Cascade
Studio album by Floating Points
Released	13 September 2024 (2024-09-13)
Studio	EMS4 (London) Sunfair (California) Different Fur (California) Rancho De La Luna (California)
Genre	Electronic
Length	57:32
Label	Ninja Tune
Floating Points chronology
Promises (2021) Cascade (2024)
Singles from Cascade
"Vocoder" Released: 9 March 2022[1] "Birth4000" Released: 17 October 2023[2] "Del Oro" Released: 4 June 2024[3] "Key103" Released: 9 July 2024[4] "Ocotillo" Released: 22 August 2024[5]

Cascade is the third studio album by British electronic musician Sam Shepherd under the alias Floating Points. It was released on 13 September 2024 through Ninja Tune and received universal acclaim from critics.^[6] The album topped the UK Dance Albums Chart.^[7]

Cascade is Floating Points' first solo studio album since Crush (2019).^[8] He collaborated with Pharoah Sanders and London Symphony Orchestra on Promises (2021).^[9] He then created his first ballet score, Mere Mortals, in collaboration with San Francisco Ballet.^[10] Cascade was inspired by his hometown of Manchester.^[11] The song "Afflecks Palace" refers to an emporium in the city.^[12] The song "Key103" takes its title from a Manchester radio station.^[13] The album's cover art was created by Akiko Nakayama.^[14] "Vocoder", "Birth4000", "Del Oro", "Key103", and "Ocotillo" were released as singles from the album.^[15][16]

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	83/100[6]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[17]
Clash	8/10[18]
The Line of Best Fit	8/10[19]
MusicOMH	[20]
Pitchfork	8.0/10[21]
PopMatters	7/10[22]
Under the Radar	[23]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Cascade received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 83 out of 100 from 13 critic scores.^[6]

Brandon Miller of PopMatters commented that "Across nine tracks, Floating Points guides listeners through a series of self-reflective passages and hard club drops, suitable for both sweaty dance floors and moments of existential solitude."^[22] Robin Murray of Clash stated, "an autobiographical paean to club culture, it acts as a window of insight into his electronic imagination, while also slapping hard."^[18] Paul Simpson of AllMusic called it "yet another marvelous Floating Points album, and easily the most successful work he's made as a dance producer."^[17] Krystal Rodriguez of Billboard stated, "A collection of unconventional club bangers, it pulses with twitchy textures, glistening melodies, synth freak-outs and gravelly drums."^[24]

Credits adapted from liner notes.^[30]

• Sam Shepherd – music, arrangement, recording
• Dan Snaith – drums (5)
• Miriam Adefris – harp (6)
• Hannah Ekholm – voice (7)
• Stella Mozgawa – drums (7)
• Hikaru Utada – voice (8, 9)
• Matt Colton – mastering
• Akiko Nakayama – artwork
• Matthew Cooper – design

• Cascade at Discogs (list of releases)