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A Distant Call
by
A Distant Call Image
Metascore
81

Universal acclaim - based on 13 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 6 Ratings

  • Summary: The second full-length release for the Philadelphia punk quartet was recorded by by the band's bassist Hart Seely.
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. Paste Magazine
    Aug 22, 2019
    85
    On their second album, Sheer Mag keep proving that raging against the system can also be a raging party. Much like Halladay, the band itself is a piece of coal that, under pressure, has emerged in its true form: a glittering diamond.
  2. Rolling Stone
    Aug 21, 2019
    80
    Building on their prior LP, Sheer Mag broaden their scope just a little more on A Distant Call while retaining the DIY grit and edgy concision that made them so arresting in the first place. This might technically be a concept album, but at 35 minutes, it’s still a punk rager at heart.
  3. The Guardian
    Aug 22, 2019
    80
    A Distant Call may contain some jarring juxtapositions, but on the whole it’s a welcome opportunity for Sheer Mag to prove that serious idealism and infectious fun can – and should – harmoniously coexist.
  4. Dusted Magazine
    Sep 5, 2019
    80
    Ethos is a different and a more complex matter. If you put out your own records and sing about leftist issues, does that make you punk? Maybe they’re trying to do something more essential, to find a version of rock that’s conscious of its History at that same time that it grounds us in the Now. Sheer Mag’s songs do that, again and again. And you’ll want to listen to them, again and again.
  5. AllMusic
    Sep 6, 2019
    80
    These are songs that make you want to roll the windows down, light up a smoke, and pound the dashboard in agreement.
  6. Pitchfork
    Aug 26, 2019
    78
    A Distant Call is an album with depth of production, more deliberate songwriting, and a commitment to style.
  7. Under The Radar
    Dec 3, 2019
    65
    The more varied aspects of Need To Feel Your Love which made it such a fantastic debut, have mostly disappeared, resulting in a less rewarding listen. [Sep-Nov 2019, p.133]
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User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. ChuckAmok
    Aug 28, 2019
    6
    Plenty of decent riffs and cool/chintzy guitar tones here but the songs are mostly just ok. I'm not gonna guess at the level of irony beingPlenty of decent riffs and cool/chintzy guitar tones here but the songs are mostly just ok. I'm not gonna guess at the level of irony being deployed here, with so many nods to retro guitar rock. But often Tina Halladay sounds like she's trying too hard to push things over the top and they just won't go. Worth hearing and "Hardly to Blame" "The Killer" and "Keep on Runnin'" are keepers.… Expand

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