Intimacy
by Bloc Party
  • Record Label: Atlantic
  • Release Date: Oct 28, 2008
Metascore
69

Generally favorable reviews - based on 27 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 27
  3. Negative: 0 out of 27
  1. Drowned In Sound
    70
    Intimacy is not quite the radical statement its makers might think it is (I’m not sure what could be given the group’s evident ambitions), but it’s definitely a little bit of invigorating redemption at a time when doubts were beginning to cloud what was, initially, a flawless reputation.
  2. Los Angeles Times
    75
    This vicious playfulness extends to the music as well, which trims off the magisterial excesses of "Weekend" while keeping the band's recent noisy electronica crush intact.
  3. musicOMH.com
    40
    At its best Intimacy is taut and claustrophobic or movingly sentimental, but for the main part it is repetitious and bafflingly poorly realised, especially given that they could have had an extra six months to work on it.
  5. Observer Music Monthly
    60
    Brave, but forgettable.
  6. Pitchfork
    58
    While Okereke has described Intimacy as a break-up album, it feels like more of a document of a band disconnected from itself.
  7. Sputnikmusic
    50
    Intimacy, as an album, is hit-or-miss.
  8. Urb
    70
    Intimacy offers the most ideas that Bloc Party has ever put on display. Skip the first two tracks and you'll find more hits than misses.
  9. The Guardian
    80
    Brave, individual and heartfelt, Intimacy offers treasure for fans old and new.
  10. PopMatters
    70
    Intimacy might not actually be all that intimate, but it is a thing of rough, recycled beauty. And if that isn’t worth getting beat up for, I don’t know what is.
  11. The A.V. Club
    50
    Bloc Party has a lot of ideas on Intimacy, but the band should have given itself more time to figure them out.
  12. Dot Music
    70
    Rushed it may have been, but here Bloc Party seem to accurately reflect post-relationship blues: confused, introspective and stung.
  13. Prefix Magazine
    70
    On Intimacy his ambition often outpaces the execution.
  14. Rolling Stone
    70
    Replacing Bloc Party's distant cool with vivid honesty, Okereke makes Intimacy a confident new peak for his band.
  15. Hot Press
    70
    Released on the web fully two months before it hits record stores, Bloc Party’s third album is as gleaming and hermetically sealed as one of Kubrick’s monoliths.
  16. AllMusic
    70
    At times, Intimacy feels rushed and predictable, and at others, it's almost painfully ambitious.
  17. Spin
    60
    Even as Intimacy gets sonically or lyrically precarious--'Zephyrus' recalls 'Jesus Walks,' for Christ's sake--it does so while reaching hard toward something exhilarating.
  18. Slant Magazine
    60
    Bloc Party disavows their history and start at a musical Year Zero. But the band hasn't adequately replaced their former selves to justify jettisoning their pervious strengths.
  19. Uncut
    60
    In truth, though, there's not too much here to alarm the undergraduate population.
  20. Entertainment Weekly
    75
    Despite their third album's title, however, they largely focus here on frantic postpunk aggression that's not necessarily bad, it just isn't what they do best.
  21. The New York Times
    80
    At times the music, like the lyrics, does illuminate the problem of a band taking itself too seriously. But Bloc Party has always favored drama, and there’s plenty of precedent for overblown sentiment when it comes to pop and broken hearts.
  22. Blender
    60
    Here, they simply sound jittery, putting romantic complaints to studio-worked music that's oddly brisk and busy, with a dissonance that drowns out the emotion. [Nov 2008, p.73]
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  23. Billboard
    80
    Intimacy is the English dance-punk outfit's most urgent-sounding effort yet, and frontman Kele Okereke and his bandmates probably couldn't bear the thought of waiting two or three months for it to be heard.
  24. NOW Magazine
    60
    The rewards are there--it just takes some work.
  25. Mojo
    80
    Boldness has its own reward in the big grime beats, tension-filled horns and cold self-loathing of Mercury. [Nov 2008, p.104]
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  26. Q Magazine
    60
    Bloc Party remain a band with the greatness they seek still hovering somewhere on the horizons. [Nov 2008, p.112]
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  27. Alternative Press
    80
    Intimacy is arguably Bloc Party's finest moment thus far, offering sweat and circuitry, savagery and submission, and a captivating energy that's severely lacking in many music scenes on the planet. [Dec 2008, p.144]
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  28. Under The Radar
    70
    They are so solid and so confident that it seems inevitable that they will get many chances to slowly drift into more daring lands. But without more risk, they may be destined to make albums like Intimacy--accomplished and intriguing, but not life changing, not classic. [Year End 2008]
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User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.2

Universal acclaim- based on 78 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 68 out of 78
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 78
  3. Negative: 2 out of 78
  1. Ricko
    Nov 7, 2011
    8
    The third album by the band. Their least commercially successful but I think its a really good album. Marginally better than A Weekend in theThe third album by the band. Their least commercially successful but I think its a really good album. Marginally better than A Weekend in the City and not quite as strong as Silent Alarm but the band showed consistent progression with their sound from album to album. All facets of the records are strong and it's very hard for me to pick out faults except there is a lack of killer singles that were present on their debut. It's such a pity that they have seemed to stop at this record with Kele going solo (bad move in my opinion). They've been one of the few "promising indie hopefuls" from the mid 00's that actually followed through on their potential and grew their sound.… Full Review »
  2. MattA.
    Oct 3, 2008
    8
    Let's just stop comparing both this album and A Weekend in the City to Silent Alarm. It is ridiculous to hold Bloc Party to that. Taken Let's just stop comparing both this album and A Weekend in the City to Silent Alarm. It is ridiculous to hold Bloc Party to that. Taken on its own merits, this is a solid, interesting album. The lead singer's lyrics are still pretty bad but they weren't great on their debut either and no one seemed to have a problem then. The thing that has always elevated Bloc Party is their energy. It was admittedly more abundant on Silent Alarm than it was on A Weekend in the City, but they have regained some lost ground with this album. So again, don't expect Silent Alarm and you will have much to enjoy here.… Full Review »
  3. NobodyDream
    Feb 20, 2021
    6
    An good album but not excellent. Some songs don't seem to have a pont or effect on the album, I'd say that the album is carried by songs likeAn good album but not excellent. Some songs don't seem to have a pont or effect on the album, I'd say that the album is carried by songs like "Ares", "Mercury" "Talons" and a few others. When comparing to previous albums like "Silent Alarm" and "A Weekend In The City" this albums appear to not being a realive of the band, but only puts more thing on the table. Overall, it's not the best album from Bloc Party but not the worst… Full Review »
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