Us
by Empress Of
  • Record Label: Terrible
  • Release Date: Oct 19, 2018
Metascore
74

Generally favorable reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
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  1. Q Magazine
    Oct 23, 2018
    80
    It's full of compact songs that steal your heart and leave. [Dec 2018, p.107]
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  2. Exclaim
    Oct 22, 2018
    80
    Empress Of takes listeners into a rich sonic environment on Us, while placing careful emphasis on the emotional territory she ventures into. The universality Rodriguez has sought to embody the record with is present, yet the vulnerability she is known for remains.
  3. Slant Magazine
    Oct 22, 2018
    80
    Considerably brighter, both thematically and tonally, than its predecessor, the album ascertains the guileless exhilaration of love.
  5. DIY Magazine
    Oct 19, 2018
    80
    She is as captivating as ever, but the rougher edges have been removed slightly giving us a more polished, and immediate, album.
  6. The Guardian
    Oct 19, 2018
    80
    Songs that are as euphoric as they are charming.
  7. The 405
    Oct 24, 2018
    70
    Though there are hints of doubt and yearnful ambiguity associated with detachment and abandonment, littered throughout, Us is a project album radiating with friendship and the comfort of simply being next to someone.
  8. AllMusic
    Oct 19, 2018
    70
    Where it differs from the debut is in lyrics that are heartfelt but deliberately less personal than Me.
  9. Clash Music
    Oct 19, 2018
    70
    An endearing, and wholesome end for an album so wonderfully content it it’s own bubble.
  10. Under The Radar
    Oct 19, 2018
    65
    Us is smart and thoughtful and sometimes very fun. It all sounds like great pop music on paper, but pop just isn't played on paper. Where Me felt wild and joyfully amateurish, Us feels professional and conservative.
  11. Pitchfork
    Oct 22, 2018
    63
    Rodriguez is an excellent songwriter when she’s on her game. ... It’s frustrating, really: a hugely talented songwriter and producer, thwarted by trends.
  12. Rolling Stone
    Oct 25, 2018
    60
    Us struggles to consistently reach the vertiginous heights of “When I’m With Him” or Me, but at the album’s best, Rodriguez’s revealing narratives of fractured relationships and lonely adolescence strike somewhere deep, to the point that, if you listen close enough, her warm, whispery voice almost begins to sound like your own.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 23 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 23
  3. Negative: 2 out of 23
  1. CharlieGray
    Oct 21, 2018
    10
    A truly incredible album, blew my mind. Lorely outdid herself, and I couldn’t be prouder, been following her for a while now.
  2. legendarysia
    Oct 20, 2018
    10
    Excellent album, she really outdid her debut and I love the way each song compliments with the following song. The production isExcellent album, she really outdid her debut and I love the way each song compliments with the following song. The production is extraordinarily neat and Lorely's voice is just so lovely. Recommended!… Full Review »
  3. Lajaleaa
    Jan 8, 2019
    7
    ( 70/100 )

    Esta artista de descendencia de Honduras y United States llamada Lorely Rodriguez comenzó a llamar la atención a principios del    ( 70/100 )

    Esta artista de descendencia de Honduras y United States llamada Lorely Rodriguez comenzó a llamar la atención a principios del 2010 con varios Singles que la colocaban como una propuesta interesante ante la industria Pop por sus ritmos tanto experimentales pero accesibles y latinos como americanos. En el 2015 presentó su álbum debut llamado "Me", el cual fue recibido con gran agrado por parte del público internacional. Después de esa presentación las puertas se le abrieron y ha logrado colaborar con artistas como Khalid MØ, Tommy Genesis, entre otros. Este año presenta "Us", un álbum cuya temática es la complejidad de sus desamores. No hay un gran diferenciador en sus letras y aunque a veces llegan compaginar con la música, no hay una profundidad lírica. En la cuestión musical, hay un proyecto un poco más interesante de escuchar que en el promedio, sin embargo tampoco se salva de ser totalmente pasajero. Sus mejores letras son aquellas que canta en español, que le otorgan la siempre admirable voz de empoderamiento como en "Trust Me Baby", sin embargo su narrativa en inglés cuenta el mismo problema romántico que tienen casi todos los artistas. Con 9 productores, quienes más destacan son DJDS y ColeMGN, sin embargo la mejor canción está producida por ella misma. En conjunto, el álbum trata de mantener un humor chill con una exploración ciertamente latina pero teniendo como idea principal ser amena, más que nada, al público americano y comercial. Los tracks no buscan presentar situaciones sensibles o dar notas de intensidad y lo que lo mantiene a flote es el vago dinamismo y su propuesta creativa, que no es espectacular o diferenciada, pero sí apela al lado simple y superficial de la emoción personal y por eso no le costará trabajo esparcirse en la radio y en el gusto de la gente por un periodo de tiempo corto.    … Full Review »
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