Luminal (album)
| Luminal | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 6 June 2025 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 45:56 | |||
| Label | Verve | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Beatie Wolfe and Brian Eno chronology | ||||
| ||||
Luminal is a 2025 collaborative studio album by Beatie Wolfe and Brian Eno, described by the pair as "Dream Music".[1][2][3]
Each album cover of the trilogy features Brian Eno’s colorful light painting etchings.[4]
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 75/100[5] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [6] |
| Classic Pop | [7] |
| Classic Rock | [8] |
| Mojo | [9] |
| Pitchfork | [10] |
| Prog | [11] |
| Rolling Stone | [12] |
| The Times | [13] |
| Uncut | [14] |
According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Luminal received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 75 out of 100 from 5 critic scores.[5]
The Times placed the combination of Luminal and Lateral amongst its list of "the best albums of 2025 so far", claiming Luminal is "deeply calming in its crystalline simplicity".[13] Prog singles out "Wolfe's honeyed and breathy vocals [that] carry verses, choruses and lyrics, with a number of the songs rooted in American vernacular music."[11]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Beatie Wolfe, Brian Eno.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Milky Sleep" | 3:19 |
| 2. | "Hopelessly at Ease" | 3:41 |
| 3. | "My Lovely Days" | 4:44 |
| 4. | "Play On" | 5:55 |
| 5. | "Shhh" | 4:45 |
| 6. | "Suddenly" | 3:35 |
| 7. | "A Ceiling and a Lifeboat" | 3:13 |
| 8. | "And Live Again" | 4:18 |
| 9. | "Breath March" | 3:09 |
| 10. | "Never Was It Now" | 4:35 |
| 11. | "What We Are" | 4:45 |
| Total length: | 45:56 | |
Personnel
- Beatie Wolfe: vocals, guitars, omnichord, synthesizers, keys, melodica
- Brian Eno: backing vocals, synthesizers, keys, slide guitar, bass, omnichord
Technical personnel
- Written and performed by Beatie Wolfe and Brian Eno
- Produced by Brian Eno and Beatie Wolfe
- Mastered by Dean Martin Hovey
- Vinyl Lacquer Cut by Jeff Powell
Artwork and packaging
Design by Nick Robertson, Beatie Wolfe and Brian Eno, using the original art 'Dimidium' by Brian Eno.
Charts
| Chart (2025) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[15] | 33 |
References
- ^ Phelan, Tom. "Brian Eno and Beatie Wolfe – 'Liminal' album review: A stirring chapter in the pair's ambient folk wanderings". Far Out Magazine. Far Out Magazine. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
- ^ Monroe, Jazz (11 April 2025). "Brian Eno and Beatie Wolfe Announce New Albums, Share Videos: Watch". Pitchfork. Condé Nast. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
- ^ Skinner, Tom (11 April 2025). "Brian Eno and Beatie Wolfe announce collaborative albums 'Luminal' and 'Lateral'". NME.
- ^ "Inside Liminal: Beatie Wolfe on Channeling Dark Matter Music With Brian Eno". Indie Sound. 29 August 2025.
- ^ a b "Luminal by Brian Eno & Beatie Wolfe". Metacritic. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
- ^ Simpson, Paul (6 June 2025). "Luminal - Brian Eno / Beatie Wolfe". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
- ^ Wallace, Wyndham (17 July 2025). "4/5 Classic Pop give Luminal & Lateral". No. August 2025. Classic Pop. Classic Pop. p. 84.
- ^ Stubbs, David. "Out now: Out now: Brian Eno & Beatie Wolfe - Luminal & Lateral". Classic Rock. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ^ Haver Currin, Grayson (1 July 2025). "Album Review" (Print). No. July 2025. Great Magazines. MOJO. p. 83. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
- ^ Vanessa, Ague. "Through the practice of listening, the feelings reveal themselves". Pitchfork. Condé Nast. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
- ^ a b Marszalek, Julian (20 June 2025). ""No one else does this with such a lightness of touch yet such a definitive sense of purpose – a double victory": Brian Eno and Beatie Wolfe's Luminal and Lateral". Prog. Future plc. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
- ^ Jürgen, Ziemer (6 June 2025). "The ambient inventor hasn't been this good in a long time". Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
- ^ a b Hodgkinson, Will. "The Best Albums of 2025 So Far". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ^ Wallace, Wyndham (1 July 2025). "New Albums A to Z This Month... Brian Eno & Beatie Wolfe Luminal 4/5". Music. Vol. Page 27, no. July 2025. Uncut Magazine. Uncut Magazine. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 August 2025.