The Ballad of Darren
by Blur
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 27 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 27
  3. Negative: 3 out of 27
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  1. patnian
    Aug 10, 2023
    2
    I'd say this is Blur's worst album but it sounds more like another dreary Damon Albarn vanity project. hard to believe the others signed up to this rubbish.
  2. Lumki
    Aug 5, 2023
    0
    Generic alternative rock. Was not missed. Done and heard before.
    Nothing memorable or standing out. Album is short and insignificant. This is Blur’s attempt to cash in on The Arctic Monkey’s (equally unexplainable) success by trying to make album that kinda sounds like them, like to say “we could have done it too, look”. The band remains a staple highly overrated act, loved because they    Generic alternative rock. Was not missed. Done and heard before.
    Nothing memorable or standing out. Album is short and insignificant. This is Blur’s attempt to cash in on The Arctic Monkey’s (equally unexplainable) success by trying to make album that kinda sounds like them, like to say “we could have done it too, look”. The band remains a staple highly overrated act, loved because they remind aging millennials of a time they were the relevant demo target of the music industry.    … Expand
  3. lennycliff123
    Jul 22, 2023
    3
    Blur’s worst album by a country mile and The Magic Whip was underwhelming.

Awards & Rankings

67
#67 Best Album of 2023
37
#37 Most Discussed Album of 2023

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
84

Universal acclaim - based on 24 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 24
  3. Negative: 0 out of 24
  1. Paste Magazine
    Jul 24, 2023
    75
    The songs on The Ballad of Darren are measured and contained. In fact, the calm gravitas which pervades the record occasionally plods. Perhaps it’s a meta-commentary on the album’s subject matter, or, perhaps, it’s just hard to make new music for 30 years straight. Yet, there is a relief that is interspersed amid the LP’s gloom that arrives on more high-spirited, familiar tracks that are reminiscent of the group at their spiky-haired zenith.
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  2. Beats Per Minute
    Jul 24, 2023
    71
    Yes, The Ballad of Darren is Dad Rock. Fairly enjoyable Dad Rock, true, and still a record hundreds of bands can only dream of making, but one that would likely fall by the wayside if anyone else had made it. Is this bad? Not really, and if anything, it proves that Blur can transition gracefully into old age.
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  3. The Observer (UK)
    Jul 24, 2023
    80
    [The Ballad Of Darren] finds late-life Blur on eloquent, emotional form. It’s an album that often looks back, while summoning textures and nuances that only add to their toolkit.
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