User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 16 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 16
  2. Negative: 0 out of 16
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  1. Apr 13, 2018
    10
    Listening to this album alongside the supplementary book was the most fulfilling music listening experience I have ever had. Ideally, the material in there will be available in the form of HQ scans one day and I implore anybody who has the opportunity to follow along with the music. Truly a masterpiece.
  2. Apr 6, 2018
    9
    Not as good as their last two albums, but still immensely great. Seems like this band can do no wrong.
  3. May 31, 2018
    6
    I find it hard to identify any bit of originality throughout the record. Even when The Wonder Years explores new sounds, their musical limitations can't support the switch and they fall flat.
  4. Apr 9, 2019
    6
    I'm very surprised at how many positive reviews there are for this album. If you became a fan of The Wonder Years before this record, you should be disappointed. DavidCall360 writes "not as good as their last two albums" and proceeds to rate it as a 9/10 which is extremely generous... I really don't find any of the songs to be very diverse or that original compared to No Closer To HeavenI'm very surprised at how many positive reviews there are for this album. If you became a fan of The Wonder Years before this record, you should be disappointed. DavidCall360 writes "not as good as their last two albums" and proceeds to rate it as a 9/10 which is extremely generous... I really don't find any of the songs to be very diverse or that original compared to No Closer To Heaven or The Greatest Generation. Most of the riffs and chord progressions are very generic, there aren't enough hooks or catchy melodies in any of the songs for them to be memorable. I'm almost 100% positive they worked really hard on this record but it comes off as a lazy written album. To be blunt, I find all the songs on this album to be very boring. If you gave No Closer To Heaven a 9/10, this is nowhere near that. I'm hoping they redeem themselves with their next album but it sucks that they're probably going to play a bunch of jams from this album on tour for the next year or so. Expand
Metascore
82

Universal acclaim - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. Jun 20, 2018
    85
    Even without probing that deeply it's clear that this is a phenomenal album that not only transcends genres but which also only feels like the next phase of a career already 13 years short that has a long and exciting future ahead.
  2. Apr 13, 2018
    90
    Fresh and ambitious without taking a step too far, Sister Cities is the Wonder Years' most fully realized work, and an artistic statement that deserves to be taken seriously.
  3. Kerrang!
    Apr 13, 2018
    80
    A record that feels completely at ease with itself. [Mar 31 2018, p.53]