Ascend
Illenium · 2019
60 min · 17 tracks · electronic dance music
A cathartic blend of future bass and emotional lyricism, underscored by soaring melodies and powerful drops.
Top tracks — play these first
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Good Things Fall Apart — This collaboration with Jonny Craig features poignant lyrics about heartbreak and resilience, encapsulating the album's emotional core through its melodic build-up and drop.
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Takeaway — Featuring The Chainsmokers and Lennon Stella, this track exemplifies Illenium's ability to merge pop sensibilities with electronic production, creating an anthem of longing.
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Crashing — With its introspective lyrics and soaring instrumental sections, 'Crashing' showcases Illenium's signature style of blending vulnerability with explosive energy.
Elevation
Our rating, out of 100 — and why.
AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.
The album blends emotional lyricism with energetic drops, showcasing Illenium's signature style in EDM.
What we noticed
- The album features a consistent use of soaring synths and emotional vocal samples, creating a lush soundscape throughout.
- Each track typically builds towards a powerful drop, with dynamic shifts in energy that are characteristic of future bass.
- Several tracks incorporate spoken word elements or introspective lyrics that enhance the emotional weight of the music.
- Composition 25% of the score
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7/10
- Craft 20% of the score
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8/10
- Durability 25% of the score
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6/10
- Distinctiveness 18% of the score
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7/10
- Sequencing 12% of the score
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6/10
the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics
production, performance, arrangement
whether it rewards returning to it
whether it sounds like itself
running order, pacing, length
Known within its scene. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.
Is this for you?
Good fit if you like
- dynamic emotional journeys
- wave-like pacing experiences
- intimate reflective moments
- long immersive listening sessions
Where this album fits
- Career context
- Released on August 16, 2019, 'Ascend' marks Illenium's third studio album, following the commercially successful 'Awake' in 2017. By this point, Illenium had solidified his presence in the electronic dance music scene, having gained a loyal fanbase and critical acclaim for his emotionally charged soundscapes.
- Stylistic neighbors
- Said the Sky· Seven Lions· Trivecta
Tracklist
Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.
- 1 I Care (intro) 0:32
- 2 Hold On 3:55
- 3 Good Things Fall Apart 3:36
- 4 That’s Why 4:12
- 5 Blood 4:08
- 6 Take You Down 3:41
- 7 All Together 3:58
- 8 Crashing 3:49
- 9 Broken Ones 3:18
- 10 Every Piece of Me 3:43
- 11 Takeaway 3:29
- 12 Sad Songs 3:30
- 13 Pray 4:54
- 14 In Your Arms 3:40
- 15 Gorgeous 4:37
- 16 Angel (Lonely Prelude) 0:41
- 17 Lonely 4:30
Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata
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