Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 18 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 18
  2. Negative: 0 out of 18
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  1. Nov 15, 2011
    90
    The Year Of Hibernation is a powerful bit of emotional alchemy, arresting and enchanting in its naked simplicity, and Powers has accomplished a tour de force far beyond his bedroom walls or his 22 years.
  2. Youth Lagoon will never reproduce anything like The Year of Hibernation. I think in 2011, this is called The Bon Iver Effect. The result of fame is that Powers will never be in this place again. But maybe that's best.
  3. Sep 29, 2011
    84
    The record mixes feelings of protection and safety with the tug of adventure and wraps it in compulsively listenable music that explodes at just the right moments.
  4. Sep 27, 2011
    83
    There are only eight songs on Hibernation, but each track goes from murky depths to total transcendence as Powers, the wizard behind the curtain, attempts to dream himself out of the bedroom.
  5. Nov 7, 2011
    80
    It is both a captivating listen and a terrifying one: Powers was 22 this year, but his voice carries all the experience of a man thrice his age.
  6. Oct 14, 2011
    80
    The Year of Hibernation occupies many spaces at once, a seeming contradiction that makes better use of its incongruous pieces than most records do of its complimentary pieces. The result is both mournful and joyful, but totally enjoyable.
  7. Sep 30, 2011
    80
    While The Year of Hibernation doesn't rocket into the stratosphere so much, it's still an exemplary debut.
  8. Sep 30, 2011
    80
    With only eight tracks and a run-time just over half an hour, this debut is a light one but hits like a featherweight champ.
  9. Sep 27, 2011
    80
    Youth Lagoon's debut consistently delivers on the suggestion of its appellation: youth.
  10. Sep 27, 2011
    80
    Delivered in a frail squawk recalling Seattle singer-songwriter Perfume Genius, his coming-of-age songs carve intuitive, 
idiosyncratic paths (spidery guitar, buzzing electronics) to mountaintop indie-rock catharsis.
  11. Sep 27, 2011
    80
    A quietly remarkable debut, The Year of Hibernation is equally suited to hiding underneath the covers and throwing them off to face the day.
  12. Oct 7, 2011
    70
    Perhaps the album hits its heights a bit late, but when Youth Lagoon's full confidence is on display, it's hard to turn away.
  13. Sep 30, 2011
    70
    The Year of Hibernation serves as a whimsical introduction to the magic of Youth Lagoon.
  14. Sep 27, 2011
    70
    His voice is something of an acquired taste but, this minor caveat aside, The Year Of Hibernation is a genuinely unique debut.
  15. Nov 17, 2011
    67
    Powers definitely has the compositional wherewithal to make something special--he just has to put more of himself into it.
User Score
8.6

Universal acclaim- based on 54 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 50 out of 54
  2. Negative: 1 out of 54
  1. Mar 6, 2013
    10
    I moved halfway across the US when this album came out. I had just graduated college and was making a big change in my life. Every step ofI moved halfway across the US when this album came out. I had just graduated college and was making a big change in my life. Every step of that transition (especially the 13 hour drive down), this album was with me, just as God was with me (and the music, for me, reminded me of this). A few months later, my friend and I had the privilege of seeing Trevor play in my new resident city. The show was sold out, but after hanging outside and making friends with the staff, we were allowed in. The feeling I had perfectly matched the music he played. We spent the next three hours after the show hanging out with him, just the three of us. He was such a happy kid, but with a lot of thoughts swirling around in his head--again, this translates onto the album. This album is incredible, perfectly capturing the feeling you have when the world is wide open to you, and you must decide what to do with it (which is both exciting and nerve-wracking). I told him my favorite song was The Hunt, the last track, and he said "Me too. I cried while I was recording the keys for that." You can hear the passion--not even necessarily in the vocals. If you're familiar with this album, you'd have believed him too. Full Review »
  2. Oct 8, 2011
    9
    It is a story and concept that seems to be the trend nowadays in indie music. Kid creates lo-fi music in his bedroom on his own, and thenIt is a story and concept that seems to be the trend nowadays in indie music. Kid creates lo-fi music in his bedroom on his own, and then somehow becomes a surprise success. At first glance, it seems Youth Lagoonâ Full Review »
  3. May 29, 2023
    10
    Une pépite... Cet album se distingue de tout ce que l'on a déjà entendu. La voix, les instruments, la composition, les structures de chaqueUne pépite... Cet album se distingue de tout ce que l'on a déjà entendu. La voix, les instruments, la composition, les structures de chaque chanson... Tout respire la perfection d'un travail acharné. Tout ce que vous entendez dans cet album n'a jamais été entendu ailleurs. Ajoutez à cette force une capacité à dégager une puissance montante au cours de chaque chanson. L'énergie monte sans cesse, le rythme restant le même... Vous ne savez plus parfois d'où la chanson a commencé... Un voyage auquel nous invite Youth Lagoon. À écouter au casque, en fermant les yeux et en vous laissant enivrer par ces mélodies émotionnellement intenses et prenantes. Si vous avez apprécié l'album dès sa première écoute, alors réécoutez le une deuxième, une troisième, une quatrième fois... Vous verrez que vous ne vous en passerez plus et que vous pourrez l'analyser à nouveau, toujours en découvrant quelque chose d'autre, toujours avec plus de passion à chaque écoute... Bon voyage ! Full Review »