IV
by BadBadNotGood
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
Buy Now
Buy on
  1. The Skinny
    Jul 5, 2016
    100
    Fiery hip-hop instrumentals, creamy rhythm and blues balladry and classic lounge vibes are explored with equal excitement--and pulled off with equal panache.
  2. Exclaim
    Jul 7, 2016
    90
    While IV is extraordinary for delivering fresh music that elaborates on their past work, it feels particularly exceptional because of its forward momentum.
  3. The Line of Best Fit
    Jul 21, 2016
    85
    There’s a richness to IV which was not present on their last record, and it revolutionises their appeal.
  5. The Observer (UK)
    Jul 11, 2016
    80
    Innovative and imaginative, IV overflows with ideas throughout.
  6. AllMusic
    Jul 5, 2016
    80
    They blend numerous influences and don't conform to any traditions. More than anything, their music is exuberant and immensely enjoyable.
  7. Q Magazine
    Jul 5, 2016
    80
    This is a set which pushes boundaries with a gripping sense of adventure. [Aug 2016, p.108]
    All this publication's reviews
  8. Consequence
    Jul 8, 2016
    75
    IV sounds as timeless as the instrumentation itself. BadBadNotGood’s work with Ghostface Killah will have drawn in more listeners, but what they’ll find on IV is so much more than they might have expected.
  9. Pitchfork
    Jul 19, 2016
    71
    BBNG can still be frustrating, but IV is a sign of a band hitting its stride. It’s their most jazz-forward album, and it’s filled with some markers of magnificent growth.
  10. No Ripcord
    Aug 10, 2016
    70
    BBNG have always been fluent and sonically articulate, but enlisting the talents of suitable vocalists to thicken their smokescreen strengthens their suit.
  11. Spin
    Jul 19, 2016
    70
    From the moment that crystalline keyboard riff and sparse drum machine open the first track, “And That, Too,” it’s clear the band has raised the stakes to match the talent they’ve been hanging out with.
  12. Clash Music
    Jul 18, 2016
    70
    IV marks a refinement of the BADBADNOTGOOD sound and as ever is filled to the brim with gorgeous melodies and impressive digressions.
  13. Uncut
    Jul 5, 2016
    70
    "Time Moves Slow" is gorgeous Muscle Shoals soul with a killer turn from Future Islands' Samuel T Herring, while "In Your Eyes" with Charlotte Day Wilson is lush orch jazz with shades of David Axelrod. [Aug 2016, p.71]
    All this publication's reviews
  14. The 405
    Jul 8, 2016
    65
    IV is perhaps a little too ambitious for its own good. Grandiose aims are never to be scoffed at, but considering that IV's highs are so remarkably high and its lows are so forgettable, one cannot help but wish that BBNG had smoothed out the product.
  15. Drowned In Sound
    Jul 8, 2016
    60
    Five years on, BBNG stand poised to write jazz standards for the next generation. In some circles, you’d call that progress. But for folks that turned to BBNG as infiltrators, rebels, the razor edge of the new--in those circles, you’d call that a sell-out.
  16. NOW Magazine
    Jul 6, 2016
    60
    While IV shows a progression, it lacks the progressiveness that would keep BBNG in a league with their aforementioned jazz/hip-hop predecessors and peers. However admirably, it stays in its own lane.
  17. DIY Magazine
    Jul 5, 2016
    60
    Taken on their own, each track solidifies the group’s wild imagination, but IV is tough to stomach as the free-flowing, full-bodied juggernaut that it is.
  18. Pretty Much Amazing
    Jul 5, 2016
    58
    IV feels subdued and professional, something you would never expect to associate with the quartet.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.4

Universal acclaim- based on 36 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 34 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 36
  3. Negative: 0 out of 36
  1. Oracle789
    Jul 8, 2016
    4
    As a fan of BBNG since their first EP I'm kind of disappointed by this album. It's really by the books and is overproduced, and not somethingAs a fan of BBNG since their first EP I'm kind of disappointed by this album. It's really by the books and is overproduced, and not something that I expected from BBNG. If this is the new direction they are going then I don't know if I can be bothered following their music.… Full Review »
  2. perpetualjoe
    Jul 19, 2016
    8
    IV is a much less focus, and much more experimental, take on their style. Jazz elements are brought to the forefront, as are electronic ones.IV is a much less focus, and much more experimental, take on their style. Jazz elements are brought to the forefront, as are electronic ones. The songs with guests vocalists were a nice change of pace. I enjoyed it quite a bit, but don't expect the same dark, brooding album as III.… Full Review »
  3. andrilitvynchuk
    Aug 12, 2023
    9
    I am listening Cashmere right now and literally want to cry for how beautiful it is. Great album
See all user reviews »