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Gameshow
by
Gameshow Image
Metascore
67

Generally favorable reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 53 Ratings

  • Summary: The third full-length release from the Northern Ireland indie rock band was produced by Jackknife Lee.
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Bad Decisions
Save me I've been drinking wine And I just made a big mistake Happens all the time Slay me Come out from the dark Sold my soul to... See the rest of the song lyrics
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. AllMusic
    Oct 17, 2016
    80
    With Gameshow, Two Door Cinema Club ultimately balance a growing pop maturity with a stylish strut worthy of Saturday Night Fever's Tony Manero.
  2. New Musical Express (NME)
    Oct 13, 2016
    80
    By overtly embracing radio pop, Gameshow adds further froth to the wave of popified guitar music that TDCC triggered by giving rise to Bastille and The 1975. That they do it with such panache, melody and inventive edge will further inspire this new synthetic indie strain to hold themselves to higher artistic standards and maybe even become a full-blown genre worth worshipping. Until then, here’s what they could have won.
  3. The Line of Best Fit
    Oct 17, 2016
    70
    The album is fresh with synth, bells and whistles that could be part of an actual gameshow. There are some cracking verses and screeching guitar sections that will sound great live.
  4. DIY Magazine
    Oct 13, 2016
    60
    Perhaps not perfect, but a recovery position from which Two Door Cinema Club look primed to soar once more.
  5. The Guardian
    Oct 13, 2016
    60
    It’s hard to overcome the feeling that this kind of finger-wagging is fine if you’re Crass, living off homegrown vegetables in your anarcho-syndicalist commune, but perhaps a bit much if your music has been used to advertise everything from Vodafone to Debenhams. Still, there’s something fascinating about the way Two Door Cinema Club have become a band in a position to offer lofty pronouncements while remaining weirdly anonymous.
  6. Consequence
    Oct 13, 2016
    50
    As a band that formed in 2007 and became emblematic of indie pop in the early part of this decade, Two Door Cinema Club were already sliding towards irrelevance. Unfortunately, Gameshow doesn’t really help to arrest that trajectory.
  7. Under The Radar
    Nov 22, 2016
    40
    Dripping in falsetto and awash in synths, their latest attempt is painfully lacking in the refreshingly hyperactive guitar riffs that made their debut so memorable.

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User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 10
  3. Negative: 1 out of 10
  1. nj06
    Nov 29, 2016
    10
    I bought this album several weeks ago and I already listened it in my car at least 20 times. Every single track is superb and fun to listenI bought this album several weeks ago and I already listened it in my car at least 20 times. Every single track is superb and fun to listen to. Just like their previous two albums. Clever, honest music full of energy. Love it!… Expand
  2. mskatyasugar
    Oct 21, 2016
    10
    OH MY GOD! This is absolutely WONDERFUL album! The sound, the verse, catchy rhythm! What do we need more? Absolutely NOTHING! As for me - it'sOH MY GOD! This is absolutely WONDERFUL album! The sound, the verse, catchy rhythm! What do we need more? Absolutely NOTHING! As for me - it's the best album in 2016! Thank you, TDCC!… Expand
  4. Mercer13
    Oct 14, 2016
    9
    After a much needed hiatus, Two Door return with a fresh, new take on their music, that has helped them create their most unified soundingAfter a much needed hiatus, Two Door return with a fresh, new take on their music, that has helped them create their most unified sounding album to date.… Expand
  5. MacsMusic
    Mar 16, 2018
    6
    Gameshow is a very unique album - I've never heard anything just like it. The vocals are high, feminine, and buried behind layers of oddGameshow is a very unique album - I've never heard anything just like it. The vocals are high, feminine, and buried behind layers of odd electronic music. "Gameshow", "Are We Ready", and "Ordinary" have cool music that you can easily vibe or bob your head to. "Lavender" is interesting with a killer pre-chorus that's subtle, and a great lead up to the chorus. "Invincible" is definitely welcome among the upbeat electronic pop songs that make up the bulk of G. The slow pace and more profound lyrics are fresh enough, and fairly enjoyable.

    Surprisingly, the vocals on G actually hurt some of the songs. The vocals feel obscured, and feel awkward and strange at times. For some reason, they sound great on the title track, but hard several tracks. "Fever", "Invincible", and "Surgery" are pretty weak songs with music that wears out and meh lyrics. That's another problem with G; the lyrics.

    The lyrics on G are bland with little real depth, with the main focus of the lyrics being artificial love. The lyrics don't talk about real love or true affection that goes beyond the surface. G tackles the subject with shallow lyrics. G has plenty of stuff to dislike, but it does give us a few fun tracks and some enjoyable music. Shallow lyrics and surprisingly ineffective vocals make G inferior to TH, and a plain not-great album.    … Expand
  6. SomeoneYouKnow
    Oct 15, 2016
    5
    A relative fall from Beacon, but an evolution that can be improved in the future. Sounds like Phoenix from the first to the last song. TDCCA relative fall from Beacon, but an evolution that can be improved in the future. Sounds like Phoenix from the first to the last song. TDCC took all the dance-indie-pop they could get in the world and just threw in here, but without any feeling for most of the album. It just sounds generic. Invincible and Good Morning present the feeling that did not appear in the first six tracks and prepare the listener for the moyen finale.
    Highlights: Invincible, Good Morning, Sucker
    Lowlights: Absence of guitars    … Expand
  7. McKrakalaka
    Oct 14, 2016
    4
    Not sure how to even articulate listening to this album. Bombastic guitar riffs ripped from the 80s. Beegee's falsetto and disco percussionNot sure how to even articulate listening to this album. Bombastic guitar riffs ripped from the 80s. Beegee's falsetto and disco percussion and baselines. Absurd production that is all club-based endorsement of the noise wars with no dynamic range. Synthy synthyness from the 80s. Alex falsetto is like a hyper-produced shrill scream in your ears. Several songs are lifted straight from early 80s rock, but not good 80s. If you love Disco and 80s pop music - this album is going to blow your socks off. That person is not me. There is always the first 2 albums.… Expand
  8. CriticoDubioso
    Dec 9, 2016
    1
    After a much needed hiatus, Two Door return with a sadly flat record filled with '80s nostalgia and abuse of falsetto that nobody expectedAfter a much needed hiatus, Two Door return with a sadly flat record filled with '80s nostalgia and abuse of falsetto that nobody expected (nor wanted) from them. Being a massive fan from the previous 2 records, it's safe to say that I didn't expect anything like this, and despite change and renewal is a good thing and all, this direction did not work out at all. I seriously could not bring myself to listen to this in its entirety more than a few times. Disappointing to say the least.… Expand

See all 10 User Reviews

Awards & Rankings

88
#88 Most Discussed Album of 2016