• Record Label: 4AD
  • Release Date: Jul 10, 2012
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 32 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 32
  2. Negative: 1 out of 32
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  1. Jul 10, 2012
    91
    It's a strong follow-up to Forget and a seasonal album that will last long after the summer ends.
  2. Jul 5, 2012
    90
    Confess isn't just steeped in the sounds of an era, but in its films, feel, stories and sense of aspiration. It's an album about love and lust behind the bleachers, in the dark of a multiplex, on the back of a motorcycle, in bathroom cubicles, under the neon glare of America's bright lights - and it's wholly, wholly brilliant.
  3. Jul 6, 2012
    86
    Whether it's the lush power-balladry of "Beg For the Night" and "Be Mine Tonight" or throttle-pushing rockers like "You Call Me On", Confess is defined by its melodic and emotional immediacy.
  4. Aug 9, 2012
    80
    Most songs manage to name drop Lewis' heart or tears in some way, but despite some melodramatic duds, Confess is still an exciting follow up from an enormous talent.
  5. Jul 13, 2012
    80
    The infectious beats and catchy hooks are still a driving force, but Lewis has abandoned the bedroom vibes to surge ahead with full-on amphetamine-induced vigor.
  6. 80
    At its core this is brilliantly slick, dapper rock-pop.
  7. Jul 12, 2012
    80
    An endlessly listenable album.
  8. Jul 10, 2012
    80
    It's rare to find a musical package this self-consciously stylized that isn't designed to cover up for a lack of substance.
  9. Jul 10, 2012
    80
    The collection is streamlined, but not minimal, and it boasts stylish anger that could soundtrack a thousand fashion collections.
  10. 80
    His terrific second album is influenced by dawn motorbike rides rather than nocturnal regrets.
  11. Uncut
    Jul 9, 2012
    80
    Confess is largely an impeccable sequel to an immaculate debut. [Aug 2012, p.82]
  12. Jul 9, 2012
    80
    Like an actual confession, this album is equally bold and vulnerable, and all the more real and appealing because of that.
  13. Jul 6, 2012
    80
    There are strokes of brilliance on Twin Shadow's second full length, 'Confess', as Lewis Jr. blends 80s influences with dashes of funk and pop to create a largely cohesive record that is steeped in lustful atmosphere.
  14. Jul 6, 2012
    80
    While the debut was clouded in hazy and understated dreamy melodies, Confess is far more direct and intense.
  15. Jul 6, 2012
    80
    Despite not reaching for particularly new ground, Confess still manages to excite.
  16. Jul 5, 2012
    80
    While both of Lewis's albums are brimming with nostalgia, Confess jettisons Forget's sense of caution for adventure and a greater spectrum of genres, making it an altogether superior effort, and one of the few modern indie releases that handles its '80s reverence with dexterity.
  17. Jul 5, 2012
    80
    There's much in Twin Shadow's second album that ploughs the leather-clad, hog-riding 80s rock-pop furrow that Gaga attempted on her last record. But where she fell for the occasionally overbearing bombast of the era, George Lewis Jr seeks out the finer details, using his second album to add more polish and shine to the arch synths of his debut.
  18. Jul 13, 2012
    76
    Even if Confess is a decidedly less personal affair than its predecessor, it's no less enjoyable. Twin Shadow has released another album of unpretentious, catchy synthpop, this time around with a bit of a hard rock edge thrown into the mix.
  19. Jul 10, 2012
    75
    Even if he's stuck in the past, Lewis's best songs feel timeless.
  20. Jul 10, 2012
    75
    Keeping the music simultaneously lush and light is a good choice for songs that prominently feature people moving too fast and making weighty decisions that would seem reckless if they weren't so endearingly passionate.
  21. Jul 31, 2012
    70
    A richly schlocky LP, bleeding neon all over songs that would be worthy side-closers on any Breakfast Club-era breakup tape.
  22. 70
    There is a subtle grandeur to George Lewis Jr.'s voice and musical nature.
  23. Jul 16, 2012
    70
    Most of the time he's bleeding, which is to say alive.
  24. Jul 12, 2012
    70
    Though the truly memorable moments may be a little spare, the tracks are intricately layered, sleek, and super-charged, and they're strong enough to differentiate from the mass of '80s copycats.
  25. Jul 10, 2012
    70
    Lewis's ultra-confident, high-gloss sincerity is more often than not pretty hard to resist.
  26. Jul 5, 2012
    70
    Confess is an easy record to listen to and love.
  27. Aug 3, 2012
    60
    It's difficult to say that there are some great songs on this album, but it's true; unfortunately Lewis fails to take advantage of this fact by lagging behind the innovation and originality of the preceding 80's revivalist movement.
  28. Mojo
    Jul 19, 2012
    60
    Lewis hasn't topped 2010's masterful Forget, but he has proved it was no fluke. [Aug 2012, p.87]
  29. Jul 5, 2012
    60
    Pure pop is an unforgiving master and a slight dip in quality results in the flaccid 'Patient' sounding like a blighted Go West off-cut. Fitfully good.
  30. Jul 9, 2012
    50
    Pretty okay.... The lyrics, typical alpha-male self-pity material, aren't all that bad, really, but they're often curdled by the delivery.
  31. Q Magazine
    Aug 2, 2012
    40
    Too often, these songs feel as though they're being executed with an arched eyebrow, Lewis Jr. peering knowingly from behind the curtain with a nod and a wink. [Aug 2012, p.110]
  32. Jul 12, 2012
    20
    On Confess his tired, joyless music and moribund, hackneyed and hankey lyricism suggests a man whose concept of romanticism would go nicely with a Nairn cracker and dab of quince jelly.
User Score
8.6

Universal acclaim- based on 57 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 52 out of 57
  2. Negative: 2 out of 57
  1. Jul 13, 2012
    9
    A very strong, albeit somewhat expected, transition from his earlier release, Forget. Lewis has honed hisA very strong, albeit somewhat expected, transition from his earlier release, Forget. Lewis has honed his Duran-Duran-Seagulls-Tears/Fears-Bowie-Lost Boys-esque sound to a high-gloss sheen. Great stuff to put on and slip away into a distant, pastel-hued past; creepingly clever lyrics. In summary, it's the idea of the 80s as you wanted them to be -- funny thing this guy wasn't even old enough to remember. Full Review »
  2. Dec 4, 2022
    7
    Very inspired by his influences Twin Shadow sophomore album sounds like a mix of duran druran,bowie,Anthony and the Johnsons. His musicVery inspired by his influences Twin Shadow sophomore album sounds like a mix of duran druran,bowie,Anthony and the Johnsons. His music strikes a balance between retro and modern. It can be fun at times but is something I wouldn't revisit. Full Review »
  3. Feb 14, 2016
    8
    After a storming debut, Twin Shadow follows up with what is arguably a more appealling album from start to finish. What you get at the core isAfter a storming debut, Twin Shadow follows up with what is arguably a more appealling album from start to finish. What you get at the core is pop music but with a dark and brooding atmosphere a la Depeche Mode. I admit that this is a lazy comparison - Twin Shadow brings more to the table than simply rethreading ground covered in the 80's but he is hugely inspired by the electro/synth pop of that period - Depeche Mode give you a rough idea of what you get here but with a 21st century tasted and Twin Shadow's original stamp present throughout. Again, it's the production that stands out on close, repeated listening. For some, "Confess" might lack the freshness of "Forget" but I don't agree with this as both albums are rooted in a sound that dates back 30 years or so. "Freshness" doesn't come into it. Twin Shadow has surprised me with how much I like his stuff and I would definitely recommend you check out his first two albums. Full Review »