Optical Delusion is the tenth studio album by English electronic music duo Orbital, released on 17 February 2023.[1]

Optical Delusion
Studio album by
Released17 February 2023
Length51:07
LabelOrbital
ProducerOrbital
Orbital chronology
30 Something
(2022)
Optical Delusion
(2023)
Singles from Optical Delusion
  1. "Dirty Rat"
    Released: 20 October 2022[1]
  2. "Ringa Ringa (The Old Pandemic Folk Song)"
    Released: 7 December 2022[2]
  3. "Are You Alive?"
    Released: 1 February 2023[3]

Reception

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Optical Delusion ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.2/10[5]
Metacritic75/100[4]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [6]
The Arts Desk     [7]
Clash8/10[8]
The Guardian     [9]
Louder Than War     [10]
Mojo     [11]
PopMatters7/10[12]
Record Collector     [13]
Slant Magazine     [14]
Uncut7/10[15]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Optical Delusion received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 75 out of 100 from 8 critic scores.[4]

Year-end lists

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Optical Delusion on year-end lists
Publication # Ref.
Louder Than War 80 [16]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Paul Hartnoll except where noted

Optical Delusion track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Ringa Ringa (The Old Pandemic Folk Song)" (featuring Mediæval Bæbes) 4:14
2."Day One" (featuring Dina Ipavic) 5:16
3."Are You Alive?" (featuring Penelope Isles)
  • Jack Wolter
  • Lily Wolter
  • Paul Hartnoll
7:49
4."You Are the Frequency" (featuring the Little Pest)
4:39
5."The New Abnormal" 5:05
6."Home" (featuring Anna B Savage)
  • Anna B Savage
  • Paul Hartnoll
5:18
7."Dirty Rat" (with Sleaford Mods) 5:16
8."Requiem for the Pre-Apocalypse" 5:20
9."What a Surprise" (featuring the Little Pest)
  • Jimmy Day
  • Phil Hartnoll
3:51
10."Moon Princess" (featuring Coppe)
  • Jimmy Day
  • Miller Y. Coppe
  • Phil Hartnoll
4:19
Total length:51:07

Personnel

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  • Orbital – producer (1-8, 10)
  • Paul Hartnoll – producer (7)
  • Andrew Fearn – producer (7)
  • Mediæval Bæbes – vocals (1)
  • Dina Ipavic – vocals (2)
  • Penelope Isles – vocals (3)
  • The Little Pest – vocals (4, 9)
  • Anna B Savage – vocals (6)
  • Coppe – vocals (10)

Charts

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Chart performance for Optical Delusion
Chart (2023) Peak
position
Australian Physical Albums (ARIA)[17] 32
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[18] 70
Irish Albums (IRMA)[19] 83
Scottish Albums (OCC)[20] 4
UK Albums (OCC)[21] 6
UK Dance Albums (OCC)[22] 1
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[23] 2

References

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  1. ^ a b Pearis, Bill (20 October 2022). "Orbital announce new LP, share fantastic Sleaford Mods collab "Dirty Rat"". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  2. ^ Eede, Christian (7 December 2022). "Orbital release new single, "Ringa Ringa (The Old Pandemic Folk Song)"". DJ Mag. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  3. ^ DeVille, Chris (1 February 2023). "Orbital – "Are You Alive?" (Feat. Penelope Isles)". Stereogum. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Optical Delusion by Orbital Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  5. ^ "Optical Delusion by Orbital reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  6. ^ Simpson, Paul (15 February 2023). "Orbital – Optical Delusion". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  7. ^ Green, Thomas H (15 February 2023). "Album: Orbital – Optical Delusion". The Arts Desk. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  8. ^ Crowe, Josh (16 February 2023). "Orbital – Optical Delusion". Clash. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  9. ^ Empire, Kitty (19 February 2023). "Orbital: Optical Delusion review – plague songs and hyper-pop". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  10. ^ Carey, Wayne (12 February 2023). "Orbital: Optical Delusion – review – Album of the Week!". Louder Than War. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  11. ^ Worthy, Stephen (January 2023). "Orbital - Optical Delusion". Mojo. p. 85. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  12. ^ Garratt, John (15 February 2023). "Orbital Entertain Our Collective Optical Delusion". PopMatters. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  13. ^ Johnstone, Johnnie (27 January 2023). "Optical Delusion | Orbital". Record Collector. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  14. ^ Erickson, Steve (13 February 2023). "Orbital Optical Delusion Review: A Grim, Pre-Apocalyptic Rave". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  15. ^ Wray, Daniel Dylan (January 2023). "Orbital – Optical Delusion". Uncut. p. 32. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  16. ^ "Louder Than War Albums of 2023". Louder Than War. 1 December 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  17. ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 27 February 2023". The ARIA Report. No. 1721. Australian Recording Industry Association. 27 February 2023. p. 7.
  18. ^ "Ultratop.be – Orbital – Optical Delusion" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  19. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Orbital". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  20. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  21. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  22. ^ "Official Dance Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  23. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 February 2023.