Fuse
by Everything But the Girl
  • Record Label: Verve
  • Release Date: Apr 21, 2023
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 19
  3. Negative: 0 out of 19
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  1. The Observer (UK)
    Apr 24, 2023
    60
    Standouts such as Run a Red Light and No One Knows We’re Dancing provide clubland demimonde vignettes, while a number of expansive, impressionistic sound-beds allow for more matter-of-fact lyrics about loss (Lost) and cutting oneself some slack (When You Mess Up). Less memorable are the songs – like Caution to the Wind - where the two coast pellucidly along.
  2. Uncut
    Apr 18, 2023
    60
    Some tastefully lightweight, pleasantly inessential filler ultimately make Fuse a minor late-career coda. [Jun 2023, p.26]
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  3. Slant Magazine
    Apr 18, 2023
    60
    Even when Fuse is firing on all cylinders, it feels risk-averse, leaving one longing for an album that mines its gloomy outlook and ambiance for greater impact. As far as proverbial “comebacks” go, though, an exercise in pared-down style, where the music is a little darker, slower, and a bit more mature than what’s come before, is far from the end of the world.
  5. The Line of Best Fit
    Apr 20, 2023
    50
    The album’s been in gestation for two years, and yet with a few exceptions the ten songs here sound like offcuts. It’s not that Fuse is actually that bad – but it feels like a futile exercise, a series of turns down paths which don’t go anywhere.
  6. No Ripcord
    Apr 27, 2023
    40
    Ultimately, the record just sounds comically one-paced and disappointingly stale. As I said, Thorn’s voice is lovely, some of the little stories are smartly narrated, but it’s just nowhere near enough.

Awards & Rankings

91
#91 Most Discussed Album of 2023

User Reviews

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User Score
8.6

Universal acclaim- based on 9 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. Spazgadget
    Apr 24, 2023
    8
    Ah, Tracy Thorn. That voice.

    A full 24 years after their last full-length, Everything But The Girl miraculously return with a warm, sleek    Ah, Tracy Thorn. That voice.

    A full 24 years after their last full-length, Everything But The Girl miraculously return with a warm, sleek ride through emotions and electronics, a twist on the sounds they've been capitalizing on since 1996's immensely popular Walking Wounded LP.

    Tracy's voice has dropped, but the quality here has not. Her older, smokier voice winds its way around the electronics like a vine around a trellis, her delivery always a thing to behold, shaping the songs around her. Standout track "Run a Red Light" showcases her aching delivery, wrapped around a plaintive melody that haunts you long after. "No One Knows We're Dancing" is a love letter to the camaraderie and community of a shared musical experience, tucking away onto a dance floor and losing yourself in the music. "Lost" is a crushing meditation on loss, a laundry-list of things one loses (in Tracy's case, a list that includes her mother).

    Elsewhere, the gorgeous, aching vibe persists, and while various songs execute the formula to greater or lesser degrees of success, I find the album ending long before it has worn out it's welcome. After 24 years of waiting, I wouldn't mind hearing her sing long into the evening. A lovely, modern Everything But The Girl. You were missed.    … Full Review »
  2. Lajaleaa
    May 27, 2023
    7
    What seems to be a surprising resurrection very quickly becomes a cute exploration of the usual beats of an already forgotten essence of theWhat seems to be a surprising resurrection very quickly becomes a cute exploration of the usual beats of an already forgotten essence of the modern music. Still, I'm always happy some things exists to feed inner intentions than the masses.… Full Review »
  3. CarlosDanielS
    Apr 27, 2023
    8
    Not a fan of Everything But The Girl, and not expecting much of this album, give try to the new album Fuse and where very surprise with flowNot a fan of Everything But The Girl, and not expecting much of this album, give try to the new album Fuse and where very surprise with flow and record quality! nice album to listen while working… Full Review »
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