Cascade is the third studio album by British electronic musician Sam Shepherd under the alias Floating Points. It was released on 13 September 2024 through Ninja Tune and received universal acclaim from critics. The album topped the UK Dance Albums Chart.
Background Cascade is Floating Points' first solo studio album since Crush (2019). He collaborated with Pharoah Sanders and London Symphony Orchestra on Promises (2021). He then created his first ballet score, Mere Mortals, in collaboration with San Francisco Ballet. Cascade was inspired by his hometown of Manchester. The song "Afflecks Palace" refers to an emporium in the city. The song "Key103" takes its title from a Manchester radio station. The album's cover art was created by Akiko Nakayama. "Vocoder", "Birth4000", "Del Oro", "Key103", and "Ocotillo" were released as singles from the album.
Critical reception
Brandon Miller of PopMatters commented that "Across nine tracks, Floating Points guides listeners through a series of self-reflective passages and hard club drops, suitable for both sweaty dance floors and moments of existential solitude." Robin Murray of Clash stated, "an autobiographical paean to club culture, it acts as a window of insight into his electronic imagination, while also slapping hard." Paul Simpson of AllMusic called it "yet another marvelous Floating Points album, and easily the most successful work he's made as a dance producer." Krystal Rodriguez of Billboard stated, "A collection of unconventional club bangers, it pulses with twitchy textures, glistening melodies, synth freak-outs and gravelly drums." Andrew Sacher of BrooklynVegan stated, "Like cohorts Four Tet, Jamie xx, and Daphni, Floating Points has an ear for melody that makes Cascade a gorgeous record, but it also goes even deeper into hard-hitting body music than most of Crush did."
It was nominated for the Best Electronic Record award at the 2025 Libera Awards.
Accolades + Year-end lists for Cascade Publication List Rank Exclaim! Exclaim!'s 50 Best Albums of 2024 MusicOMH musicOMH's Top 50 Albums of 2024 Rolling Stone The 100 Best Albums of 2024 Slant Magazine The 50 Best Albums of 2024 Stereogum The 50 Best Albums of 2024
Track listing
Personnel Credits adapted from liner notes.
Sam Shepherd – music, arrangement, recording Dan Snaith – drums (5) Miriam Adefris – harp (6) Hannah Ekholm – voice (7) Stella Mozgawa – drums (7) Hikaru Utada – voice (8, 9) Matt Colton – mastering Akiko Nakayama – artwork Matthew Cooper – design
Charts + Chart performance for Cascade Chart (2024) Peakposition
References
External links