The Loveliest Time
by Carly Rae Jepsen
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
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  1. AllMusic
    Sep 11, 2023
    80
    Never less than sweet and engaging, The Loveliest Time may not be as ambitious as its predecessor, but when it comes to Jepsen's lighter-than-air pop, it just might be more consistent.
  2. PopMatters
    Aug 9, 2023
    80
    The Loveliest Time is a sharp, upbeat, and sonically diverse companion to its predecessor.
  3. American Songwriter
    Jul 28, 2023
    80
    So far, Jepsen has us in the palm of her hand. Every song, every beat, every intonation has been sublimely chosen.
  5. Paste Magazine
    Jul 28, 2023
    78
    The album ends with “Weekend Love,” a delightful slice of slightly psychedelic indie-ish-club-pop co-written with Ethan Gruska, best known for his work with Phoebe Bridgers and Kimbra. The rest of The Loveliest Time finds Jepsen blasting off in different directions—the dubby soul of “Kollage,” the throbbing synth-rock of “Stadium Love,” for example—with varying degrees of success.
  6. Beats Per Minute
    Aug 16, 2023
    74
    There is plenty of fun and escapism of the sort that gave Jepsen her well-earned reputation in the popsphere, but in terms of her progression as an artist, its most striking tracks prove to be the ones that are more self-focused.
  7. Pitchfork
    Aug 2, 2023
    74
    The Loveliest Time is a solid counterpart to its sister album, trading quiet, introspective power for brassy, headlong joy.
  8. Slant Magazine
    Jul 28, 2023
    70
    Albums like The Loveliest Time are deliberately fragmentary, meant to fill in the pieces of her discography, and in that sense, this one is a wild success.
  9. Sputnikmusic
    Jul 31, 2023
    60
    The Loveliest Time is the most B-sideular ‘album’ experience I’ve found in my paws so far this year: its consistency is gaseous, its stylistic hopscotch is even more erratic than that of its sister album, it is a product of the same sessions, and - most importantly - it contains a large chunk of the weakest Carly Rae Jepsen tracks to date.

Awards & Rankings

34
#34 Most Discussed Album of 2023

User Reviews

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User Score
9.1

Universal acclaim- based on 38 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 36 out of 38
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 38
  3. Negative: 2 out of 38
  1. QueenOfPopSlay
    Aug 2, 2023
    10
    This is the best album of this year clearley I love soundtracks and love the soundtracks give their emotion to me it is so good Carly is theThis is the best album of this year clearley I love soundtracks and love the soundtracks give their emotion to me it is so good Carly is the queen of the pop slay… Full Review »
  2. YavruTitan
    Aug 1, 2023
    10
    albüm çok güzel ve sanatsal bana eski pop müziklerini anımsattı shy boy kesinlikle favori şarkım.Carly umarım bu albümden en az bir şarkıyıalbüm çok güzel ve sanatsal bana eski pop müziklerini anımsattı shy boy kesinlikle favori şarkım.Carly umarım bu albümden en az bir şarkıyı büyük bir hit yapar ona inanıyorum
    love u carly!    … Full Review »
  3. matthewmirliani
    Jul 30, 2023
    10
    Carly Rae Jepsen has become one of our generation’s most prolific and consistent pop masterminds. Every album is a gem - hard to know whichCarly Rae Jepsen has become one of our generation’s most prolific and consistent pop masterminds. Every album is a gem - hard to know which one surpasses the other (if it even matters - but I think this one takes the cake). This one may be her most chaotic, most sonically adventurous, dreamiest, “psychedelic,” most epic (“Stadium Love”), most mature work — the gorgeous production, the retro tinges (that saxophone in “So Right”), the intelligently and playfully crafted lyrics, the overlapping vocals, the sophisticated feel (all which we expect in a CRJ record, but they feel augmented here like never before). I can’t wait for her next one!… Full Review »
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