Paranoia, Angels, True Love

Héloïse Letissier called the album "the second part of an operatic gesture" including Redcar les adorables étoiles (prologue) (2022), and noted that it was inspired by "the glorious dramaturgy" of Tony Kushner's play Angels in America (1991). He also called it "a key towards heart-opening transformation, a prayer towards the self".

{{Music ratings

| ADM = 7.6/10{{cite web|url=http://www.anydecentmusic.com/review/13667/Christine-and-the-Queens-Paranoia-Angels-True-Love.aspx|title=Paranoia, Angels, True Love by Christine and the Queens reviews|website=AnyDecentMusic?|access-date=11 June 2023}}

| MC = 78/100{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/paranoia-angels-true-love/christine-and-the-queens|title=Paranoia, Angels, True Love by Christine and the Queens Reviews and Tracks|website=Metacritic|access-date=10 June 2023}}

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/parano%C3%AFa-angels-true-love-mw0003944502|title=Christine and the Queens – Paranoia, Angels, True Love Album Reviews, Songs & More|website=AllMusic|last=Phares|first=Heather|date=9 June 2023|access-date=9 June 2023}}

| rev2 = DIY

| rev2score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite magazine|url=https://diymag.com/review/album/christine-and-the-queens-parano%C3%AFa-angels-true-love|title=Christine and the Queens – Paranoia, Angels, True Love review|magazine=DIY|last=Robinson|first=Otis|date=8 June 2023|access-date=9 June 2023}}

| rev3 = Evening Standard

| rev3score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite news|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/music/christine-and-the-queens-paranoia-angels-and-true-love-album-review-b1086315.html|title=Christine and the Queens: Paranoia, Angels and True Love album review: songs of breathtaking beauty|newspaper=Evening Standard|last=Smyth|first=David|date=8 June 2023|access-date=9 June 2023}}

| rev4 = The Guardian

| rev4score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/jun/09/christine-and-the-queens-paranoia-angels-true-love-review|title=Christine and the Queens: Paranoïa, Angels, True Love review – a grief-stricken masterpiece|newspaper=The Guardian|last=Aroesti|first=Rachel|date=9 June 2023|access-date=10 June 2023}}

| rev5 = The Independent

| rev5score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/christine-and-the-queens-paranoia-angels-true-love-review-b2353933.html|title=Christine and the Queens, Paranoia, Angels, True Love review: Sometimes heavenly, sometimes testing|newspaper=The Independent|last=Brown|first=Helen|date=8 June 2023|access-date=9 June 2023}}

| rev6 = The Line of Best Fit

| rev6score = 9/10{{cite web|url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/albums/christine-and-the-queens-paranoia-angels-true-love-sprawling-odyssey-epic-theatrics|title=Christine and the Queens: Paranoïa, Angels, True Love Review – an astounding odyssey|website=The Line of Best Fit|last=Khuttapan|first=Tanatat|date=6 June 2023|access-date=9 June 2023}}

| rev7 = Pitchfork

| rev7score = 6.8/10{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/christine-and-the-queens-paranoia-angels-true-love/|title=Christine and the Queens: Paranoia, Angels, True Love Album Review|website=Pitchfork|last=Thomas|first=Peyton|date=14 June 2023|access-date=14 June 2023}}

| rev8 = The Skinny

| rev8score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.theskinny.co.uk/music/reviews/albums/christine-and-the-queens-paranoia-angels-true-love|title=Christine and the Queens – Paranoia, Angels, True Love|magazine=The Skinny|last=Fitzgerald|first=Lucy|date=6 June 2023|access-date=9 June 2023}}

| rev9 = Slant Magazine

| rev9score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/christine-and-the-queens-paranoia-angels-true-love-album-review/|title=Christine and the Queens Paranoïa, Angels, True Love Review: A Multifaceted Manifesto for Love|website=Slant Magazine|last=Mason|first=Eric|date=5 June 2023|access-date=9 June 2023}}

| rev10 = The Telegraph

| rev10score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/albums-of-the-week-janelle-monae-niall-horan/|title=Janelle Monáe gets physical, Niall Horan feels the weight of the world – the week's best albums|newspaper=The Telegraph|last=McCormick|first=Neil|author-link=Neil McCormick|date=9 June 2023|access-date=10 June 2023}}

}}

Paranoia, Angels, True Love received a score of 78 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on 14 critics' reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Otis Robinson of DIY found that "the record's brilliance lies in an innovative ocean of modern opera, blending elements of soul, pop, trap, R&B, drum 'n' bass and musical theatre", but that the "presence of hip hop producer Mike Dean on the album lends a post-pop sound". He concluded that it is "a far way away from debut Chaleur humaine, yet just as unafraid", and "like no other exploration of grief – a new magnum opus".

Rachel Aroesti of The Guardian described Paranoia, Angels, True Love as a "masterpiece" where the despair of Letissier over the recent death of his mother "sublimated into astonishingly beautiful experimental pop, drenched in warm celestial light, punctured by spikes of confused pain", and produced a work that is "hypnotically melodic, clever, stylish, serious, fun, addictively unexpected and euphorically danceable." Eric Mason of Slant Magazine described the album as "the culmination of the French singer's ambitious approach to pop conventions" as well as "a collection of wiry, introspective songs that break from pop conventions while asserting the life-affirming power of love".

David Smyth of the Evening Standard found Paranoia, Angels, True Love to be "weird and absolutely wonderful" in contrast to the "weird and alienating" Redcar, with "songs of breathtaking beauty" that are a "long way from the smooth, sophisticated electronic pop" of Chaleur humaine. Reviewing the album for The Line of Best Fit, Tanatat Khuttapan opined that it is Letissier's "largest, most ambitious album to date" and "as enthralling and enigmatic as the tales of the mystique, embellished in epic theatrics and artful references", but found that some tracks would work better as "spoken poems [...] due to their slack, unmoving instrumentation".

Helen Brown of The Independent summarised the album as "requiring serious investment on the listener's part" as it is "too long and rambling to bring Christine and the Queens any new fans, or much action on the singles chart. Its self-indulgence may even tire some existing fans. But if you give it time to grow its wings, it can really lift you up." Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Heather Phares compared it less favourably to Letissier's previous work, writing: "As a whole it doesn't feel as rewarding as the diamond-like clarity and brilliance of Chris or La Vita Nuova. Even if it's missing some of the electrifying immediacy of those works, there's a lot of challenging and emotionally powerful music here for fans to appreciate."

Neil McCormick of The Telegraph wrote that "with every new release, the work of Heloise Letissier becomes harder to summarise", finding there to be "many absolutely gorgeous moments" but that "the overwhelming mood is oppressive as it proceeds at a relentlessly mid tempo pace [...], frequently building to bombastic quasi-religious choral electro goth climaxes, with crunching drums, overloaded vocals and wailing lead guitar". He ultimately called it "a lot". Peyton Thomas of Pitchfork summarised that the album is a "raw, dreamlike, 20-song epic that still feels like a first draft" and that for "every stunner" track ("Tears Can Be So Soft", "I Met an Angel" and "True Love"), there is "a head-scratcher" ("Full of Life", "Let Me Touch You" and "Aimer, puis vivre"), comparing the latter set of tracks to Roman marble statues "stripped, over millennia, of their paint" and calling them "not all fully formed, and often crying out for color".

{{Track listing

| headline = Disc one: Paranoia track listing

| all_lyrics = Héloise Letissier

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| title1 = Overture

| music1 = {{hlist|Letissier|Joseph Bishara|Mike Dean}}

| extra1 = {{hlist|Christine and the Queens|Dean}}

| length1 = 1:23

| title2 = Tears Can Be So Soft

| music2 = {{hlist|Letissier|Dean|Sarah Schachner|Leon Ware|Marvin Gaye}}

| extra2 = {{hlist|Christine and the Queens|Dean|Schachner{{ref|a|[a]}}}}

| length2 = 5:11

| title3 = Marvin Descending

| music3 = {{hlist|Letissier|Bishara|Dean|Ash Workman}}

| extra3 = {{hlist|Christine and the Queens|Dean|Workman}}

| length3 = 4:06

| title4 = A Day in the Water

| music4 = {{hlist|Letissier|Workman}}

| extra4 = {{hlist|Christine and the Queens|Dean|Workman}}

| length4 = 4:01

| title5 = Full of Life

| music5 = {{hlist|Letissier|Dean|Tommy Rush|Johann Pachelbel}}

| extra5 = {{hlist|Christine and the Queens|Dean|Rush{{ref|a|[a]}}}}

| length5 = 4:32

| title6 = Angels Crying in My Bed

| note6 = featuring Madonna

| music6 = {{hlist|Letissier|Dean}}

| extra6 = {{hlist|Christine and the Queens|Dean}}

| length6 = 4:26

| title7 = Track 10

| music7 = {{hlist|Letissier|Dean|Darren King|Gregory Lake}}

| extra7 = {{hlist|Christine and the Queens|Dean}}

| length7 = 11:09

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Disc two: Angels track listing

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| title1 = Overture

| note1 = featuring Mike Dean

| music1 = {{hlist|Letissier|Dean}}

| extra1 = {{hlist|Christine and the Queens|Dean}}

| length1 = 1:26

| title2 = He's Been Shining for Ever, Your Son

| music2 = {{hlist|Letissier|Dean}}

| extra2 = {{hlist|Christine and the Queens|Dean}}

| length2 = 5:01

| title3 = Flowery Days

| music3 = {{hlist|Letissier|Workman}}

| extra3 = Christine and the Queens

| length3 = 3:00

| title4 = I Met an Angel

| note4 = featuring Madonna

| music4 = {{hlist|Letissier|Dean|Bishara|King}}

| extra4 = {{hlist|Christine and the Queens|Dean}}

| length4 = 6:06

| title5 = True Love

| note5 = featuring 070 Shake

| music5 = {{hlist|Letissier|Dean|Danielle Balbuena|Schachner}}

| extra5 = {{hlist|Christine and the Queens|Dean|Schachner{{ref|a|[a]}}}}

| length5 = 5:47

| title6 = Let Me Touch You Once

| note6 = featuring 070 Shake

| music6 = {{hlist|Letissier|Dean}}

| extra6 = Dean

| length6 = 3:15

| title7 = Aimer, puis vivre

| music7 = {{hlist|Letissier|Workman}}

| extra7 = Christine and the Queens

| length7 = 4:50

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Disc three: True Love track listing

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| title1 = Shine

| music1 = {{hlist|Letissier|Dean}}

| extra1 = {{hlist|Christine and the Queens|Dean}}

| length1 = 5:52

| title2 = We Have to Be Friends

| music2 = {{hlist|Letissier|Dean|King}}

| extra2 = {{hlist|Christine and the Queens|Dean|Workman{{ref|a|[a]}}}}

| length2 = 4:14

| title3 = Lick the Light Out

| note3 = featuring Madonna

| music3 = {{hlist|Letissier|Dean||Bishara|King}}

| extra3 = {{hlist|Christine and the Queens|Dean|A. G. Cook{{ref|a|[a]}}}}

| length3 = 6:31

| title4 = To Be Honest

| music4 = {{hlist|Letissier|Dean}}

| extra4 = {{hlist|Christine and the Queens|Dean|Workman{{ref|a|[a]}}}}

| length4 = 3:41

| title5 = I Feel Like an Angel

| music5 = {{hlist|Letissier|Dean}}

| extra5 = {{hlist|Christine and the Queens|Dean}}

| length5 = 4:31

| title6 = Big Eye

| music6 = {{hlist|Letissier|Dean||Bishara|King}}

| extra6 = {{hlist|Christine and the Queens|Dean}}

| length6 = 7:47

| total_length = 96:49

}}

• {{sup|{{note|a|[a]}}}} signifies an additional producer

• "Tears Can Be So Soft" contains a sample of Marvin Gaye's "Feel All My Love Inside", written by Gaye and Leon Ware.{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/listen-to-christine-and-the-queens-emotive-new-song-tears-can-be-so-soft-3441315|title=Listen to Christine and the Queens' emotive new song 'Tears can be so soft'|website=NME|last=Aubrey|first=Elizabeth|date=9 May 2023|access-date=10 June 2023}}
• "Full of Life" contains a sample of Johann Pachelbel's Canon in D.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/60040/1/christine-and-the-queens-interview-meltdown-festival-new-album-2023-paranoia|title='My fluidity, my dignity': The radical kingdom of Christine and the Queens|magazine=Dazed Digital|last=Jones|first=Daisy|date=8 June 2023|access-date=10 June 2023}}
• "Track 10" contains a sample of Emerson, Lake & Palmer's "Lucky Man", written by Greg Lake.{{cite web|url=https://www.christineandthequeens.com|title=Paranoia, Angels, True Love Credits|work=Christine and the Queens Website|access-date=10 June 2023}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{discogs master|3126366}}

{{Christine and the Queens}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paranoia, Angels, True Love}}

Category:2023 albums

Category:Albums produced by Mike Dean (record producer)

Category:Art pop albums

Category:Because Music albums

Category:Rahim Redcar albums

Category:2020s French-language albums