Desire, I Want to Turn Into You

After releasing Pang in late 2019, Polachek was set to tour the record, but was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Polachek stayed in London and began work on Desire, I Want to Turn Into You with close collaborator Danny L Harle. She considers the album to be a major partnership with Harle, as the record has "few other collaborators in the mix". She continued work on the album in London until mid-2021, where she briefly relocated to Barcelona alongside Harle and new collaborator Sega Bodega.[8]

In November 2021, Polachek was featured on Charli XCX's "New Shapes" alongside Christine and the Queens. She then embarked on a North American tour with French musician Oklou for the remainder of 2021.[9]

Dua Lipa announced Polachek as a supporting act on the North American and Canadian legs of the Future Nostalgia Tour from February to July 2022,[10] performing at many festivals as well. Polachek was featured on Flume's "Sirens" in March,[11] and wrote and produced the track "Afar" for Hyd in July.[12] She rescheduled European tour dates to finish work on Desire, I Want to Turn Into You.[13]

Six weeks ahead of the album release, in an interview with The Guardian, Polachek confirmed three more song titles: "Blood and Butter", "Pretty in Possible", and "Smoke".[14]

Desire, I Want to Turn Into You has been described as an art pop, alternative pop, and new-age record, with elements of electronic, rock, and trip-hop.[15][16][17][18] Shaad D'Souza of The Guardian wrote: "Ratcheting up both the fantastical elements of its predecessor as well as its humour and pop instinct, Desire is an eclectic, elaborate and cheekily deranged sequel, and one of the year's most anticipated releases". The album features bagpipes, children's choirs, Spanish guitar, "beats that run the gamut" from Ray of Light-style trip-hop to dembow, Celtic folk, and early '00s-style radio pop. Polachek herself described it as "a very maximalist album".[14]

Desire, I Want to Turn Into You was announced in December 2022.[19]

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	8.5/10[26]
Metacritic	94/100[27]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[28]
Clash	9/10[29]
DIY	[30]
Exclaim!	9/10[31]
The Line of Best Fit	9/10[32]
NME	[33]
Paste	9.2/10[34]
Pitchfork	8.7/10[35]
PopMatters	10/10[15]
Rolling Stone	[36]

Upon release, Desire, I Want to Turn Into You received widespread acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 94, based on 19 critical reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[27] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave the album a 8.5 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[26]

Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Matt Collar opined that the album "finds Polachek unapologetically embracing her inner pop diva, purposefully referencing a '90s and early-2000s pop aesthetic. This is an album of balmy trip-hop grooves, where electric bass riffs, finger-snap beats, and sky-blue synths caress her angelically swooping vocals like dolphins chasing a boat. It's an immediately evocative vibe that she commits to, deftly walking a fine line between earnest romanticism and artful irony." He concluded that with the album, "Polachek breaks free from outside expectations and transforms her inner anxieties into an intoxicating pop euphoria."[37]

Cat Zhang of Pitchfork wrote that the album was the best of Polachek's career, giving it the distinction of "Best New Music".[35] Maura Johnston reviewed the album positively for Rolling Stone, calling Polachek an "undeniable talent as a vocalist and arranger" and the album a "kinetic example of what happens when pop sets out to transcend its own limits."[36]

In a mixed review for NME, Ella Kemp praised Polachek's experimentation but said that some tracks "suffer[ed] from a more abstract vision" and called the album an "uneven collection".[33] Gabbie Nirenburg also provided a middling opinion about the album in a review for No Ripcord, calling it “just fine” and positing the question: "Is there anything on this record that is really SO unique or special or different from every other competent art pop album out there?"[38]

All tracks are written and produced by Caroline Polachek and Danny L Harle, except where noted.

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies a co-producer

• Caroline Polachek – lead vocals, guitar (track 1)
• Danny L Harle – bass (track 3)
• Nico Harle – additional vocals (track 3)
• Marc López Fernández – guitar (track 4)
• Samuel Organ – guitar (track 4)
• Miquel Mestres – guitar (track 7)
• Brìghde Chaimbeul – bagpipes (track 8)
• Kirin J Callinan – guitar (track 8)
• Trinity Croydon Choir – additional vocals (tracks 10, 12)
• Aidan Zamiri – cover art