Patterns in Repeat
{{Use British English|date=October 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Patterns in Repeat
| type = studio
| artist = Laura Marling
| cover = Patterns in Repeat Laura Marling album cover.jpg
| alt =
| released = {{Start date|2024|10|25|df=yes}}
| studio = Marling's home studio, London
Bert
Jansch Studio, London
Smilo Sound, New York
| genre =
| length = 36:20
| label =
| producer =
- Laura Marling
- Dom Monks
| prev_title = Song for Our Daughter
| prev_year = 2020
| next_title =
| next_year =
| misc = {{Singles
| name = Patterns in Repeat
| type = studio
| single1 = Patterns
| single1date = 10 July 2024
| single2 = No One's Gonna Love You Like I Can
| single2date = 21 August 2024
| single3 = Child of Mine
| single3date = 24 September 2024
}}
}}
Patterns in Repeat is the eighth studio album by British singer-songwriter Laura Marling, released by Chrysalis Records and Partisan Records on 25 October 2024.{{Cite web |last=Duran |first=Anagricel |date=10 July 2024 |title=Laura Marling announces new album 'Patterns In Repeat' with tender single 'Patterns' |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/laura-marling-announces-new-album-patterns-in-repeat-with-tender-single-patterns-3773640 |access-date=26 October 2024 |website=NME |language=en-GB}} Marling co-produced the album with Dom Monks. It was supported by three singles: "Patterns", "No One's Gonna Love You Like I Can" and "Child of Mine".
Background and recording
Patterns in Repeat was written after the birth of Laura Marling's daughter in 2023. The songs reflect on motherhood, ageing and the patterns that are passed down through family over generations.{{Cite web |last=Amen |first=John |date=25 October 2024 |title=ALBUM REVIEW: On 'Patterns in Repeat,' Laura Marling Finds Inspiration in Motherhood |url=https://www.nodepression.com/album-reviews/album-review-patterns-in-repeat-laura-marling/ |access-date=26 October 2024 |website=No Depression |language=en-US}} The album opens with the sound of a man and a woman talking, alongside a baby cooing.
It was recorded at Marling's home studio and at Bert Jansch Studio in London. Strings were recorded at Smilo Sound in Brooklyn, New York. Marling co-produced the album with Dom Monks.
Release
On 10 July 2024, Marling released the single "Patterns", her first solo release in four years. She simultaneously announced a pair of residencies at London's Hackney Church and New York's Bowery Ballroom, which would begin shortly following the album's release.{{Cite web |last=Moderelli |first=Rob |date=10 July 2024 |title=Listen: Laura Marling Previews New Record 'Patterns in Repeat' With "Patterns" |url=https://relix.com/news/detail/listen-laura-marling-previews-new-record-patterns-in-repeat-with-patterns/ |access-date=26 October 2024 |website=Relix Media |language=en-US}} The single "No One's Gonna Love You Like I Can" was released on 21 August 2024.{{Cite web |last=Carter |first=Daisy |date=21 August 2024 |title=Laura Marling is as intimate as ever on new single 'No One's Gonna Love You Like I Can' |url=https://diymag.com/news/laura-marling-no-ones-gonna-love-you-like-i-can |access-date=26 October 2024 |website=DIY |language=en}} A third single, "Child of Mine", was released on 24 September 2024.{{Cite web |last=Breihan |first=Tom |date=24 September 2024 |title=Laura Marling – "Child Of Mine" |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2281619/laura-marling-child-of-mine/music/ |access-date=26 October 2024 |website=Stereogum |language=en}} The album was released on 25 October 2024 by Chrysalis Records and Partisan Records.{{Cite web |date=25 October 2024 |title=12 New Albums to Stream Today |url=https://consequence.net/2024/10/new-albums-to-stream-halsey-tears-for-fears/ |access-date=26 October 2024 |website=Consequence |language=en-US}}
Critical reception
{{Music ratings
| MC = 91/100{{Cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/patterns-in-repeat/laura-marling |title=Patterns in Repeat by Laura Marling Reviews and Tracks |website=Metacritic |access-date=20 November 2024}}
| rev1 = Clash
| rev1score = 9/10{{Cite web |url=https://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/laura-marling-patterns-in-repeat/ |title=Laura Marling – Patterns In Repeat |last=James |first=Gareth |date=25 October 2024 |website=Clash |access-date=26 October 2024}}
| rev2 = The Daily Telegraph
| rev2score = {{rating|5|5}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/news/best-albums-of-the-week-laura-marling-razorlight-pixies/ |title=Don't retire, Laura Marling, you've just made your greatest album yet |last=McCormick |first=Neil |author-link=Neil McCormick |date=25 October 2024 |website=The Daily Telegraph |access-date=26 October 2024 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241025154917/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/news/best-albums-of-the-week-laura-marling-razorlight-pixies/ |archive-date=25 October 2024}}
| rev3 = DIY
| rev3score = {{rating|5|5}}{{Cite web |url=https://diymag.com/review/album/laura-marling-patterns-in-repeat |title=Laura Marling - Patterns in Repeat review |last=Carter |first=Daisy |date=25 October 2024 |website=DIY |access-date=26 October 2024}}
| rev4 = The Independent
| rev4score = {{rating|5|5}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/on-patterns-in-repeat-laura-marling-departs-from-the-joni-mitchell-motherhood-narrative-review-b2634976.html |title=On Patterns in Repeat, Laura Marling happily departs from the Joni Mitchell motherhood narrative |last=Brown |first=Helen |date=25 October 2024 |website=The Independent |access-date=26 October 2024}}
| rev5 = Mojo
| rev5score = {{rating|4|5}}{{Cite magazine |last=Currin |first=Grayson Haver |title=Laura Marling – Patterns in Repeat |magazine=Mojo |date=December 2024 |issue=373 |page=85}}
| rev6 = The Observer
| rev6score = {{rating|5|5}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/oct/25/laura-marling-patterns-in-repeat-review-a-tender-love-letter-to-motherhood |title=Laura Marling: Patterns in Repeat review – a tender love letter to motherhood |date=25 October 2024 |website=The Observer |access-date=26 October 2024}}
| rev7 = Pitchfork
| rev7score = 8.3/10{{Cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/laura-marling-patterns-in-repeat/ |title=Laura Marling: Patterns in Repeat Album Review |last=D'Aprile |first=Marianela |date=25 October 2024 |website=Pitchfork |access-date=26 October 2024}}
| rev8 = Uncut
| rev8score = 9/10{{Cite magazine |last=Hughes |first=Rob |title=Laura Marling – Patterns in Repeat |magazine=Uncut |date=November 2024 |issue=331 |page=26}}
}}
Patterns in Repeat was met with widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 from reviews from professional critics, the album received a score of 91, based on 15 reviews.
Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph wrote, "Everything about this album suggests someone at peace, from the tone of voice to the smoothness of sound and transparency of lyrics. It strikes me as Marling's least ambitious yet most satisfying album, as if she has stopped trying to write self-consciously great songs and yet they still arrive, smaller but perfectly formed." John Amen of No Depression noted that "Some listeners will miss the simmer and boil of earlier sets" but concluded that "Even if some of these tracks unfurl like a dream you soon forget, the sequence as a whole points to Marling's versatility, how her experiences feed her art, and how she's committed to embodying her one and fleeting life".
=Year-end lists=
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+ Select year-end rankings for Patterns in Repeat ! scope="col" | Publication/critic ! scope="col" | Accolade ! scope="col" | Rank ! scope="col" class="unsortable"| {{abbr|Ref.|Reference}} |
| scope="row" | Mojo
| 75 Best Albums of 2024 | style="text-align: center;" | 41 | style="text-align: center;" | {{cite magazine|date=January 2025|title=The 75 Best Albums of 2024|magazine=Mojo|issue=374|page=50}} |
|---|
| scope="row" | Rough Trade UK
| Albums of the Year 2024 | style="text-align: center;" | 3 | style="text-align: center;" | {{Cite web |title=Albums of the Year 2024 |url=https://blog.roughtrade.com/gb/uk-albums-of-the-year-2024/ |website=Rough Trade |language=en-GB |date=November 19, 2024 |access-date=November 20, 2024}} |
| scope="row" | Uncut
| 80 Best Albums of 2024 | style="text-align: center;" | 45 |
Track listing
{{Track listing
|headline = Patterns in Repeat track listing
| all_writing = Laura Marling, except where noted
| total_length = 36:20
| title1 = Child of Mine
| length1 = 4:12
| title2 = Patterns
| length2 = 4:20
| title3 = Your Girl
| length3 = 3:30
| title4 = No One's Gonna Love You Like I Can
| length4 = 2:02
| title5 = The Shadows
| length5 = 3:30
| title6 = Interlude (Time Passages)
| length6 = 3:05
| title7 = Caroline
| length7 = 3:20
| title8 = Looking Back
| writer8 = {{hlist|Laura Marling|Charlie Marling}}
| length8 = 3:04
| title9 = Lullaby
| length9 = 2:47
| title10 = Patterns in Repeat
| writer10 = {{hlist|Laura Marling|George Jephson}}
| length10 = 4:54
| title11 = Lullaby
| note11 = instrumental
| length11 = 1:36
}}
Personnel
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.{{cite AV media notes |title=Patterns in Repeat |others=Laura Marling |publisher=Chrysalis |year=2024 |type=liner notes |id=BRV266}}
- Laura Marling – lead vocals (1–5, 7–10), backing vocals (1–3, 5, 7–10), guitar (1–3, 5, 7–11), piano (1, 4), electric piano (3), Mellotron (1, 3, 6, 8), bass (2, 8), soft synths (6, 8), string machine (6), production, artwork
- Rob Moose – violin (1–3, 5, 7–11), viola (1–3, 5, 7–11), string arrangement (1–3, 5, 7–11), engineering
- Katt Newlon – cello (all tracks)
- Buck Meek – backing vocals (1)
- Maudie Marling – backing vocals (1, 9)
- Fred Wordsworth – horns (2)
- Harry Fausing Smith – violin (4, 10)
- Henry Rankin – viola, violin (4, 10)
- Dom Monks – synth bass (10), triangle (10), drum (10), cymbal (10), bouzouki (10), production, engineering, mixing
- Nick Pini – double bass (10)
- Matt Colton – mastering
- Tamsin Topolski – photography
- Rob Shuttleworth – design
Charts
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ Chart performance for Patterns in Repeat ! scope="col"| Chart (2024) ! scope="col"| Peak |
| {{album chart|Flanders|126|artist=Laura Marling|album=Patterns in Repeat|rowheader=true|access-date=3 November 2024}} |
| {{album chart|Ireland|85|M|url=http://www.irma.ie/index.cfm?page=irish-charts&chart=Albums|title=Irish Albums Chart: 8 November 2024|publisher=Irish Recorded Music Association|artist=Laura Marling|rowheader=true|access-date=2 November 2024}} |
| {{album chart|Scotland|9|date=20241101|rowheader=true|access-date=2 November 2024}} |
| {{album chart|UK2|13|date=20241101|rowheader=true|access-date=1 November 2024}} |
| {{album chart|UKAmericana|1|date=20241101|rowheader=true|access-date=1 November 2024}} |
| {{album chart|UKIndependent|3|date=20241101|rowheader=true|access-date=2 November 2024}} |