''Ticket to Fame'' is the debut studio album by music duo Decisive Pink, composed of Russian musician Kate NV and American musician

Angel Deradoorian Angel Deradoorian (born July 18, 1986), also known mononymously as Deradoorian, is a musician based in Los Angeles, California. She is best known for her work with Dirty Projectors as full-time member from 2007 to 2012. She left to pursue a solo ...

. It was released on June 9, 2023, on

Fire Records Fire Records was an American independent record label, set up in 1959 by Bobby Robinson. Amongst others, it released records by Lightnin' Hopkins, Elmore James, Buster Brown and Arthur Crudup. At one point it was thought Fire had issued the l ...

Background and release

Kate NV and

announced ''Ticket to Fame'' on December 14, 2022. The two musicians wrote and recorded the album using a wide array of

synthesizer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

s at a studio in

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

that Deradoorian referred to as the "synth-dome", before finishing production at Deradoorian's rehearsal space in Los Angeles. In a press release accompanying the album, the duo wrote that it touches on several themes, including "how we communicate in these uncertain times". The album's announcement accompanied the release of the lead single "Haffmilch Holiday", which was inspired by the daily ritual of ordering

cappuccino Cappuccino (, ; from German ) is an espresso-based coffee drink traditionally prepared with steamed milk, including a layer of milk foam. Variations of the drink involve the use of cream instead of milk, using non-dairy milk substitutes ...

s with

oat milk Oat milk is a plant milk derived from whole oat (''Avena spp.'') grains by extracting the plant material with water. Oat milk has a creamy texture and mild oatmeal-like flavor, and is manufactured in various flavors, such as sweetened, unsweete ...

. The second single "Destiny" was released on February 28, 2023, alongside a

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

in which the two musicians appear as moving paintings. On April 11, 2023, the duo released a music video for the album's third single "Ode to Boy", which alludes to the

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

composition "

Ode to Joy "Ode to Joy" ( ) is an ode written in the summer of 1785 by the German poet, playwright, and historian Friedrich Schiller. It was published the following year in the Thalia (German magazine), German magazine ''Thalia''. In 1808, a slightly revi ...

" in its title and outro section. The album's final single "Dopamine", which satirizes

online shopping Online shopping is a form of electronic commerce which allows consumers to directly buy goods or services from a seller over the Internet using a web browser or a mobile app. Consumers find a product of interest by visiting the website of th ...

and

consumerism Consumerism is a socio-cultural and economic phenomenon that is typical of industrialized societies. It is characterized by the continuous acquisition of goods and services in ever-increasing quantities. In contemporary consumer society, the ...

, was released on May 9, 2023, alongside a music video. Following the release of ''Ticket to Fame'' on June 9, 2023, Decisive Pink announced a fall 2023 tour in the United States and Europe.

Critical reception

''Ticket to Fame'' received positive reviews from music critics. At

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, the album received an aggregate score of 78 based on 8 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". In a review for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

, writer Fred Thomas described the album as "a collection of experiments with electronics and giddy

art pop Art pop (also typeset art-pop or artpop) is a loosely defined style of pop music influenced by art theory, art theories as well as ideas from other art mediums, such as fashion, fine art, film, cinema, and avant-garde literature. The genre dra ...

, often moving swiftly between moments of danceable,

krautrock Krautrock (also called , German for ) is a broad genre of experimental rock that developed in Germany in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It originated among artists who blended elements of psychedelic rock, avant-garde composition, and electron ...

-informed tunes and dizzying, beatless weirdness." Phillipe Roberts of ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' wrote a 7.0/10 review of the album, praising its blend of "tongue-in-cheek krautrock hijinks" and "bright, retro-futuristic

synth pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s b ...

," while also commenting on the album's anticlimactic ending and the "white-hot ridiculousness" of the track "Potato Tomato". Zara Hedderman of ''

The Quietus ''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics. Content ''The Quietu ...

'' complimented the "vibrant palette of

synths A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis an ...

, floating flute accompaniments, exuberant drum samples and heavenly vocal harmonies between the duo," remarking that "especially throughout the opening half of the record, there's a strong '80s undercurrent to the buoyant electro-pop arrangements." In a review for ''

Paste Paste is a term for any very thick viscous fluid. It may refer to: Science and technology * Adhesive or paste ** Wallpaper paste ** Wheatpaste, a liquid adhesive made from vegetable starch and water * Paste (rheology), a substance that behaves as ...

'', Ben Salmon wrote, "Decisive Pink's debut is a dancing fountain of colorful tones, a wistful rocket ride through pixelated zones, an extravagant peacock's plumage of electro-pop and a guided tour of moods and textures achievable in synth music."

Track listing

References

{{Authority control 2023 collaborative albums Kate NV albums Angel Deradoorian albums Fire Records (UK) albums Minimal wave albums