No One Can Ever Know
by The Twilight Sad
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 24 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 24
  3. Negative: 0 out of 24
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  1. The A.V. Club
    Feb 7, 2012
    83
    The bleakest of the band's albums, No One Can Ever Know works because The Twilight Sad knows exactly what old bits to jettison and new ones to embrace without tinkering with its cold, black heart.
  2. Q Magazine
    Feb 22, 2012
    80
    [Producer Andrew Weatherall] helped bring out a kind of claustrophobic, harmonic distortion. [Mar 2012, p.113]
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  3. Exclaim
    Feb 10, 2012
    80
    Reenergizing the band after a lackluster sophomore effort, the move [of switching guitars for synthesizers] has led to an atmospheric, assured and largely compelling record.
  5. DIY Magazine
    Feb 10, 2012
    80
    A tense and absorbing record that creates its own world for you to live in.
  6. No Ripcord
    Feb 8, 2012
    80
    There are no compromises to be reached, and that's what makes No One Can Ever Know such an authoritative listen.
  7. Uncut
    Feb 3, 2012
    80
    James Graham's ragged brogue remains deeply affecting, humanizing this unsettling music. [Mar 2012, p.101]
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  8. Drowned In Sound
    Feb 2, 2012
    80
    Purer than innocence and richer than gold, No One Can Ever Know confirms that The Twilight Sad are simply too good to remain a-little-less-than-well-known outside the restrictive realms of slightly-less-than-world-conqering 'zines.
  9. musicOMH.com
    Feb 2, 2012
    80
    Who knows what direction they may go in the future but it would have to be very special indeed to top this hugely impressive comeback.
  10. BBC Music
    Feb 2, 2012
    80
    Whereas Editors seem to ape the tortured soul of Joy Division, here it's the real deal.
  11. Beats Per Minute
    Feb 16, 2012
    76
    They do doom and gloom very well, and more importantly, offer their own unique slant on the sound rather than sound like Joy Division clones.
  12. Absolute Punk (Staff reviews)
    Feb 10, 2012
    75
    Once again, they have created an album that sounds very little like their past recordings and yet still sounds exactly like The Twilight Sad.
  13. Pitchfork
    Feb 2, 2012
    74
    Frigid, militant, and rhythmic.
  14. Dusted Magazine
    Feb 14, 2012
    70
    No One Can Ever Know is quite a good album, not as fresh as the debut, but more complicated and premeditated.
  15. Sputnikmusic
    Feb 13, 2012
    70
    Though it never explodes, No One Can Ever Know comes to its unnerving climaxes at just the right points and feels in its own right like a totally cohesive recording of something dark and unforgivable.
  16. The Fly (UK)
    Feb 10, 2012
    70
    Some way off a breakthrough they may be, but they're still a chilling thrill for those unafraid of the dark.
  17. PopMatters
    Feb 10, 2012
    70
    An album that rewards patience and careful attention; the band has always known how to capitalize on subtlety, but now it's the name of the game.
  18. Prefix Magazine
    Feb 8, 2012
    70
    It holds its cards close, but it's the kind of album that rewards patience and a willingness to dig into the album's complexity and deeply personal nature.
  19. AllMusic
    Feb 7, 2012
    70
    No One Can Ever Know reaffirms that the Twilight Sad are unafraid of challenging themselves or their listeners, and for better or worse, there's something admirable about that uncompromising attitude.
  20. Consequence
    Feb 7, 2012
    70
    For a young band with only three records under its belt, the exactitude and evolution that The Twilight Sad shows on No One is impressive.
  21. Alternative Press
    Feb 3, 2012
    70
    Fans of the Cure's late '80s material will find much to love about No One Can Ever Know. [Mar 2012, p.99]
  22. Filter
    Feb 7, 2012
    64
    Fans may take a while to warm up to this new material, but turning down the volume isn't always a bad thing.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 15 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. Steve23
    Oct 24, 2012
    10
    The Twilight Sad are one of those band s that should be huge, but for whatever reason have failed to make it on to radio playlist. A that isThe Twilight Sad are one of those band s that should be huge, but for whatever reason have failed to make it on to radio playlist. A that is one gigantic shame. With this new release TTS have moved to a more Synth style of music. the albums is a corker from track one Alphabet to the closing Kill It in the Morning. Standout tracks Dead City and Nil and first single Sick will make sure you listen more than once. Now if only we could get them to tour Australia.… Full Review »
  2. mroche
    Apr 24, 2012
    10
    I was a fan already with their first two albums, but this album is an apotheosis. Listeners who are not already in love with Joy Division haveI was a fan already with their first two albums, but this album is an apotheosis. Listeners who are not already in love with Joy Division have no background to truly judge this album, because this is the best thing in this genre of music since Closer. Is the whole album really a requiem for a dead mother? I would love to spend a night drinking with James. The thing about this album is that once you get it, after at least 3 listens, is every song is great. This album has been a drug that you can not get enough of....not since The Nationals Alligator has an album been this addictive. Best song, probably Nil, but Kill Them in the Morning and Alphabet are a close second, but hell, every track is just as pertinent to the whole.… Full Review »
  3. Tokyochuchu
    Mar 18, 2012
    8
    The Twilight Sad move more in the 'synth' direction on this album, and bring more clarity and tunefulness to the proceedings. Songs likeThe Twilight Sad move more in the 'synth' direction on this album, and bring more clarity and tunefulness to the proceedings. Songs like 'Don't Move' & 'Another Bed' have added a direct catchiness to the band's bow, which had previously been glimpsed only through overbearing walls of sound. That's not to say that this is 'The-Twilight-Sad-Goes-Pop', though. 'No One Can Ever Know' is an album that, just like the previous record 'Forget The Night Ahead', delights in hiding things away in the furrows of it's grooves. It's an album full of mystery, that begs to played until it finally submits it's secrets. The Twilight Sad's best record? Only time will tell... But I can promise a close run race.… Full Review »
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