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Something Like a War Image
Metascore
70

Generally favorable reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 5 Ratings

  • Summary: The third full-length release for Adam Bainbridge features guest appearances from Bahamadia, Cosima, Nadia Nair, Robyn, Seinabo Sey, Samthing Soweto, and Jazmine Sullivan.
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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 8
  2. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. Sep 25, 2019
    80
    After a unifying, spirit-lifting house warm-up that almost sounds live enough to have been recorded at a small loft party, Something Like a War gets down to private business. Vulnerability, patience, action, and uninhibited expression are all upheld as imperatives for intimacy.
  2. Sep 10, 2019
    80
    The tasteful gloss of Something Like a War may be off-putting for some listeners, who may view its composure as aloofness or feel distance where there is intended warmth. But there is a deep well of heart underneath this album's cool surface.
  3. Sep 5, 2019
    70
    Something Like a War feels ambitious and searching, navigating the complex experiences of Bainbridge and their collaborators.
  4. Sep 5, 2019
    61
    That’s the fundamental issue of Something Like A War: Kindness, in their efforts to cultivate and redistribute softness as a universal tenet, forgot the key rule of living honestly—your vulnerabilities must be specific enough to connect with.
  5. Sep 5, 2019
    60
    Everything from funk-inflected bass to smoky brass and even New Jack Swing is represented here. Despite this, sometimes the clash of sounds can feel slightly diluted by some slightly hazy production, including on The Warning, where Robyn’s emotionally-wrought vocals and the melancholy orchestration are dulled by the washed-out beats. Yet, even in these moments, there’s an air of self-assuredness.
  6. Q Magazine
    Sep 5, 2019
    60
    Sorrowful dance and defiant house beats wind throughout, bringing unity to the scattered sounds. [Oct 2019, p.109]
  7. Sep 6, 2019
    60
    Fans might see this as a boon - Bainbridge picking up from where they left off before their self-imposed hiatus. To others, it may sound like a missed opportunity to establish themselves as a more cutting-edge artist.

See all 8 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. Oct 15, 2019
    8
    Drawing on the same techno-trip jazz-funk/piano-laced gospel fusion that's possessed so many of today's most essential hip-hop acts, the albumDrawing on the same techno-trip jazz-funk/piano-laced gospel fusion that's possessed so many of today's most essential hip-hop acts, the album is much more likely to be remembered for its sleek production and engrossingly atmospheric musicianship than the profundity of any of its lyrical statements, though this is unlikely to truly bother you in any substantial way until after the conclusion of your listen. Expand