Proto (Holly Herndon album)

Proto
Studio album by
Holly Herndon
ReleasedMay 10, 2019 (2019-05-10)
Length44:07
Label4AD
Producer
Holly Herndon chronology
Platform
(2015) 		Proto
(2019)

Proto (stylized in all caps) is the third studio album by American electronic musician Holly Herndon. It was released on May 10, 2019, via 4AD.[1] It includes the singles "Godmother" and "Eternal", with the video of the latter accompanying the album announcement.[2] The album was called a collaboration with an AI named "Spawn" co-created by Herndon and Mat Dryhurst.[3]

Background

The album was created in a collaboration with an AI program named "Spawn", created by Herndon and Mat Dryhurst, and located in a "DIY souped-up gaming PC". It features "live vocal processing and timeless folk singing" with an "emphasis on alien song craft".[3] The album features "live training" sessions during which vocalists recruited by Herndon and Dryhurst would teach Spawn how to interpret sounds. Herndon has said that her aim is to make technology seem less "dehumanizing".[4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.0/10[5]
Metacritic82/100[6]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
Exclaim!9/10[8]
Financial Times[9]
The Guardian[10]
The Observer[11]
Pitchfork8.2/10[12]
Q[13]
Resident Advisor3.8/5[14]
The Times[15]
Uncut7/10[16]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Proto received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 82 out of 100 from 18 critic scores.[6]

Accolades

Year-end lists for Proto
Publication List Rank Ref.
BrooklynVegan BrooklynVegan's Top 50 Albums of 2019
32
[17]
Crack The Top 50 Albums of the Year
36
[18]
DJ Mag DJ Mag's Top 50 Albums of 2019
6
[19]
NPR The 25 Best Albums of 2019
17
[20]
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2019
44
[21]
The Quietus Quietus Albums of the Year 2019
37
[22]
Slant Magazine The 25 Best Albums of 2019
21
[23]
Stereogum The 50 Best Albums of 2019
13
[24]
Under the Radar Under the Radar's Top 100 Albums of 2019
99
[25]
Vice The 100 Best Albums of 2019
34
[26]

Track listing

Proto track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Birth"1:14
2."Alienation"3:43
3."Canaan (Live Training)"1:36
4."Eternal"4:45
5."Crawler"5:57
6."Extreme Love" (with Lily Anna Hayes and Jenna Sutela)2:34
7."Frontier"4:29
8."Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt"3:11
9."Swim"4:38
10."Evening Shades (Live Training)"1:33
11."Bridge" (with Martine Syms)2:48
12."Godmother" (with Jlin featuring Spawn)2:30
13."Last Gasp"5:09
Total length:44:07

Charts

Chart (2019) Peak
position
Scottish Albums (OCC)[27] 99
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[28] 78
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[29] 28

References

  1. ^ Bloom, Madison (March 11, 2019). "Holly Herndon Announces New Album PROTO, Shares Video: Watch". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  2. ^ Cook-Wilson, Winston (March 11, 2019). "Holly Herndon Announces New Album PROTO, Releases Video for 'Eternal'". Spin. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  3. ^ a b Renshaw, David (March 11, 2019). "Holly Herndon announces new album PROTO". The Fader. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  4. ^ Bruce-Jones, Henry (March 11, 2019). "Holly Herndon sings to her A.I. baby on new album PROTO". Fact. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  5. ^ "PROTO by Holly Herndon reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  6. ^ a b "PROTO by Holly Herndon Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  7. ^ Phares, Heather. "PROTO – Holly Herndon". AllMusic. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  8. ^ Beedham, Tom (May 7, 2019). "Holly Herndon: PROTO". Exclaim!. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  9. ^ Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (May 10, 2019). "Holly Herndon: Proto — AI technology meets medieval acoustics". Financial Times. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  10. ^ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (May 10, 2019). "Holly Herndon: Proto review – dystopia averted! AI and IRL in pop harmony". The Guardian. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  11. ^ Mackay, Emily (May 12, 2019). "Holly Herndon: Proto review – dizzying beauty and bracing beats". The Observer. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  12. ^ Geffen, Sasha (May 14, 2019). "Holly Herndon: PROTO Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
  13. ^ Snapes, Laura (July 2019). "Rise of the Machines". Q (399): 108.
  14. ^ Ravens, Chal (May 13, 2019). "Holly Herndon – Proto". Resident Advisor. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  15. ^ Hodgkinson, Will (May 10, 2019). "Holly Herndon: Proto review". The Times. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  16. ^ Martin, Piers (June 2019). "Holly Herndon: Proto". Uncut (265): 29.
  17. ^ "BrooklynVegan's Top 50 Albums of 2019". BrooklynVegan. December 23, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  18. ^ "The Top 50 Albums of the Year". Crack. December 9, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  19. ^ "DJ Mag's top 50 albums of 2019". DJ Mag. December 17, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  20. ^ "The 25 Best Albums of 2019". NPR. December 11, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  21. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2019". Pitchfork. December 10, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  22. ^ "Quietus Albums Of The Year 2019 (In Association With Norman Records) (page 4)". The Quietus. December 18, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  23. ^ "The 25 Best Albums of 2019". Slant Magazine. December 12, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  24. ^ "The 50 Best Albums Of 2019". Stereogum. December 3, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  25. ^ "Under the Radar's Top 100 Albums of 2019 (Part 2)". Under the Radar. December 31, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  26. ^ "The 100 Best Albums of 2019". Vice. December 12, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  27. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart on 17/5/2019 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
  28. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart on 17/5/2019 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  29. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart on 17/5/2019 – Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
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