Hold the Girl
by Rina Sawayama
User Score
8.8

Universal acclaim- based on 229 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 201 out of 229
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 229
  3. Negative: 17 out of 229
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  1. All_ButTrU4
    Sep 16, 2022
    5
    A safe bet but nonetheless satisfying. Rina doesn't seek to improve on her past magnum opus but instead to focus on grounding her sound. Less ambitious isn’t less fun.
  2. Dsros96
    Oct 5, 2022
    6
    Not a bad album but ballads aren't her main appeal. Some lyrics are extremely weird unintentionally. At least the pop songs are good and fun.
  3. petrichor1975
    Apr 5, 2023
    6
    The newest album from singer Rina Sawayama is an adventurous and fun one. It does not have the same energy and excitement as 2020's "SAWAYAMA", but it is still a worthy album to check out. I don't really have a favorite song on here, but Rina's vocals are sounding great and the production is nice too.
  4. LeChvck
    Sep 17, 2022
    4
    A mixture of different genres and sounds, I don't get the concept of the album. A lot of songs remind me of other songs/artists, for instance Imagining looks like a direct extension of Kill V. Maim by Grimes, or Send My Love To John to Xtatic Process by Madonna... just to name a couple of them. I think Rina Sawayama has potential but I still fail to see her charisma and originality, onlyA mixture of different genres and sounds, I don't get the concept of the album. A lot of songs remind me of other songs/artists, for instance Imagining looks like a direct extension of Kill V. Maim by Grimes, or Send My Love To John to Xtatic Process by Madonna... just to name a couple of them. I think Rina Sawayama has potential but I still fail to see her charisma and originality, only shown in the title track Hold The Girl, best song in this album by far.… Expand
  5. CTRLTZA
    Dec 10, 2022
    6
    Great vocal album that is overshadowed by the loud and overproduced production, like I could hear the production more than I could hear her powerfully strong vocals. Felt like she cared more about the charts than actually producing a well made album like SAWAYAMA was but more power to her!

Awards & Rankings

74
#74 Best Album of 2022
20
#20 Most Discussed Album of 2022

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
84

Universal acclaim - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. Beats Per Minute
    Sep 29, 2022
    79
    With bops and tearjerkers aplenty, Rina’s sincerity in how she confronts her past demons cannot help but warm even the iciest heart.
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  2. Sputnikmusic
    Sep 20, 2022
    70
    It’s a respectable record with easily enough depth and conviction to hint at something thoroughly vital, but it folds so much of itself along lines too deeply creased into forms too clean-edged to bear the kind of authorial stamp its many raw qualities beg for.
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  3. Slant Magazine
    Sep 20, 2022
    70
    Her experiments aren’t as bold or memorable as those of her debut, and the hooks throughout Hold the Girl aren’t as immediately catchy. Nonetheless, Sawayama’s undeniably fierce willingness to gaze further inward and confront thornier topics makes the album compelling in its own right.
    Read full review
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