It’s no surprise that Oneohtrix Point Never’s new album is built around a concept. That’s typical for them. When Daniel Lopatin isn’t creating film scores or producing a diverse array of artists like the Weeknd, Anohni, Charli XCX, and Soccer Mommy, he releases a series of praised albums, each with its own unifying theme.
His 2010 album “Returnal” explored “hyperreal world music,” inspired by how people now experience the globe without leaving home. “Garden of Delete” in 2015 came with a backstory about a teenage alien named Ezra, while 2018’s “Age Of” envisioned AI trying to rebuild human culture after our extinction. Lopatin is also deeply fascinated by nostalgia and forgotten pop culture relics. He has crafted albums from distorted loops of 80s pop hits, preset sounds on outdated synthesizers, and recordings of US radio stations shifting formats, abandoning their old musical specialties for whatever was trendy at the time.
“Tranquilizer” fits perfectly within Oneohtrix Point Never’s style. It feels like a follow-up to “Replica,” released 14 years ago. For that album, Lopatin used sounds from bootleg DVDs of 80s and 90s TV commercials. “Tranquilizer” is made from a collection of old sample CDs—pre-packaged, royalty-free sound libraries popular with musicians in the 90s and early 2000s—that Lopatin found on the Internet Archive. He bookmarked the page for later use, only to discover it had been deleted, adding an extra thrill. Although it reappeared later, this highlighted how fragile the assumption is that everything online is preserved forever.
“Replica” had a disorienting quality, especially in its use of tiny spoken word fragments: you’d hear a breath and the start of a word, but the rest of the sentence never came, just that brief opening looped or stuttering. “Tranquilizer” carries a similar unease. Sample CDs were often organized by genre, labeled for drum ‘n’ bass, hip-hop, or house music. From the beginning, the sounds on “Tranquilizer” strongly suggest Lopatin’s source CDs were meant for ambient or new age music. “For Residue” opens with ocean waves, expansive Pink Floyd-like guitar chords, breathy wordless vocals, and rich, warm electronic tones. Elsewhere, you hear clear 90s ambient markers: tinkling wind chimes, Satie-inspired piano melodies, slow, vague “tribal” drums, vinyl crackle, and muted trumpet phrases reminiscent of Brian Eno’s collaborator Jon Hassell. The synths at the end of “Modern Lust” sound exactly like those on the KLF’s iconic album “Chill Out.”
Despite its name, “Tranquilizer” doesn’t feel particularly restful. Instead, it lulls you with familiar sounds before throwing you off balance. Sometimes this is straightforwardly unsettling, like when the rhythms in “Bumpy” fall jarringly out of sync like a skipping record, or when sounds abruptly shift on “Vestigel,” or when pitches bend to create a dizzy, sickly atmosphere in “Lifeworld.” Other times, the effect is overwhelming and euphoric: the sudden shift in “Rodl Glide” from a slow drift of sound to full-on rave energy, or the burst of chattering synths in the middle of “Dis.” (For listeners of a certain age, this offers a startlingly Proustian flashback to the era.)Throughout the track, the sound is disrupted by interference from an old 2G mobile phone. Over five and a half minutes, “Waterfalls” transitions from desolate, windswept landscapes to the bustling energy of urban life. It shifts from segments reminiscent of the Japanese new age music featured in Visible Cloaks’ acclaimed 2010 mix series, Fairlights, Mallets and Bamboo, to a burst that echoes an early ’80s children’s TV theme. The result is exhilarating and draining rather than soothing.
Despite its source material’s apparent aim to induce calm, the album remains in constant, restless motion for an hour. It’s chillout music reimagined for a time when true relaxation is hard to come by—an era dominated by endless content and the addictive pull of doomscrolling, making peace something we must actively pursue. Tranquilizer is unlikely to help you unwind; it’s too vibrant and unsettled, packed with a wealth of sounds. This is an album that commands—and rewards—your full focus, rather than fading into the background.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of helpful FAQs about Alexis Petridiss review of Tranquilizer by Oneohtrix Point Never
General Beginner Questions
Q What is Tranquilizer
A Tranquilizer is a new album by the experimental electronic artist Oneohtrix Point Never
Q Who is Alexis Petridis
A He is a respected music critic for The Guardian newspaper When he names an Album of the Week it means he highly recommends it
Q So did the critic like the album
A Yes very much He made it his Album of the Week which is a significant endorsement from him
Q What kind of music is on this album Is it easy to listen to
A Its experimental electronic music Petridis notes its more accessible and melodic than some of OPNs past work but its still complex and not typical pop music
Q Why is the album called Tranquilizer
A While the review doesnt give a single reason the title suggests a theme of calmness sedation or numbing which often contrasts with the intricate and sometimes chaotic beauty of the music
Deeper Dive Analytical Questions
Q What makes this album stand out from Oneohtrix Point Nevers previous work
A According to Petridis this album is more direct and songbased with clearer melodies and a stronger emotional pull while still maintaining his signature experimental sound
Q Are there any featured artists on the album
A Yes the review specifically highlights a track featuring the artist Toro y Moi which is described as a standout moment on the record
Q What are the common themes or moods explored in Tranquilizer
A The review suggests themes of memory technology nostalgia and emotion all wrapped in a soundscape that can feel both beautiful and unsettling
Q The review mentions sampling How does OPN use samples on this album
A He is known for using obscure and manipulated samples from media commercials and old recordings to create a unique collagelike atmosphere that evokes a sense of fragmented memory
