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Songs of Praise Image
Metascore
83

Universal acclaim - based on 20 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 74 Ratings

  • Summary: This is the debut full-length release for the British post-punk quintet that includes Charlie Steen, Sean Coyle-Smith, Eddie Green, Josh Finerty, and Charlie Forbes.
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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 20
  2. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. Jan 16, 2018
    100
    Songs Of Praise distils the best features of classic British alternative music into a vital band passionate to enervate, communicate and entertain.
  2. 100
    Debut album Songs Of Praise courses with venom and a lithe vigour that is all their own.
  3. 90
    Whip smart, furious and, most importantly, fun, Songs of Praise is the first essential album of 2018. And what an album it is.
  4. Mojo
    Jan 5, 2018
    80
    There's no escaping Steen's brutal vision, guitarists Eddie Green and Sean Coyle-Smith and Edge-like chimes to Concrete's verses, before the terrace chorus tilts the mood back to belligerent. No Brit band is better equipped to set 2018 alight. [Feb 2018, p.91]
  5. Jan 11, 2018
    80
    There’s a Stone Roses-style naive melody on Friction, and Angie is the kind of epic that closed Britpop albums. But there’s also seething post-punk that recalls early Fugazi, and the lyrics--full of blood, spunk and dirt--are far too jaded and contradictory to make for easy indie-disco fodder.
  6. Jan 18, 2018
    75
    It just sounds like a bunch of young men looking to blow off steam, and that is what makes it such an enjoyable romp.
  7. Jan 12, 2018
    50
    It is, ultimately, an unimaginative album from a promising band. Better records may lie ahead for them, but for now they will struggle to reach far beyond their existing fanbase.

See all 20 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 13
  2. Negative: 1 out of 13
  1. Jan 14, 2018
    10
    Two weeks into 2018 and I'm sure this album will be one of my favourites of the year. Best post-punk release I've heard in a long time.
  2. Aug 21, 2019
    10
    Was my album of the year for 2018. It's powerful and authentic. There are a lot of Post Punk bands coming out - some of them pretty fakeWas my album of the year for 2018. It's powerful and authentic. There are a lot of Post Punk bands coming out - some of them pretty fake (Idyls) some pretty amazing -these guys and Fontaines DC- for me, the difference is in an ability to write and to believe in what you do write not play dress-up Expand
  3. Jan 29, 2018
    10
    One of the best post-punk albums releases in recent years. A masterpiece made perfectly above all in the sound and also the social andOne of the best post-punk albums releases in recent years. A masterpiece made perfectly above all in the sound and also the social and political messages are good mixed with the usual grit and classic aggression of the british punk bands. This album will be one of the higlights of this 2018. Expand
  4. Jan 13, 2018
    10
    Solid, consistent and full of political and social messages. A post-punk blast that will never fail to grab your attention a single minute,Solid, consistent and full of political and social messages. A post-punk blast that will never fail to grab your attention a single minute, especially if you're a fan of rock music Expand
  5. Jul 23, 2018
    8
    Songs of Praise has a good post-punk essence. An album full of energy and with a lot to offer.
  6. Sep 30, 2018
    8
    The whole punk rock genre has properly been done to death. Anytime I check out a new band branded as "punk" I'm pretty much always leftThe whole punk rock genre has properly been done to death. Anytime I check out a new band branded as "punk" I'm pretty much always left disappointed. "Songs of Praise" doesn't. The opening track "Dust on Trial" is like a petrol bomb thrown from your speakers. The rest of the album isn't quite as vitriolic and it's probably more post punk than the pure substance but these lads are definitely from the traditional punk school, no doubts about it. "One Rizla" is a (successful) stab at radio play only to be followed up immediately by "The Lick" with the screams of "bath me in blood" finishing this particular number. The rest of the album is bursting with highlights, songs full of licks and riffs all the while being driven by snarling, spat out lyrics. This is one of the true albums of the year, delivering on a multitude of levels. Expand
  7. Dec 16, 2019
    1
    Same old, same old.
    At least, if you're bad, try and be original.
    I'm Glad I didn't pay to listen to it.

See all 13 User Reviews

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