"Ghost Orchid" / "Love Died in Our Arms" Released: 2022
Heart-Shaped Scars is a studio album by Scottish singer Dot Allison. It was released on 30 July 2021 through SA Recordings. It received generally favorable reviews from critics.
Background
Previously, Dot Allison released Afterglow (1999), We Are Science (2002), Exaltation of Larks (2007), and Room 7½ (2009). Heart-Shaped Scars is her first studio album in 12 years. The album, produced by Allison and Fiona Cruickshank, was released on 30 July 2021 through SA Recordings.
According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Heart-Shaped Scars received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 77 out of 100 from 5 critic scores.
Peter Piatkowski of PopMatters described the album as "a lovely, intimate collection of beautiful songs that has the singer set aside her trip-hop and dance sounds for an ethereal folk musical direction." He added, "There's heartache, pain, and longing in the songs, but there's also an inspired inspiration from that pain resulting in some very touching and beautiful music." Joe Muggs of The Arts Desk stated, "Where previously her records sounded like explorations of styles, ... this feels 100% like she has found her sound." Tim Sendra of AllMusic called it "the most intimate and sincere-sounding album she's made yet." Ben Cardew of Pitchfork wrote, "It is an album of quiet delights, but at times it feels like the songs are simply stretched too thin: three-star meals served with five-star service."
