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Cocoa Sugar Image
Metascore
87

Universal acclaim - based on 21 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 151 Ratings

  • Summary: The third full-length release for the Edinburgh-based trio was recorded in the band's studio.
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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 21
  3. Negative: 0 out of 21
  1. Mar 12, 2018
    100
    It feels just as estranged of pop’s traditional structures and strictures as they’ve always been. It feels exhilarating; it feels like freedom.
  2. Mar 8, 2018
    90
    This is a far more stripped down, stream-lined record that remains just as essential and urgent as all their output so far with little to no compromise.
  3. Mar 12, 2018
    90
    With this record Young Fathers have managed a perfect synthesis between what they are saying and how they choose to present that sonically. Yes, this is a highly political and experimental record, but it is also a brilliant pop album.
  4. Mar 8, 2018
    80
    The end result is fascinating and forbidding in equal measure, and there’s clearly an argument that it’s also very timely: twisted and broken-sounding pop music for a twisted and broken era, replete with villains (the protagonist of In My View, a “greedy bugger”, actively enjoying not just the taste of his foie gras, but the cruelty of its manufacture) and lyrics that appear to swipe at nationalism and toxic masculinity, albeit obliquely.
  5. Apr 10, 2018
    80
    Cocoa Sugar mystifies before it gratifies, but it reflects a modern global chaos as much as it does a personal one.
  6. Mar 13, 2018
    80
    Cocoa Sugar is a record that merits mass appeal recognition, a timely offering educing the moral panic fever reigning over our everyday existence.
  7. Mar 16, 2018
    73
    The songs on Cocoa Sugar are unquestionably Young Fathers’ most accessible. They have a sense of a narrative flow and an overarching theme, but they’re still knotty and confounding.

See all 21 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. Mar 21, 2018
    10
    I am a new fan of the Young Fathers after having this album recommended to me and i was not disappointed. This album is very experimental andI am a new fan of the Young Fathers after having this album recommended to me and i was not disappointed. This album is very experimental and unlike anything I've heard before but yet is also very accessible. To top it off they are phenomenal live. Cocoa Sugar is easily my favourite album of the year so far and possibly one of my favourites of all time!! Expand
  2. Mar 15, 2018
    10
    Absolutely my favorite album of the year so far!! Completely new to the band, but after listening to this album on repeat for the last week,Absolutely my favorite album of the year so far!! Completely new to the band, but after listening to this album on repeat for the last week, I am ready to delve into their older stuff. Their sound makes me think if Tricky & TV on the Radio had a love child, this would be the heir. Can't wait to see what comes next from them! #lovelove Expand
  3. Mar 14, 2018
    10
    This is the first time i'm hearing their music and i'm hooked. Experimental yet accessible. Urgent, energetic. It's an amalgamation of variousThis is the first time i'm hearing their music and i'm hooked. Experimental yet accessible. Urgent, energetic. It's an amalgamation of various genres and it'll remind you other bands at times, but it still sounds like its own thing. Could be described as anomalous pop, maybe? It's just very good. Listen to it and see how it makes you feel. There's no way you won't like it if you have adventurous ears. Expand
  4. Apr 17, 2018
    10
    This is truly a diverse, imaginative, forward-thinking work of art. It´s speaking to your head and to your heart at the same time, and even inThis is truly a diverse, imaginative, forward-thinking work of art. It´s speaking to your head and to your heart at the same time, and even in the midst of the intricate noises and evident notion of modern chaos that is depicted thematically throughout the record, it accomplishes bringing up a call of urgency for heavy spiritual lifting, making it a listening experience that is both creatively interesting and core-shaking. Expand
  5. Jun 7, 2020
    10
    I've been waiting for them to drop another album and wow they really didn't disappoint with this release! Clean production but the sounds areI've been waiting for them to drop another album and wow they really didn't disappoint with this release! Clean production but the sounds are still interesting and unpredictable and the music is just as emotive and impassioned as ever. I'm so happy a band like this exists, one that ignores trends and makes damn good music with great songwriting and messages at the core without worrying about fitting into a particular box. Expand
  6. Mar 13, 2018
    10
    There're few things that make me happier than a new release by one of my favorite bands and then having that new release be the best ofThere're few things that make me happier than a new release by one of my favorite bands and then having that new release be the best of everything they've ever released. And in this, Cocao Sugar does not disappoint. It starts out with the very familiar gospel-esque tones that Young Fathers have been working with for some time now, then quickly brings in the tribal tones—all the while featuring some amazing lyrics that deal with real life and the world out there. It's honestly one of the best albums I've heard all year (yes, it's still early) and I'm sure it'll stay top of my list for a while if not all of 2018. Truly a joy from start to finish. Some favorite tracks, 'See How it Goes', 'Turn', 'In my view' and 'Lord', but overall a real trip of a listen. Expand
  7. Jul 23, 2018
    8
    Cocoa Sugar has some great melodies. The best experimental album I've heard in a while.

See all 14 User Reviews

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