Badlands
by Dirty Beaches
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 8
  3. Negative: 1 out of 8
  1. The A.V. Club
    Apr 15, 2011
    91
    Every inch of Badlands is coated in sheets of echo and shadow, giving the record an atmosphere much more in tune with the darker, twisted tones of his influences than his bedroom-bound peers. Even when Badlands softens up, as it does with the shop-window balladry of "True Blue" and "Lord Knows Best," the result is every bit as unsettling as it is romantic.
  2. AllMusic
    Dec 7, 2011
    80
    It feels like Hungtai is still developing his sound to its fullest, but Badlands is still an intriguing and often haunting official debut.
  3. PopMatters
    Apr 15, 2011
    80
    When you have someone who's both gifted in setting the scene and telling the story as Hungtai is, you wanna live out the illusion as long as possible, and not just wait for the sequel.
  5. cokemachineglow
    Apr 15, 2011
    79
    It's never a matter simply of pop melodies buried beneath noise, but of beauty wrapped up in menace, references tied to deeper ones, history feeding back at itself.
  6. Beats Per Minute
    Apr 15, 2011
    78
    At only eight tracks, Badlands is a short album, but it packs plenty of ideas into its brevity.
  7. Tiny Mix Tapes
    Apr 15, 2011
    70
    It's an enjoyable record (if somewhat slight, for a full-length), but its best moments are a lot like those faded mom-and-dad photos Huntai likes to use: iconic, intriguing, but not quite his own.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 9 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. dadateyont
    Dec 18, 2011
    10
    Pretty awesome. Recorded on a cassette and it sounds like it. Super cool 50's karaoke/trip hop hybrid (worn out vinyl, reverb, loops, and samples).
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