''Crumbling'' () is the second studio album by South Korean
folktronica
Folktronica is a genre of music comprising various elements of folk music and electronica, often featuring uses of acoustic instruments – especially stringed instruments – and incorporating hip hop, electronic or dance rhythms, although ...
artist
Mid-Air Thief
Mid-Air Thief () is a pseudonymous South Korean folktronica musician. They have released two albums: ''Gongjoong Doduk'' (2015) and '' Crumbling'' (2018), the latter of which won Best Dance & Electronic Album at the 2019 Korean Music Awards.
C ...
. The album features vocals by South Korean indie singer-songwriter Summer Soul.
It was released on July 31, 2018. It was nominated at the
Korean Music Awards
The Korean Music Awards () is an annual South Korean music awards show that honors both mainstream and underground musical artists from a variety of genres. Unlike other major South Korean music awards, which largely rely on record sales to det ...
in 2019 in the categories "Album of the Year" and "Best Dance & Electronic Album" and won the latter.
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Background
The album gained attention from online music communities such as Album of The Year and Rate Your Music
Rate Your Music (often abbreviated to RYM) is an online collaborative database of music releases and films. Users can catalog items from their personal collection, review them, and assign ratings in a five-star rating system. The site also fea ...
,
Release
''Crumbling'' was released independently in South Korea on July 31, 2018Topshelf Records
Topshelf Records is an American independent record label started in Peabody, Massachusetts and as of 2015 is now based in San Diego, California.
Topshelf Records has been profiled in the ''Pittsburgh City Paper'', ''San Diego Reader'', ''San D ...
.
Critical reception
Weiv described ''Crumbling'' as "the power of faint sounds." Reggie MT of Tiny Mix Tapes
''Tiny Mix Tapes'' (also ''TMT'' or ''tinymixtapes'') is an online music and film webzine that focuses primarily on new music and related news. In addition to its reviews, it is noted for its subversive, political, and sometimes surreal news, a ...
declared that the album is "much like its spiritual predecessor, alternately chillaxed and maximalist, calming and rousing."[ It ranked on Pretty Much Amazing's 2018: Year in Review list at number 22, while the writer stated that "at first listen, Mid-Air Thief sounds like a ]Grizzly Bear
The grizzly bear (''Ursus arctos horribilis''), also known as the North American brown bear or simply grizzly, is a population or subspecies of the brown bear inhabiting North America.
In addition to the mainland grizzly (''Ursus arctos horri ...
clone, but upon further listening, this is pacific island pop you didn't know you wanted."
Track listing
All lyrics written by Mid-Air Thief and Summer Soul; all music written by Mid-Air Thief.
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Crumbling''.
Musicians
* Mid-Air Thief – instruments, music
* Summer Soul – backing vocals
* Ko Jae-Hyun – instruments
Artwork
* Shin Hye-Jung – artwork
References
{{Authority control
2018 albums
Mid-Air Thief albums
Korean-language albums