• Record Label: Anticon
  • Release Date: Oct 9, 2012
Metascore
62

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 19
  2. Negative: 2 out of 19
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  1. Oct 30, 2012
    40
    It's a process, not a product--frustratingly inarticulate when it matters most.
  2. Oct 9, 2012
    60
    If Alopecia was the perfect fit sonically and thematically for Wolf's verbal diarrhea, then Mumps comes off more like a scattered greatest hits record than an album with a preconceived vision.
  3. Oct 16, 2012
    60
    There's enough humour in the words and inventiveness in the production to keep coming back to these songs, though you can only hope Wolf will sound a little less broken the next time around.
  4. Oct 15, 2012
    60
    All the Why? hallmarks are there, but the album just lacks effusive energy or emotional rawness needed to bring it all to life.
  5. Q Magazine
    Oct 23, 2012
    40
    While cleverly mocking late-20s thwarted ambitions and McJob drudgery, Wolf offers little by way of an alternative, his lyrics ultimately as hollow as the cynical Generation X irony of the '90s. [Nov 2012, p.112]
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 19 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 19
  2. Negative: 1 out of 19
  1. Oct 9, 2012
    9
    I don't want to sound like a total pedant, but Ian Cohen has bashed out this sort of "review" before (his hatchet-job of FOTL comes to mind),I don't want to sound like a total pedant, but Ian Cohen has bashed out this sort of "review" before (his hatchet-job of FOTL comes to mind), so just ignore his opinion when it oozes onto this site. Mumps, etc itself though - bloody great. Lyrically engaging, musically accomplished and brilliantly sequenced, I find it to be a more than worthy addition to the Why? catalogue. Full Review »
  2. Oct 9, 2012
    9
    This album kills it. I really kind of expected this album to be the sound we'd hear after Alopecia. Definitely one of the most listenable Why?This album kills it. I really kind of expected this album to be the sound we'd hear after Alopecia. Definitely one of the most listenable Why? albums for me. Everyone is doing their thing so well, and there are so many fun and surprising moments. Nice one. Full Review »
  3. Nov 6, 2012
    6
    The first tracks were more or less forgettable, regrettably, but I did enjoy the bit of spunk in Johnathan's Hope, Strawberries and Sod in theThe first tracks were more or less forgettable, regrettably, but I did enjoy the bit of spunk in Johnathan's Hope, Strawberries and Sod in the Seed, though not enough for more than five or six listens. Most of the choruses, much like many of the songs, on this album sound pretty strained or are simply not that good, especially when they try to sound catchy. Despite all this, I really enjoyed of the second half of the album, except for Thirst which I thought was lyrically bad and, once again, had a bad chorus. Kevin's Cancer and Distance both sound like what the first half of the album could have been and should have been; more refined, sharper instrumentals and overall better production. Finally, I LOVED the closing three tracks on this album Bitter Thoughts, Paper Hearts, and As A Card all sounded like Elephant Eyelash grade hip-hop with that dark touch that I loved in Alopecia. Full Review »