I Hear You is the debut album by South Korean DJ and singer Peggy Gou, released on 7 June 2024 through XL Recordings. It includes the singles "I Go", "(It Goes Like) Nanana", "I Believe in Love Again" with Lenny Kravitz, and "1+1=11". The album also includes a collaboration with Villano Antillano.[2]

I Hear You
A photograph of Gou from the shoulders up, with her head tilted to the side and angled mirrors around her ears reflecting images of her ears.
Studio album by
Released7 June 2024 (2024-06-07)
GenreDance-pop[1]
Length40:17
Language
  • Korean
  • English
  • Spanish
LabelXL
ProducerPeggy Gou
Peggy Gou chronology
DJ-Kicks: Peggy Gou
(2019)
I Hear You
(2024)
Singles from I Hear You
  1. "(It Goes Like) Nanana"
    Released: 15 June 2023
  2. "I Believe in Love Again"
    Released: 8 November 2023
  3. "1+1=11"
    Released: 4 April 2024
  4. "Lobster Telephone"
    Released: 17 May 2024

Background and themes

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Gou called I Hear You "more than just [her] debut album" as she felt it "embodies countless hours of dedication in [her] journey to create something timeless".[3] The album was influenced by 1990s house music.[4]

Gou released "1+1=11" as a single alongside the album's announcement in April 2024, which is intended to represent the album's running theme of "togetherness".[5] Gou collaborated with Icelandic–Danish artist Olafur Eliasson on the video for "1+1=11", and he also designed the angled mirrors she wears around her ears on the cover art, and contributed his poem "Your Planet Seen from Within" to the first track, "Your Art".[6]

Singles

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"(It Goes Like) Nanana" was released as the album's lead single. It was followed by "I Believe in Love Again", her collaboration with Lenny Kravitz,[6] "1+1=11" in April 2024[3] and "Lobster Telephone" in May 2024.[7]

The album also includes Gou's 2021 single "I Go",

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic73/100[8]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [9]
Exclaim!8/10[10]
The Line of Best Fit9/10[11]
NME     [1]
Pitchfork6.2/10[12]

I Hear You received a score of 73 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on 12 critics' reviews, which the website categorised as "generally favorable" reception.[8] Stereogum named it album of the week, with the website's Tom Breihan writing that its "short and sharp and punchy" tracks "don't move like the patient, thoughtful ones on her EPs. She's going for blood on this one. I Hear You works within the lineage of '90s dance that inspired the record, but it also sounds like a pop album".[13] NME's Skye Butchard felt that "two mid-tempo tracks early on stalls the record’s momentum" but that "the album picks up in its explorative second half" and "when it works, it's like finding dance music for the first time. I Hear You has a pureness that will give many that feeling."[1]

The Line of Best Fit's Callum Foulds concluded that Gou "pays homage to [her] talents, laying a path that is singularly hers to embark on, one on which she carries the future of dance-music, and all of it's fun".[11] Chris Bryson of Exclaim! stated that "Gou is known for exciting eclecticism in her DJ sets, and this quality shines with growing versatility on I Hear You", describing the album as "a masterful first full dose of Gou's kaleidoscopic 'K-house'" and "striking a vibrant and dynamic balance between familiarity and freshness".[10] Paul Simpson of AllMusic found it to be "much closer to the type of risk-taking album fans would expect her to make based on her eclectic DJ sets, seemingly encapsulating her musical evolution and influences in ten songs".[9] Pitchfork's Chal Ravens felt that Gou "cherry-pick[s] iconic sounds from house music's '80s and '90s heyday" but concluded that "there's no point in throwing around grand concepts like so much glitter in order to feel like a serious album artist—just turn up the 'nananas' and keep the piña coladas coming".[12]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Peggy Gou; "Your Art" lyrics written with Olafur Eliasson; "I Believe In Love Again" written with Lenny Kravitz; "All That" written with Villano Antillano.

I Hear You track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Your Art"1:57
2."Back to One"4:58
3."I Believe in Love Again" (with Lenny Kravitz)2:56
4."All That" (featuring Villano Antillano)3:53
5."(It Goes Like) Nanana" (edit)3:51
6."Lobster Telephone"5:20
7."Seoulsi Peggygou" (서울시페기구)2:37
8."I Go"5:32
9."Purple Horizon"3:41
10."1+1=11"5:32
Total length:40:17
I Hear You - Bonus Tracks Edition track listing
No.TitleLength
11."(It Goes Like) Nanana (Nanadub)"6:07
12."I Believe in Love Again (Jex Opolis Remix)" (with Lenny Kravitz)5:51
13."Lobster Telephone (Mogwaa Remix)"5:57
14."1+1=11 (Spray Remix)"6:27
15."1+1=11 (Koreless' Beatless Mix)"5:12
Total length:69:51

Notes

Personnel

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Charts

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Chart performance for I Hear You
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Australian Dance Albums (ARIA)[14] 5
Australian Hitseekers Albums (ARIA)[14] 5
Australian Vinyl Albums (ARIA)[15] 7
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[16] 55
French Albums (SNEP)[17] 188
Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)[18] 37
Scottish Albums (OCC)[19] 5
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[20] 83
UK Albums (OCC)[21] 39
UK Dance Albums (OCC)[22] 3
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[23] 2
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[24] 15
US Top Current Album Sales (Billboard)[25] 43
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[26] 14

References

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  1. ^ a b c Butchard, Skye (4 June 2024). "Peggy Gou – I Hear You review: flashes of dance-pop brilliance from superstar DJ". NME. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  2. ^ "Dance DJ/Producer Peggy Gou Readies Debut LP, I Hear You". Spin. 4 April 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  3. ^ a b Monroe, Jazz (4 April 2024). "Peggy Gou Announces Debut Album I Hear You, Shares New Song and Video: Watch". Pitchfork. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  4. ^ Go, Mayks (5 April 2024). "Peggy Gou Unveils Single '1+1=11', To Release Debut Album This June". Billboard Philippines. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  5. ^ Buckle, Becky (4 April 2024). "Peggy Gou announces debut album I Hear You – News". Mixmag. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  6. ^ a b Guttridge-Hewitt, Martin (4 April 2024). "Peggy Gou announces debut album, I Hear You, shares single: Listen". DJ Mag. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  7. ^ "Peggy Gou Shares New Track 'Lobster Telephone'". Clash Music. 17 May 2024. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  8. ^ a b "I Hear You by Peggy Gou Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
  9. ^ a b Simpson, Paul. "I Hear You – Peggy Gou | Album". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  10. ^ a b Bryson, Chris (6 June 2024). "Peggy Gou Touches the Timeless on I Hear You". Exclaim!. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  11. ^ a b Foulds, Callum (5 June 2024). "Peggy Gou takes happiness seriously on I Hear You". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  12. ^ a b Ravens, Chal (7 June 2024). "Peggy Gou: I Hear You Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  13. ^ Breihan, Tom (4 June 2024). "Peggy Gou I Hear You Album Review". Stereogum. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  14. ^ a b "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 17 June 2024". The ARIA Report. No. 1789. Australian Recording Industry Association. 17 June 2024. pp. 19, 25.
  15. ^ "ARIA Top 20 Vinyl Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 17 June 2024. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  16. ^ "Ultratop.be – Peggy Gou – I Hear You" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  17. ^ "Lescharts.com – Peggy Gou – I Hear You". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  18. ^ "2024 24-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. 14 June 2024. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  19. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  20. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Peggy Gou – I Hear You". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  21. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  22. ^ "Official Dance Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  23. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  24. ^ "Peggy Gou Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  25. ^ "Peggy Gou Chart History (Top Current Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  26. ^ "Peggy Gou Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 June 2024.