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Fragments (Bonobo album)

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Fragments
Studio album by
Bonobo
Released14 January 2022
Genre
Length51:16
LabelNinja Tune
ProducerSimon Green
Bonobo chronology
Migration
(2017) 		Fragments
(2022)
Singles from Fragments
  1. "Rosewood"
    Released: 6 October 2021
  2. "Tides"
    Released: 20 October 2021
  3. "Otomo"
    Released: 10 November 2021
  4. "Shadows"
    Released: 1 December 2021
  5. "From You"
    Released: 3 January 2022

Fragments is the seventh studio album by British musician Bonobo. It was released on 14 January 2022 under Ninja Tune[3] and was nominated for Best Dance/Electronic Album for the 65th Grammy Awards.[4]

Background and singles

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Bonobo recorded Fragments in a self-built studio in Los Angeles during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021.[1][5] Fragments features numerous collaborations with other artists, among them Jordan Rakei, Jamila Woods, Joji, Kadhja Bonet, O'Flynn, and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson.[5] Instead of having his collaborators perform pre-written music, Bonobo collected "a wide range of material in the studio with collaborators” and edited their recordings later.[6] Due to the pandemic, collaborations on the album were done remotely, which Bonobo felt made the music more intimate.[7] One collaborator, the harpist Lara Somogyi, was featured on multiple songs. Bonobo recorded her playing the harp over one session, and incorporated samples of her playing throughout the album.[6] The album contains both elements of downtempo and dance.[1][5]

Bonobo released the first single for Fragments, "Rosewood", on 6 October 2021.[8] He released "Tides", featuring Jamila Woods, on 20 October,[6] and "Otomo", featuring O'Flynn, on 10 November.[9][10] "Shadows", featuring Jordan Rakei, was released on 1 December[11] and "From You", featuring Joji, was released on 3 January 2022.[12]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic76/100[13]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Clash8/10[2]
Exclaim!9/10[5]
The Line of Best Fit8/10[14]
Mojo8/10[15]
musicOMH[3]
NME[16]
The Observer[17]
Pitchfork5.4/10[18]
Uncut7/10[19]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Fragments received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 74 out of 100 from sixteen critic scores.[13] Dylan Barnabe wrote in Exclaim!: “It is an album to find love again; to reignite creativity; to regain hope; to find connection.” Robin Damien Morris stated in the Observer that Fragments is "brilliant, wondrous work".[17] Murray wrote in Clash that Fragments "rewards repeated listens, with patience allowing these fresh elements to rise to the surface".[2] Thomas Smith of NME considered it to be "most engaging record [Bonobo] has released since 2010's Black Sands – it is light, airy and remarkably well pieced together".[16] Dave Beech wrote in the Line of Best Fit that "both personally and otherwise, Fragments is Bonobo's strongest record yet".[14] Paul Simpson wrote in AllMusic that Bonobo's "productions [on Fragments] are just the right balance of lush and gritty".[1]

In a mixed review, Sam Goldner wrote in Pitchfork that "the album amounts to little more than a modern-day take on easy listening".[18] Ben Devlin wrote in musicOMH that "Fragments does not outstay its welcome, but only because it isn’t distinctive enough to be consciously welcomed in the first place".[17]

Track listing

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Fragments track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Polyghost" (featuring Miguel Atwood-Ferguson)
1:48
2."Shadows" (featuring Jordan Rakei)
  • Green
  • Jordan Rakei
4:45
3."Rosewood"Green4:02
4."Otomo" (featuring O'Flynn)
  • Green
  • Ben Norris
6:11
5."Tides" (featuring Jamila Woods)
  • Green
  • Atwell-Ferguson
  • Jamila Woods
3:46
6."Elysian"
  • Green
  • Thomas Lea
3:02
7."Closer"Green5:11
8."Age of Phase"Green5:42
9."From You" (featuring Joji)
3:30
10."Counterpart"Green5:32
11."Sapien"Green4:03
12."Day by Day" (featuring Kadhja Bonet)
  • Green
  • Atwood-Ferguson
  • Kadhja Bonet
3:44
Total length:51:16
Japanese edition (bonus track)[20]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Landforms"Green3:37
Total length:55:07

Personnel

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According to Allmusic:[1]

Charts

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Chart performance for Fragments
Chart (2022) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[21] 6
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[22] 15
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[23] 11
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[24] 10
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[25] 9
French Albums (SNEP)[26] 59
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[27] 3
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[28] 34
Scottish Albums (OCC)[29] 3
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[30] 8
UK Albums (OCC)[31] 5
UK Dance Albums (OCC)[32] 1
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[33] 2

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, Paul. "Fragments - Bonobo". Allmusic. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Murray, Robin (11 January 2022). "Bonobo - Fragments". Clash. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  3. ^ a b Devlin, Ben (14 January 2022). "Bonobo - Fragments | Album Reviews". musicOMH. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  4. ^ Lainez, Shervin (16 November 2022). "Bonobo Earns Two GRAMMY Nominations For Fragments (Ninja Tune)". Shore Fire Media. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d Barnabe, Dylan. "Bonobo's 'Fragments' Is an Inspiring Meld of Organic and Electronic | Exclaim!". Exclaim. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  6. ^ a b c Leight, Elias (21 October 2021). "Bonobo's Club Hits Are Never the Ones He Expects". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  7. ^ Murphy, Ben (7 December 2021). "Bonobo: the spaces between". DJ Mag. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
  8. ^ Hussey, Allison (6 October 2021). "Bonobo Announces New Album Fragments, Shares New Song "Rosewood"". Pitchfork. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  9. ^ Bonobo (20 October 2021). Bonobo - Tides (feat. Jamila Woods) (Official Audio). Retrieved 14 July 2025 – via YouTube.
  10. ^ "Bonobo Unveils New Single "Otomo" Featuring O'Flynn From Fragments Out January 14, 2022 (Ninja Tune)". Shore Fire Media. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  11. ^ Kenneally, Cerys (1 December 2021). "Bonobo shares new Jordan Rakei collaboration "Shadows"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  12. ^ "Bonobo teams up with Joji for 'From You'". DIY. 3 January 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  13. ^ a b "Fragments by Bonobo". Metacritic.
  14. ^ a b Beech, David. "Fragments is the musical culmination Bonobo has been building up to for 20+ years". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  15. ^ "Bonobo - Fragments". Mojo: 82. February 2022.
  16. ^ a b Smith, Thomas (6 January 2022). "Bonobo – 'Fragments' review: veteran dance don offers a richly rewarding start to the year". New Musical Express. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  17. ^ a b c Morris, Damien (16 January 2022). "Bonobo: Fragments review – a wondrous nirvana". The Observer. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  18. ^ a b Goldner, Sam. "Bonobo: Fragments". Pitchfork. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  19. ^ "Bonobo - Fragments". Uncut: 26. February 2022.
  20. ^ "BEATINK.COM Fragments". Beatink.com. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  21. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 24 January 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  22. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Bonobo – Fragments" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  23. ^ "Ultratop.be – Bonobo – Fragments" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  24. ^ "Ultratop.be – Bonobo – Fragments" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  25. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Bonobo – Fragments" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  26. ^ "Top Albums (Week 3, 2022)". SNEP. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  27. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Bonobo – Fragments" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  28. ^ "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 24 January 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  29. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  30. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Bonobo – Fragments". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  31. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  32. ^ "Official Dance Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  33. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
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