Immunity (Jon Hopkins album)

Production

Among the artists that contributed vocals were long-time collaborator King Creosote, and Corin Roddick and Megan James of the band Purity Ring. It was recorded and produced in Hopkins' London studio, with Hopkins often using homemade sound effects or the natural sound of the room.

Promotion

On March 6, 2013 Hopkins announced that his fourth solo album Immunity would be released by Domino Records on June 4 in North America, and June 3 in the rest of the world. A trailer for the album featuring a snippet of the track "Collider" from the album was made available through YouTube. The first single "Open Eye Signal" was uploaded on Pitchfork's YouTube channel on April 24, 2013. The hour-long Immunity was released on June 4, 2013 by Domino Recording Company in London, on vinyl, CD, and digitally. It peaked at #13 on Top Electronic Albums by Billboard in the United States. In Britain, it was also nominated for the 2013 Mercury Prize for best album.

Critical reception

The album met with a largely positive reception, receiving perfect scores from Mixmag and MusicOMH, and 4/5 from The Observer. By 2013 it had a cumulative score of 82/100 on Metacritic indicating universal acclaim. Stated MixMag, "Immunity is an album of organic techno and exquisite mini-symphonies."

Several reviews focused on the cohesiveness of the tracks. Stated The Guardian, the album "lasts exactly an hour but feels much longer. This isn't a criticism: in eight vivid, atmospheric tracks, Immunity captures the feel of an epic night out. Hopkins's beats shuffle and trip but there is a great clarity of focus throughout, and a delicate beauty." Stated MusicOMH, "It is that rarest of things in 2013, an album which demands to be listened to as a whole and indeed functions best as an hour-long work of art."

Most reviews praised the emotional and introspective nature of the album. Stated XLR8R, there is a "Brian Eno-esque atmosphere that appears throughout Immunity, a kind of angelic presence touching every track and even making Hopkins' more brooding efforts introspective in a very powerful way." MusicOMH also called it "an intelligent and deeply human album" and a "modern classic."

AllMusic gave it a largely positive review, stating "Some of Immunity's most impressive moments expand on the blend of rhythm and atmosphere Hopkins emphasized on Insides...the album still reflects how Hopkins' polished approach is something of a blessing and a curse. Immunity shows how he's grown, in his subtle, accomplished way...yet its tracks occasionally feel like the surroundings for a focal point that never arrives." In contrast, Pitchfork Media described Immunity as a "remarkably visceral, sensual, confident electronic record that stays absorbing from beginning to end."

Personnel