I Can Feel You Creep Into My Private Life
by tUnE-yArDs
  • Record Label: 4AD
  • Release Date: Jan 19, 2018
User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 57 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 41 out of 57
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 57
  3. Negative: 0 out of 57
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  1. DavidWasHere
    Feb 8, 2018
    6
    I get why Merrill Garbus changed direction on this album. While I loved the afrobeat influences on the project's past two albums, W H O K I L L and nikki nack, and found some of the criticism to the band of cultural appropriation to be a bit overblown, there were times where she did push it lyrically that felt tone deaf. Although changing the sound from afropop to house and disco, whichI get why Merrill Garbus changed direction on this album. While I loved the afrobeat influences on the project's past two albums, W H O K I L L and nikki nack, and found some of the criticism to the band of cultural appropriation to be a bit overblown, there were times where she did push it lyrically that felt tone deaf. Although changing the sound from afropop to house and disco, which also originated from marginalized communities but hey at least effort was there. But besides that, I get changing her sound out of respect as well as her growing as a musician. I mean not every band should really repeat what they do on every album. Hell Vampire Weekend ditched their afrobeat sound on Modern Vampires, and that album is amazing! However, I can feel you creep into my private life is not a great change of pace. Particularly because it constantly feels like Garbus is the type of "woke" activist that has a Tumblr account and get constantly ridiculed because of their self-righteous pride is self-aggrandizing rather than for the cause. Now while the social consciousness has always been in the band, a lot of times the navel gaze approach is for the worse as it never really address any issues, such as on Colonizer and Private Life. There are other social themes tackled here, like on Hammer, but for the wokeness of the album will turn off a lot of people. And while that was also an issue for me, it is a very inconsistent album. There are still elements of world music, like on Private Life, which is not as exciting like they were on albums like W H O K I L L and nikki nack, but a lot of the disco and dance elements are often too stiff or a drag, like on Home and Free, or just way too repetitive with weak hooks, like on Colonizer which felt like a rightfully thrown away electroclash tune. There are legit dance jams on here, like ABC 123, the opener Heart Attack, and Hammer, but it's just a drab album all around.… Expand
  2. OrenBrown
    Feb 23, 2018
    5
    If white guilt was an album, this would be it; and that's not necessarily a criticism, but it's certainly at the forefront of the album's themes, lyrically. That being said the album seems like it's trying super hard to be 'woke' and I'm not so into that. Musically, the album is really quite repetitive, annoyingly so sometimes, especially on songs like "Honesty", and "Look At Your Hands."If white guilt was an album, this would be it; and that's not necessarily a criticism, but it's certainly at the forefront of the album's themes, lyrically. That being said the album seems like it's trying super hard to be 'woke' and I'm not so into that. Musically, the album is really quite repetitive, annoyingly so sometimes, especially on songs like "Honesty", and "Look At Your Hands." I don't particularly enjoy Garbus' voice, so when she's saying the same thing over and over again on a mostly uninteresting dance-pop beat, it just gets old - and that's most of the songs on this album. That being said there are a couple enjoyable and nicely produced songs here, such as "Who Are You."… Expand

Awards & Rankings

43
#43 Most Shared Album of 2018

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 31 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 31
  3. Negative: 0 out of 31
  1. Magnet
    Apr 17, 2018
    80
    I Can Feel You Creep Into My Private Life is merely very good. [No. 150, p.55]
  2. PopMatters
    Feb 28, 2018
    60
    On the whole, I Can Feel You Creep Into My Private Life is a truly good album and a number of the songs on it are notable successes, but the stark shift in sonic style sets it apart from the rest of Tune-Yards' discography and not in a good way. It seems safe, it seems almost timid at times.
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  3. The Wire
    Feb 23, 2018
    80
    Thanks to Tune-Yards’ trademark genre splicing--demented nursery rhyme chanting, jerky rapping, tortured harmonising and stuttery 808 beats--Private Life shows there’s still space for playfulness amid the polemic. [Mar 218, p.55]
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