43 | |||
| Language | Creole, Dutch, English, French | |||
| Label | Deewee | |||
| Producer |
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| Charlotte Adigéry chronology | ||||
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| Bolis Pupul chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Topical Dancer | ||||
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Topical Dancer is a studio album by Charlotte Adigéry and Bolis Pupul and co-written and co-produced by Soulwax. Released on 4 March 2022 under the label Deewee, Topical Dancer is Adigéry and Pupul's debut album as a duo.
Background
[edit]Pupul and Adigéry are both based in Belgium with shared heritage from Martinique, a French island.[1] They first met while working for the soundtrack of Belgica, a 2016 Belgian drama, after being invited by Soulwax, who also co-wrote and co-produced the album.[2][3] The album is influenced by experiences of racial discrimination and sexual abuse.[4][2] In the album, Adigéry sings in English, Dutch, Creole, and French.[1] The album features Charlotte Adigéry's mother, Christiane Adigéry and was released under the label Deewee, which the duo previously released three EPs on.[1] "Thank You" is the lead single of Topical Dancer and the second single is "Blenda".[5][6] "Blenda" was released on 4 November 2021 along with an announcement of the album and its release date.[6] The first track of the album "Bel Deewee" is a field recording of Adigéry entering the Deewee recording complex, which is also where they recorded the album, and calling through the intercom.[7]
Critical reception
[edit]| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 85/100[8] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [9] |
| Beats Per Minute | 88/100[4] |
| DIY | [10] |
| NME | [2] |
| Pitchfork | 8.2/10[3] |
| The Observer | [11] |
| The Skinny | [1] |
On the review aggregator Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, Topical Dancer received an average score of 85, based on six reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[8] Emily Mackay of The Observer called the album "banging fusion of funk, house and techno".[11] Paul Simpson of AllMusic claimed the album was "catchiest and most danceable songs Adigéry and Pupul have written to date" and that the lyrics "offer a lot of food for thought".[9] Eric Torres of Pitchfork called the album "riveting" and reported that the album had a "roguish charm".[3] Jasper Willems wrote on Beats Per Minute that Topical Dancer is "spiritual palette cleanser as much as it is a physical one" and "a record for literally anyone".[4] In a review written for NME, reviewer Max Pilley claimed that the album "arrived bursting with positive energy".[2]
The album was nominated for Best Electronic Record at the 2023 Libera Awards.[12][13]
Track listing
[edit]All tracks are written and produced by Charlotte Adigéry, Bolis Pupul (Boris Zeebroek) and Soulwax (David Dewaele and Stephen Dewaele).
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bel Deewee" | 0:42 |
| 2. | "Esperanto" | 3:34 |
| 3. | "Blenda" | 3:31 |
| 4. | "Hey" | 3:36 |
| 5. | "It Hit Me" | 5:33 |
| 6. | "Ich Mwen" (with Christiane Adigéry) | 4:17 |
| 7. | "Reappropriate" | 5:06 |
| 8. | "Ceci n'est pas un cliché" | 3:46 |
| 9. | "Huile Smisse" | 2:56 |
| 10. | "Mantra" | 4:21 |
| 11. | "Making Sense Stop" | 4:00 |
| 12. | "Haha" | 3:26 |
| 13. | "Thank You" | 5:51 |
| Total length: | 50:43 | |
Charts
[edit]Weekly charts
[edit]| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[14] | 2 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[15] | 44 |
Year-end charts
[edit]| Chart (2022) | Position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[16] | 140 |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Younes, Nadia (2 March 2022). "Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul review: Topical Dancer - The Skinny". The Skinny. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ^ a b c d Pilley, Max (4 March 2022). "Charlotte Adigéry and Bolis Pupul – 'Topical Dancer' review: a joyous, humorous headrush". NME. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ^ a b c Torres, Eric (8 March 2022). "Charlotte Adigéry / Bolis Pupul: Topical Dancer". Pitchfork. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- ^ a b c Willems, Jasper (10 March 2022). "Album Review: Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul – Topical Dancer". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ^ Watson, Kayleigh (25 May 2022). "Belgian electro-pop duo Charlotte Adigéry and Bolis Pupul on the power of humour and friendship". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
- ^ a b Peters, Daniel (6 November 2021). "Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul announce debut album, share new single 'Blenda'". NME. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
- ^ Smith, Thomas (22 November 2021). "Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul: Belgian electro-pop duo laughing in the face of everything". NME. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
- ^ a b Topical Dancer by Charlotte Adigéry, retrieved 4 April 2022
- ^ a b Topical Dancer - Charlotte Adigéry, Bolis Pupul | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 24 April 2022
- ^ "Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul - Topical Dancer - Review". DIY. 4 March 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
- ^ a b "Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul: Topical Dancer review – wildly eclectic electropop". the Guardian. 6 March 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ^ Aniftos, Rania (22 March 2023). "Wet Leg Leads Nominations for 2023 Libera Awards". Billboard. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
- ^ Garcia, Thania; Okusanya, Emanuel (16 June 2023). "Wet Leg, Sudan Archives and More Win Big at 2023 A2IM Libera Awards". Variety. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul – Topical Dancer" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul – Topical Dancer" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
- ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2022" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 14 January 2023.