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Hey What
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Hey What Image
Metascore
84

Universal acclaim - based on 22 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.4

Universal acclaim- based on 27 Ratings

  • Summary: The 13th full-length release for the Minnesota indie rock duo (bassist Steve Garrington left the band in 2020) of Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker was produced by BJ Burton.
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. The Skinny
    Sep 7, 2021
    100
    To be making music that can truly surprise you 13 albums and 28 years into a career is a testament to Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker’s continued dedication to their craft.
  2. Clash Music
    Sep 8, 2021
    90
    A very clever album that plays with musical codes and conventions brilliantly to create something greater than the sum of its parts. This could be the bravest Low album in recent years. It surpasses ‘Double Negative’ in a way that is surprising, but also feels obvious.
  3. Paste Magazine
    Sep 8, 2021
    86
    The duo’s recent fascination with 21st-century disconnection continues, but the bombast is louder and the tranquility is quieter, and in focusing on lucid melodies and unobscured fidelity, they’ve created their most visceral work yet.
  4. Mojo
    Sep 7, 2021
    80
    The information exchange attains a near perfect equilibrium between sanctified melody and distress signals. [Oct 2021, p.91]
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  5. Rolling Stone
    Sep 10, 2021
    80
    Hey What is a well-rounded experience from the first track, the gorgeously devastating “White Horses,” to the last, “The Price You Pay (It Must Be Wearing Off)” and all its tentative hope, with moments in between that ebb and flow with the capriciousness of human emotion.
  6. Slant Magazine
    Sep 9, 2021
    80
    The album seamlessly blends the nightmarish and the romantic, interweaving our perennial hopes and the terrors we can’t shake off.
  7. American Songwriter
    Sep 13, 2021
    60
    The fact that all the songs segue seamlessly together adds to the intrigue, while at the same time reducing the entire album to a series of hazy soundscapes that mostly come across as a bit of a blur.

See all 22 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 9
  3. Negative: 1 out of 9
  1. NWLondon
    Sep 10, 2021
    10
    Stunning! My favourite album of 2021 so far. Brutal, complicated music but the harmonies are beautiful and ethereal.
  2. AskJeez
    Aug 16, 2023
    10
    Absolutely one of my top 10 albums of all time. Every song on this album reaches a strata beyond words where there is nothing left but awe.Absolutely one of my top 10 albums of all time. Every song on this album reaches a strata beyond words where there is nothing left but awe. Songs fade in and out into noise and pure waveforms and approach the purely abstract. This album feels like facing death in a way, an abstract form that is simple, beautiful, and almost terrifying. Voices turn into sine waves, guitar riffs turn into pure noise. This album is profound and absolutely beautiful. An absolutely fitting final album and what a wonderful collaboration between BJ Burton and Low. Absolute masterpiece.… Expand
  4. Monsieur_Croque
    Sep 12, 2021
    9
    While there was no way Low could recapture the utter surprise of the right turn they took on Double Negative, they come pretty close on HeyWhile there was no way Low could recapture the utter surprise of the right turn they took on Double Negative, they come pretty close on Hey What. The vocabulary here is familiar to Double Negative, all distorted, overclipped, and damaged instruments accompanying clean vocal harmony. Some real moments of majesty on this one. I can only wonder how they'll pull this off live...… Expand
  5. mjoa68
    Nov 19, 2021
    9
    Dark, twisted, brutal, heavy, glitchy, beautiful, harmonic, angelic and uplifting all at once. Low continue to not give an eff what othersDark, twisted, brutal, heavy, glitchy, beautiful, harmonic, angelic and uplifting all at once. Low continue to not give an eff what others think and continue to make real music as a result. Another fine outing from one of my all time favourite bands.… Expand
  6. cadusoares
    Sep 10, 2021
    8
    A great aural experience. Some of the sonic landscapes on this album are surreal, specially when songs fade into each other. Plus, i love theA great aural experience. Some of the sonic landscapes on this album are surreal, specially when songs fade into each other. Plus, i love the contrast between forefront angelical vocals and the harsh walls of noise. A great experimental masterpiece.… Expand
  7. spongki
    Dec 15, 2021
    8
    The indie spectrum was floored by the slowcore that had glitched beyond recognition, and what's more, from the giants who had single-handedlyThe indie spectrum was floored by the slowcore that had glitched beyond recognition, and what's more, from the giants who had single-handedly constructed the genre landscape regardless when 2018's enormously lauded Double Negative dropped. So when HEY WHAT showed up, I was pleasantly delighted to hear the band take a half-step back to their ambient roots while still embracing their late-career fixation with electronic blips and fuzz-time distortions. It's inspiring to see artists who have been practicing their profession for decades and have never bowed to pressure to compromise their visions. They've let their sound evolve naturally, but (in some circumstances) rather abruptly and without reservations, resulting in work that is both relevant and comparable to their best.… Expand
  8. Jungstir
    Sep 10, 2021
    3
    Great vocals but sparse throughout the album. A bit too discordant for my taste with distorted guitar and keyboard work. I started listeningGreat vocals but sparse throughout the album. A bit too discordant for my taste with distorted guitar and keyboard work. I started listening and wondered if I blew my speakers. My suggestion it may sound better in an altered state.. Had to disagree with the critics on this one.… Expand

See all 9 User Reviews

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Awards & Rankings

73
#73 Best Album of 2021

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