On the feverishly catchy bubblegum punk of tracks like “Talk About It” and “Petals” they sound something like Dolly Parton fronting Blondie ... And, on tracks like “Happy Hour” and “Crossing Lines”, the interplay between twin guitarists Adam Johnstone and Fergus Sinclair is reminiscent of Television, which adds to the CBGBs vibe. [May 2022, p.35]

We Are Nots is an impressive, if punishing, introduction. [Jan 2016, p.78]

The songs are warmly hypnotic: pitch-perfect pop. [Dec 2013, p.66]

Showing off a musical muscularity built up from three years on the road. [Feb 2020, p.35]

The teenage tyrants of "Girls From Mars" fame may now be chasing the tail-end of their forties, but they've lost little of that youthful vigour. [Nov 2023, p.25]

At times it bewilders. ... But Pulse Of Defiance has a lushness of texture that makes the compositional knottiness slide down easier. [Apr 2021, p.29]

A magisterial set. [Feb 2014, p.75]

A spare and seductively lonesome pooling of bluesy folk and electronics that eschews "folktronica" and nods to Martyn, Hollis, Crosby and Jason Molina. [Sep 2021, p.25]

Hardly Electronic comprises 14 impeccably jangling, harmonic pastiches of Bacharach, McCartney and Free Design, with only Sasha Bell's sardonic vocals striking a welcome sour note. [Aug 2018, p.27]

The best moments are often the most self-excoriating. [Aug 2016, p.75]

Instead of fusing elements, Korwar lets them converse, drowning blinkered British racism out. [Aug 2019, p.31]

The faithful arrangements deprive the collection of any real edge – "Elle Et Moi" should be sexier – but this is not the place for surprises. [Dec 2021, p.25]

Tight but loose, Are Possible sits nicely alongside other hypnotic, folksy acts like 75 Dollar Bill and Natural Information Society. [Sep 2024, p.29]

The bewitching tone varies from languid to experimental. [Jun 2023, p.35]

Crowell conjures a collection both wryly whimsical and devastating sincere. [Jan 2019, p.19]

It's a record that walks a fine line between joy and sorrow. [Apr 2026, p.36]

It would make a perfect soundtrack to traversing chilly landscapes, but an emotional current runs through Fables that elevates it beyond mere background music. [Mar 2026, p.36]

Johnston suits the form, finding a hitherto largely latent frailty and vulnerability in his voice. [Jan 2017, p.24]

Fuses the hormonal aggression that put Green Day on the map with punched-up modern-day production courtesy of Butch Walker and a razor-sharp mix by Tchad Blake. [Mar 2020, p.29]

Few More Days To Go is a strong statement of intent in its own right. [Jan 2016, p.76]

Songs from the wellspring of third-album VU; a few nods toward New Order; some charming turns of phrase. And on it goes.... [Apr 2014, p.83]

The Arkestra's rich, gestalt thinking makes these pieces simmer and spark, building ritualistic power. [Nov 2022, p.36]

Her sophisto-pop range expands with each album, although the winning warmth of her live performances is largely absent here. [Jul 2017, p.35]

He stretches out into these songs, inhabiting them comfortably and casually, almost always finding a way to make the familiar sound fresh. [Aug 2018, p.32]

While they lack a reedy falsetto, guest vocalists such as Blaine Harrison, Euros Child and Holly Miranda bring discrete personalities to bear on songs which trippily track the lightly fantastic. [Aug 2016, p.72]

A lush and ambitious piece of progressive pop music. [Sep 2017, p.38]

His vocal lines are often so casually intoned that they mingle imperceptibly with those of his back-up singer Suad Khalifa, over gently pulsing twilight liaisons that yearn to be a little more sophisticated than they actually are. [Jul 2015, p.77]

Inpressive stuff, but like the Beastie Boys' tinnitus-inducing whines, Northern State's gonzoid yelps suffer from diminishing returns. [Jun 2003, p.110]