DIY Magazine's Scores

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For 3,417 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 55% higher than the average critic
  • 4% same as the average critic
  • 41% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 0.9 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Music review score: 74
Highest review score: 100 Superbloom
Lowest review score: 20 Let It Reign
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,493 out of 3417
  2. Mixed: 911 out of 3417
  3. Negative: 13 out of 3417
3417 music reviews
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    • 76 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Doko Mien
    ISM have stepped away from the traditional Ibibio folk tales that formed the lyrics for much of their debut album, instead relying more on English lyrics and universal themes. Only ‘She Work Very Hard’ displays the kind of storytelling that made those songs so intriguing, and it’s here where the boundaries between tradition and future are most blurred.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Cows on Hourglass Pond
    Frequently unintelligible, and downright bizarre lyrics only serve to add to the personality of his genre-bending music. Ultimately, Cows On Hourglass Pond is a new kind of psych-folk that Avey Tare can proudly call his own.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    American Football (LP3)
    It’s the sound of a band breaking the reunion mould, making firm strides forward and leaving their legacy in the dust.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    It's Real
    It’s Real is at its best when the trio let loose and steam ahead with out-and-out rock and roll; the breathless ‘Cosmic Cave’ and assured strut of ‘Good Times’ suggest that catching Ex Hex on the road this year will be every bit as essential as last time out.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Miss Universe
    It all sounds a little inconceivable on paper, but is tied together and brought to life by a singer-songwriter who evades pigeonholing--on purpose or accidentally, it doesn’t really matter--and provides a debut that’s all her own.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    On the Line
    Jenny Lewis has never sounded this confident in her own skin.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Birthday
    Students of jazz, but with a love of avant-garde art punk and West African music, Pom Poko bring something chaotic to the table. ... But this is their bread and butter; the kaleidoscopic realm in which they thrive.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Gratitude
    In turning around a painful and difficult period in his life, Ben Leftwich has managed to paint a picture of redemption and growth that’s graceful and honest without drifting into self indulgence.
    • 89 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    When I Get Home
    A beautiful stream of consciousness, Home is the sound of an artist, donning a cloak of creative freedom. It’s a look that suits her.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Groove Denied
    Groove Denied captures the finer points of Stephen Malkmus’ craftsmanship in wildly esoteric and robotic form.
    • 86 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Punk
    With PUNK, CHAI have defied all expectations, decreeing that everybody to them is cute--and they don’t need to be.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Lux Prima
    Everything across Lux Prima feels completely right; familiar yet new, revealing more of two beloved figures without losing what made them great all these years.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Sasami
    As a body of work, it sounds eerie and complex while still remaining delicate and cohesive and it’s a bold and well-rounded debut.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Beware of the Dogs
    Regardless of tone or subject, she fills every lyric with a divine authenticity and matter-of-factness. Her vocals are delicate but always immediate, sitting somewhere between Angel Olsen’s dulcet croon and the twinkle of Sufjan Stevens. In short, Stella Donnelly has got the world in her palm, and the brain to do exactly what she wants with it.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Ulfilas' Alphabet
    Sundara Karma might have set their sights high by naming their record for a man whose ambition spread to creating a whole system of writing, but Ulfilas’ Alphabet matches every lofty idea the band set themselves and then some.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 100 Critic Score
    Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost, Pt. 1
    Musically tying everything that’s come before together in a comprehensive showcase of the band’s continued prowess, and lyrically providing an ominous but defiant voice for 2019, Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost is Foals’ definitive statement. And that’s only part one!
    • 78 Metascore
    • 70 Critic Score
    Sucker Punch
    Sucker Punch does much as the name suggests. It’s full of swooping, dramatic choruses and clean-cut vocals, where almost every song is a potential radio hit--only that’s not a bad thing.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Compliments Please
    Her first record as Self Esteem allows her songwriting skills to flourish in all their flawed glory--at once assertive and vulnerable, her take on pop flirts with high-end glossy sonics but still holds roots in the slow-building atmospherics that fuelled her past work, as well as some leftfield R&B influences.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Tasmania
    While it’s about as colourful as the phantasmagoric cover art suggests, it might have sounded a bit more grounded if the band weren’t given the keys to so many synthesisers and effects pedals - and Kevin Parker’s heady production only makes it even woozier. Beneath all the superfluous sonic meddling, though, it’s still a voyage worth beholding.
    • 71 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Good Fruit
    TEEN’s sonic approach is chaotically diverse throughout and this very much feels like an album of two halves; when it captures the alienation and isolation it strives for, though, it soars.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Stunning Luxury
    While the heavy beats and hooky vocals guarantee fruitful foot-tapping rewards, there’s also an abundance of obnoxious sound effects lurking around every corner. Snapped Ankles revel in this kind of chaos, though, so as far as they’re concerned, it’s mission accomplished.
    • 91 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Grey Area
    Her straight-forward, down to business flow is all part of removing that mask. It’s an unflinching look at what such a sudden rise can do to a young person, and the anxieties that the public never see.
    • 53 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Weezer [Black Album]
    It’s a great--albeit mis-matched--collection of songs.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 90 Critic Score
    Good at Falling
    There’s a power that comes from laying fears and anxieties out, admitting that answers can’t be immediately found. Cannily similar to the progression of The Japanese House’s music over the past few years, this exact approach has led her to a magical debut.
    • 85 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Silences
    In short, Silences is the sound of an artist grown tremendously in confidence and hitting her stride.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Post Earth
    They’ve crafted a terrific out-and-out rock record.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Strange Creatures
    Strange Creatures limps and sags habitually, never quite succumbing to Drenge’s wishful potential and ruthless attempts at crafting the idyllic garage-rock their previous releases showcased. It’s a shame when the promise never quite delivers.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    Lung Bread for Daddy
    While single ‘Angel’ uses the simplest, scrappiest riffs and Beth’s sonorous tones to make something more than the sum of its parts. Du Blonde continues to be one of UK guitar music’s best kept secrets.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 80 Critic Score
    You Will Not Die
    An album that values intensity and tenderness in equal measure, You Will Not Die is a multi-faceted and fascinating introduction.
    • 60 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Beat My Distance
    It’s pleasant, and there are intriguing touches to be found in the Jacco Gardner-esque keys of ‘On Your Own’, but there’s an intrinsically grating quality that’s hard to shake.
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