| Quantum Baby | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 16, 2024 | |||
| Recorded | 2022–2024 | |||
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| Length | 22:05 | |||
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| Producer |
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| Tinashe chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Quantum Baby | ||||
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Quantum Baby[1] (also referred to asBB/Ang3l Pt. 2 – Quantum Baby) is the seventhstudio album by American singerTinashe and was released on August 16, 2024, via her independent label Tinashe Music andNice Life Recording Company.[2]Quantum Baby is the second installment of a planned albumtrilogy, following her 2023 albumBB/Ang3l. It includes the hit single "Nasty".
On April 3, 2024, it was announced Tinashe signed a worldwide publishing deal with Position Music, obtaining the publishing rights to her future releases from that point forward and her previous albumBB/Ang3l.[3] On April 8, Tinashe announced via her social media that the album was set to release soon, to which she would announce the album's lead single the next day. On June 28, hours after the release of her song "Getting No Sleep", Tinashe announced that the album would be released on August 16.[2]
"Nasty" serves as thelead single from the album and it was released on April 12, 2024. The release date coincided with her performance at the 2024Coachella Music Festival. In late April, aTwitter user posted a video with the song behind a video of a man and woman dancing together. The video went viral across Twitter andTikTok, to which Tinashe herself recreated the video, causing the song to gain traction on both apps.[4] The song's popularity gradually increased and resulted in the song entering the USBillboard Hot 100 at number 90 on June 15, 2024. Three weeks later, the song peaked at number 61.[5] The song has also since peaked at number 18 on the USHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs,[6] becoming Tinashe's first entry on the Hot 100 since her 2016 collaboration withBritney Spears on "Slumber Party". It also marked her fifth entry overall, and her first entry as an independent artist.
"Getting No Sleep" serves as the second single and was released on June 28, 2024. It was reviewed inBillboard's article, "Queer Jams of the Week". The article reads, "Over a skittering beat and cool synth chords, Tinashe confidently lets her lover know that after a long work week, she's ready to stay up 'til dawn with them. It's might be a long night, but don't worry, you'll have Tinashe's excellent new track to keep you company."[7][8]
"No Broke Boys" serves as the album's third single which was released October 18, 2024. Though the single did not reach theBillboard Hot 100, like its predecessor Nasty, it managed to reachBillboard'sHot R&B Songs chart, debuting and peaking at number 25[9] as well as peaking at number 13 on theRhythmic Airplay chart becoming her twelfth and eleventh entries on the charts respectively.[9] In New Zealand, the song debuted and peaked at number 25 on the New Zealand Heatseekers chart.[10] The song was described as "infectious" bySlant Magazine.
On August 6, 2024, Tinashe officially announced theMatch My Freak: World Tour with the presale opening August 7 and general sale opening August 9. The tour is set to begin its North American leg inAnaheim, California on October 14 and conclude inSacramento, California on November 25. As of August 8, the European, Australian, and Asian shows are yet to have dates confirmed. The venues for this tour are the biggest Tinashe has had as a main act in her career which contain a crowd as large as 6,000 people, which is likely attributed to the success of "Nasty".Raveena is set to be Tinashe's opening act.
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 6.9/10[11] |
| Metacritic | 77/100[12] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [13] |
| NME | [14] |
| The Observer | [15] |
| Pitchfork | 7.9/10[16] |
| Rolling Stone |  [17] |
| Slant Magazine | [18] |
| Spin Magazine | A-[19] |
| The Line of Best Fit | 7/10[20] |
Quantum Baby was received positively by critics. AtMetacritic, which assigns aweighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received anaverage score of 77, based on twelve reviews.[21] Steven J. Horowitz ofVariety complimented the album's thematic versatility.[22] The themes of the album led to comparisons toChristine McVie bySpin's Alfred Soto and toJanet Jackson byPitchfork's Tarisai Ngangura.[23][24] Reviewing the album forAllMusic, Andy Kellman described the album as, "providing another highly concentrated shot of material that shows her moving with ease -- sometimes blurring the line -- between sensual slow jams and pop-flavored dance tracks."[13]
In a year-end, "10 best albums of 2024," Russell Falcon forKTLA in Los Angeles ranked "Quantum Baby," the 10th best album of the year, writing that the album "finds the R&B-pop master contemplating love in a softer and more vulnerable way that ever before," and praising the album's "spacey" instrumentation as "some of the best atmospheres heard across any of Tinashe's work."[25]
| Publication | Accolade | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| People Magazine | Top 10 Albums of 2024 | 7 | [26] |
| The Forty-Five | The Best Albums of 2024 | 38 | [27] |
| Okayplayer | The 50 Best Albums of 2024 | — | [28] |
| Paper magazine | The Best Albums of 2024 | 2 | [29] |
| Vulture Magazine | The Best Albums of 2024 | — | [30] |
| KTLA | The 10 Best Albums of 2024 | 10 | [31] |
| Hypebae | The Best Albums of 2024 | 4 | [32] |
| Rated R&B | The 25 Best R&B Albums of 2024 | 19 | [33] |
| Time Magazine | The 10 Best Songs of 2024 (for 'Nasty') | 2 | [34] |
| The Hollywood Reporter | The 10 Best Songs of 2024 (for 'Nasty') | 3 | [35] |
| Vibe Magazine | The 25 Best R&B Songs Of 2024 (for 'Nasty') | 5 | [36] |
| Rolling Stone | The 100 Best Songs of 2024 (for 'Nasty') | 7 | [37] |
| Billboard | The 100 Best Songs of 2024 (for 'Nasty') | 14 | [38] |
| Pitchfork | The 100 Best Songs of 2024 (for 'Nasty') | 33 | [39] |
| NME | The 50 Best Songs of 2024 (for 'Nasty') | 22 | [40] |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "No Simulation" | 1:48 | ||
| 2. | "Getting No Sleep" |
|
| 3:12 |
| 3. | "Thirsty" |
| sdtroy | 3:40 |
| 4. | "Red Flags" |
|
| 2:09 |
| 5. | "Cross That Line" |
| Z3N | 2:48 |
| 6. | "When I Get You Alone" |
|
| 3:20 |
| 7. | "No Broke Boys" |
|
| 2:12 |
| 8. | "Nasty" |
|
| 2:56 |
| Total length: | 22:05 | |||
Notes
| Chart (2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Album Downloads (OCC)[41] | 92 |
| USBillboard 200[42] | 199 |
| USTop R&B Albums (Billboard)[43] | 23 |