Near to the Wild Heart of Life
by Japandroids
  • Record Label: Anti-
  • Release Date: Jan 27, 2017
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 32 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 32
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 32
  3. Negative: 0 out of 32
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  1. Pretty Much Amazing
    Jan 27, 2017
    91
    No matter how successful an individual composition is, though, each of these songs stand atop a sturdy foundation of life-affirming lyrics and towering melodies. Few bands can deliver music so uncynical, so exultant, and (yes) so hummable without skidding into schlock.
  2. The A.V. Club
    Jan 27, 2017
    91
    Japandroids have always sought love and adventure in equal measure, and they get both on Near To The Wild Heart Of Life.
  3. Entertainment Weekly
    Jan 24, 2017
    91
    Noisy but built on articulate songwriting, Near radiates a sincerity often missing from bands this brash. At a time of doubt and fear, it’s screamingly optimistic.
  5. Spin
    Jan 27, 2017
    90
    Japandroids fans will be happy to know that Near to the Wild Heart of Life is a Japandroids album, pushed to 11 even in the quiet moments: towering riffs played on maxed-out amps, drums hit with due diligence, big whoa-oh harmonies, passionate, evocative rock n’ roll songwriting about girls and alcohol.
  6. PopMatters
    Jan 23, 2017
    90
    Near To The Wild Heart Of Life conjures the same humanist swoon that runs through everything from the Who and Bruce Springsteen to Sufjan Stevens and Explosions in the Sky.
  7. The Line of Best Fit
    Jan 18, 2017
    90
    Near To The Wild Heart Of Life is proof that, while Japandroids are still capable of the cathartic sermons that can lead to hoarse voices and declarations of love, they can break from the formula and deliver something fresh and exciting. It’s still life-affirming, but in a new way.
  8. Magnet
    Feb 14, 2017
    80
    The more writerly approach hasn't dulled the duo's riffage one iota, even if this is their most musically expansive and easily their most musically expansive and easily their cleanest-sounding outing yet. [No. 139, p.56]
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  9. NOW Magazine
    Feb 7, 2017
    80
    As its cover and length (the usual eight songs) suggest, Near To The Wild Heart Of Life is unquestionably a Japandroids album. Some may yearn for more of Celebration Rock’s high voltage, but by changing gears they’ve added more depth and variation to those shout-along choruses we love so much.
  10. Kerrang!
    Feb 2, 2017
    80
    Japandroids' ability to move the listener remains as powerful as ever. [4 Feb 2017, p.51]
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  11. The Guardian
    Feb 2, 2017
    80
    Feelings sound so good cranked up to 11.
  12. American Songwriter
    Jan 30, 2017
    80
    The lyrics are maybe a bit more intricate this time around, but they still rely on open-hearted platitudes about life lived hard and love without restraint, the eternal human struggle between the righteous path and inclinations to darkness, and, of course, well-timed “whoa-oh” shouts than can sometimes say it all.
  13. Rolling Stone
    Jan 26, 2017
    80
    Drummer David Prowse still plays like Keith Moon weaned on the Ramones, with stoic muscle-beats full of sprints and lunges. Part of the thrill here is how King's constructs teeter at cliché's brink.
  14. The Independent (UK)
    Jan 25, 2017
    80
    An album which focuses their stadium-alt-punk sound to its sharpest edge yet.
  15. Exclaim
    Jan 25, 2017
    80
    Near to the Wild Heart of Life isn't the record fans waited five years for. But backed into a corner, Japandroids have penned a truly great record filled with all the guitar hooks, shout-along choruses about nights spent drinking, sweating and longing to be somewhere else that we've come to expect.
  16. musicOMH.com
    Jan 25, 2017
    80
    Comfortably impressive, it’s difficult to see how Near To The Wild Heart Of Life will leave the turntable once it gets spinning. Despite being less striking than its predecessor, it’s another great Japandroids album.
  17. Under The Radar
    Jan 18, 2017
    80
    Once again, they've provided a 30-minute blast of hopeful, soaring rock. [Jan - Mar 2017, p.66]
  18. Uncut
    Jan 18, 2017
    80
    An album that finds wildness in unexpected places. [Feb 2017, p.16]
  19. Alternative Press
    Jan 17, 2017
    80
    The duo are branching out more than usual, finding themselves tougher, smarter and more tender all at once. [Feb 2017, p.80]
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  20. Pitchfork
    Jan 24, 2017
    71
    Near to the Wild Heart of Life ultimately lacks the urgency of the band’s best music. The tower hasn’t collapsed, but it’s starting to wobble.
  21. Punknews.org (Staff)
    Feb 1, 2017
    70
    While not all the songs pack the same punch, Near To The Wild Heart Of Life succeeds on its earnestness.
  22. Drowned In Sound
    Jan 30, 2017
    70
    There’s plenty of Near to the Wild Heart of Life that carries the essential appeal of the band in spades, namely, a dedication to giving it your all until you collapse with euphoria and exhaustion.
  23. AllMusic
    Jan 27, 2017
    70
    If they remain a little constrained by their formalism--they're so determined to be part of a tradition they can often be swallowed by it--it's nevertheless hard not to admire their ambition.
  24. Clash Music
    Jan 26, 2017
    70
    A bold and confident return.
  25. No Ripcord
    Jan 23, 2017
    70
    It’s an occasionally uplifting, but mainly standard, declaration that suggests they’re currently experiencing a transitional phase as songwriters.
  26. Rock Sound
    Jan 19, 2017
    70
    While none quite make it all the way, they do end up nestling rather nicely among the planets.
  27. Consequence
    Jan 25, 2017
    67
    After nearly a five-year wait, Japandroids could have written a record with more wind beneath its wings, but the pace of Near To The Wild Heart Of Life is consumable enough to warrant repeat listens. It just won’t be a record that saves you when you need it to.
  28. The 405
    Jan 23, 2017
    65
    By removing its circumstantial baggage entirely, The Wild Heart Of Life is satisfying and uplifting, and continuously so. But it feels in every way--sans the band’s personal serenity--a regression after Celebration Rock.
  29. Chicago Tribune
    Jan 20, 2017
    63
    At its best, "Wild Heart of Life" approaches that recording's [2012's "Celebration Rock"] peak moments, but it too often undercuts them by trying to pull the duo out of its minimalist arena-punk corner.
  30. DIY Magazine
    Jan 27, 2017
    60
    While Japandroids have always walked a tightrope between classic rock and straight-up punk, Near To The Wild Heart Of Life finds their footing wobbling for the first time.
  31. Q Magazine
    Jan 17, 2017
    60
    The whole thing is a bit of a grower and a tentative flex in a new direction with just about enough of their old sound to keep fans happy. [Mar 2017, p.111]
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  32. Tiny Mix Tapes
    Feb 8, 2017
    50
    The energy imparted simply can’t overcome a drowning of influences, or rather, the kinetic is overcome by the potential.
  33. Sputnikmusic
    Jan 26, 2017
    46
    Near to the Wild Heart of Life succeeds only in proving that the Japandroids of 2017 will have a hard time matching their former glories.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 42 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 34 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 42
  3. Negative: 1 out of 42
  1. jetjobob
    Jan 29, 2017
    9
    Let me preface this review by saying I have a heavy bias in favor of Japandroids. Their album Celebration Rock literally changed me and theLet me preface this review by saying I have a heavy bias in favor of Japandroids. Their album Celebration Rock literally changed me and the way I write music as a whole. The album came to me during a summer when i felt alone, and supported me emotionally. And if Celebration Rock is the standards by which i rate all other albums, I am thrilled to say that some will find Near To The Wild Heart Of Life just as provocative and will hold it just as close to the heart. It's still hopeful punk music but the boys from Japandroids are all grown up.

    The opening title track evokes the same emotions that you would feel if you were watching a band live. The drum roll gears you up for the fury and passion that the title track conveys. It shares the same spirit as early Japandroids, but forecasts the widened vision of production and instrumentation that continues to unfold as the album progresses. The second song North East South West is an excellent example of how Japandroids have evolved since Celebration Rock. The song not only has an acoustic guitar (which I never thought I would hear from the duo), but is arranged in a way that is fresh. Instead of staying in their lane, the song opens up and slows down for an ending that is inviting and a call for everyone to sing along.

    This slower trend (slower being a relative term) continues through the next couple of songs on the album, but despite their technically slower pace, the album never loses energy. The energy is just transformed into something more spiritual. There are new sonic landscapes and moments on the album almost feel like worship music because they are so life affirming and celebratory, Particularly on the track "True Love and A Free Life Of Free Will". and In a song like "I'm sorry (for not finding you sooner)", love is abundantly clear. The drums manage to keep subtlety while still being able to move the song in a way that is comforting, yet dripping with angst. It's clear the lyrical and melodic composition of the group is as strong as ever.

    Then there are songs like "Arc of Bar", that are screaming out one thing; Japandroids are stadium ready. It stomps around with a confidence that is impossible to ignore, and is accompanied by lyrics about getting so **** up that the mosquitos get drunk off their blood... If that's not Rock and Roll, then I don't know what is. The last half the album can only be described as pure, unadulterated, toe tapping, rock and roll, which all culminates in the poetic finally that is the song, "Body Like A Grave".

    It's not often that a band I hold in such high regards, not only returns from hiatus, but comes back to exceed and break the expectations that have been set and I cannot fully describe how proud I am of the duos performances on Near to The Wild Heart of Life. I've already listened to the record multiple times through since it was released on Friday and I'm starting to wonder: if i had heard this record previous to hearing Celebration Rock, which one i would love more? Luckily it's a question i don't have to answer because the fact remains; Japandroids are back and have made life a little more worth living.    … Full Review »
  2. Music_Observer
    May 16, 2017
    7
    When the structural instruments such as the guitar and drums were active, Japandroids were on top of their game, but most of the album was tooWhen the structural instruments such as the guitar and drums were active, Japandroids were on top of their game, but most of the album was too harmonically tame to get there consistently. My Score: 118/180 (Good) = 6.6/10… Full Review »
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