Bleed Out
by The Mountain Goats
  • Record Label: Merge
  • Release Date: Aug 19, 2022
Metascore
74

Generally favorable reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
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  1. Dusted Magazine
    Aug 24, 2022
    80
    Even the soccer dads and middle-management types might find themselves nodding along to lyrics like, “It’s losers all the way down, stay undefeated.” That’s from the album’s flat-out banger, “Wage Wars, Get Rich, Die Handsome,” a sing-along celebration of nihilism that pounds and punches and exults in itself.
  2. AllMusic
    Aug 19, 2022
    80
    With the Mountain Goats, John Darnielle has created a vehicle where he finds ways to surprise the listener in fine ways each time out, and Bleed Out is more proof that he's one of the best storytellers indie rock has ever produced.
  3. Pitchfork
    Aug 23, 2022
    76
    Bleed Out deconstructs the tropes of action movies just as it lovingly recreates them, letting us have our cake and bludgeon our enemies to death with it too.
  5. Paste Magazine
    Aug 19, 2022
    74
    Darnielle is having so much fun splashing around in the cinematic world of gory retribution that his delight is, perversely, inclusive and inviting.
  6. Uncut
    Aug 19, 2022
    70
    Whatever meanings are to be gleaned here, Bleed Out still rates as one of the band’s hardest-rocking outings. [Sep 2022, p.28]
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  7. PopMatters
    Aug 19, 2022
    70
    It requires effort and attention on the part of the listener. Bleed Out may not be for everyone. But everyone should wrestle with it for a while. In a time where easy answers seem a cruel joke, deconstructing the myth of the conquering hero may be just the step we need to forge a new path.
  8. Mojo
    Aug 19, 2022
    60
    Though the ingenuity of the project occasionally outguns the quality of the songwriting, Darnielle's spadework has resulted in a zesty, spontaneous-sounding record. [Sep 2022, p.95]
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  9. The Guardian
    Aug 19, 2022
    60
    For the power of revenge as a notion, it’s a limited emotional palette for a writer as gifted as Darnielle to work with. It feels more like a brilliantly conceived and executed exercise than something to return to.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 8 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. MsDeandra
    Aug 30, 2022
    7
    I have been waiting on this album. Well deserved praise. Can't wait to hear more!
  2. ReneBelloq
    Aug 30, 2022
    10
    I'm surprised the critical reviews aren't skewing a little higher. This is my favorite Mountain Goats record since the Sunset Tree. I payI'm surprised the critical reviews aren't skewing a little higher. This is my favorite Mountain Goats record since the Sunset Tree. I pay attention to all their releases, and they've done a lot of great stuff since then. But this albums is a propulsive, endlessly catchy listen from first track until the last. With its cheerfully gritty crime noir setting, it's like the Mountain Goats equivalent of an Elmore Leonard novel, and I can't think of much higher praise than that.… Full Review »
  3. Jungstir
    Aug 22, 2022
    9
    Bleed Out definitely a must listen album from The Mountain Goats guaranteed you will be part of the Bleed Out singalong. Now I have to seeBleed Out definitely a must listen album from The Mountain Goats guaranteed you will be part of the Bleed Out singalong. Now I have to see them live.
    Great vocals, dark humor, lyrics, guitar work on point. Indie Band gone gold. Need music for a road trip don't overlook this one! Recorded during the pandemic. I am a fan now.    … Full Review »
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