Let Go
by Nada Surf
  • Record Label: Barsuk
  • Release Date: Feb 4, 2003
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 11
  3. Negative: 2 out of 11
  1. Entertainment Weekly
    91
    A dozen near-perfect pop songs, each one teeming with joyful desperation.
  2. Magnet
    90
    A near-perfect record to hold onto with all the might you can muster. [#58, p.103]
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  3. AllMusic
    90
    Layer after layer of preconceived notions and excess noise are stripped away to unveil both soft-spoken charm and intense newfound confidence.
  5. Alternative Press
    90
    Nears indie-pop perfection. [Feb 2003, p.70]
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  6. The A.V. Club
    80
    Virtually every song on Let Go hits its mark in one way or another, dispensing consistently remarkable moments that range from the sweet minor-key swoon of "Blizzard Of '77" and "Neither Heaven Nor Space" to the sleek, bouncy new wave of "Hi-Speed Soul."
  7. Q Magazine
    80
    A more mature mix of intelligent guitar tunes and acoustic noodling. [Oct 2002, p.113]
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  8. Mojo
    80
    Wheel reinvention, it ain't, but for insidious, emotionally overblown ear candy, Let Go hits a real sweet spot. [Nov 2002, p.113]
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  9. Rolling Stone
    80
    Let Go is an excellent rainy-afternoon album, full of gentle and melancholic beauty, with echoes of Love and the Beach Boys.
  10. Blender
    70
    This wistful, road-trip nostalgia-pop is the sound of alt-rock after the gold rush. [#14, p.141]
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  11. Pitchfork
    38
    Let Go's only plausible use is to forcibly expose us to mid-90s alt-rock in the context of today so that we might come to grips with just how damn crappy it sounds.
  12. Stylus Magazine
    35
    This record is Weezer-lite, emo-lite, corporate radio, MOR rock junk.

Awards & Rankings

89
#89 Best Album of 2003
65
#65 Most Discussed Album of 2003
50
#50 Most Shared Album of 2003

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.9

Universal acclaim- based on 38 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 35 out of 38
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 38
  3. Negative: 2 out of 38
  1. a_1
    Dec 9, 2010
    10
    "Well son", I said. This is my favourite album of all time"...
  2. Jwphelps
    Aug 26, 2022
    10
    This album is a nostalgia hit, but also holds up and isn't out of place played today.
  3. ChadyzGroove
    Dec 4, 2010
    10
    This is one of my favorite albums from the 2000s. It had definitely held up over the year, and only seems to get better with time. If you haveThis is one of my favorite albums from the 2000s. It had definitely held up over the year, and only seems to get better with time. If you have only listened to High/Low or the song Popular, you are missing out on one of the greatest bands, and albums of this generation.… Full Review »
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