Fuse
by Everything But the Girl
  • Record Label: Verve
  • Release Date: Apr 21, 2023
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
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  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 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    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.    … Expand
  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 the modern music. Still, I'm always happy some things exists to feed inner intentions than the masses.
  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 flow and record quality! nice album to listen while working

Awards & Rankings

91
#91 Most Discussed Album of 2023

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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
  1. Sputnikmusic
    May 1, 2023
    68
    Fuse lands as a welcome sampler of the Everything But the Girl sound updated to the ‘20s, but not quite the powerhouse comeback they are so clearly capable of.
    Read full review
  2. 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.
    Read full review
  3. 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.
    Read full review
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