• Record Label: Island
  • Release Date: Sep 25, 2015
Metascore
73

Generally favorable reviews - based on 24 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 24
  2. Negative: 0 out of 24
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  1. Sep 25, 2015
    91
    With even more glossy production than Settle, Caracal is high-quality Top 40 material.
  2. 80
    Caracal is about Disclosure maturing, moving on and showing the listener how to rave respectably. This is dance music for grown-ups.
  3. Uncut
    Sep 25, 2015
    80
    Caracal has the market in mind, but not at the expense of quality. [Nov 2015, p.75]
  4. Sep 25, 2015
    80
    What Disclosure have done really well here is kept with the style that has rightly made them huge, honing their songwriting skills further in conjunction with a group of very well chosen collaborators. Caracal, then, passes the test.
  5. Sep 24, 2015
    80
    Although the tracks rarely surprise, frequently falling back on familiar sounds and structures -- loping basslines and synthesizer shadings that escalate at the same tempo always arrive on time, for instance--they're as well-built as those of the debut, and the Lawrences, along with their songwriting partners, cover the ups and downs of falling in and out of love in sharper fashion.
  6. Q Magazine
    Sep 18, 2015
    80
    Caracal proves a more stealthy beast than its predecessor.... It's indeed the songs, though, which really shine. [Oct 2015, p.105]
  7. Sep 18, 2015
    80
    Big and bold with smart production touches and melodies to match, this is an album destined for stadiums.
  8. Mojo
    Sep 18, 2015
    80
    Caracal is nothing less than one of the best pop albums of the year. [Oct 2015, p.90]
  9. 75
    Disclosure’s second album was never going to be as huge and loud and groundbreaking as Settle. So rather than lamenting the loss, check out what you’re missing. Because what you’re missing is terrific.
  10. Oct 20, 2015
    70
    Caracal offers the same slick production value and luxury grooves that made Settle a crossover phenomenon, so even if you don’t find yourself enamored with the more narrow direction Disclosure have taken their finely crafted sound, you still might find yourself dancing along.
  11. Sep 29, 2015
    70
    When the singers serve the grooves, the Lawrence brothers reassert their standing as the 21st century's great house ambassadors.
  12. Sep 28, 2015
    70
    If Settle was the thunderstorm, Caracal is the unmistakable scent left in the air afterward.
  13. Sep 25, 2015
    70
    These are heftier tracks that, because of their added weight, move slower; and like any collection of thematically linked subwoofer-challenging, chart-charting songs, some feel a little Skyped-in--or at least tailored a little too much to their guiding spotlights.
  14. Oct 1, 2015
    67
    Disclosure has found the perfect center of the Venn diagram of house music and mainstream pop. This is music you can play at the club and play for your mom; it won’t take you anywhere you haven’t been before, but damn if you won’t have fun getting there anyway.
  15. Sep 25, 2015
    66
    Ultimately, Caracal just doesn’t feel much fun, and even its highs are nowhere near Settle’s polished bliss.
  16. Sep 30, 2015
    60
    Caracal is consistently good but also feels manicured and safe.
  17. Sep 28, 2015
    60
    Thankfully the big-name guests step up to the plate, specifically Miguel on the hazy Good Intentions; the Weeknd, who continues his pop trajectory on Nocturnal; and Lorde, who slinks playfully around Magnets’ subtle electro shuffle. Overall, however, Caracal is an early sign a shake-up may be needed.
  18. Sep 25, 2015
    60
    Too often, Disclosure find themselves playing it safe.
  19. Sep 24, 2015
    60
    In their bid to become suave and seductive, they sacrifice the energy and rapturous pop hooks of their debut: apart from the heady live favourite Bang That, there are no surprises, no risks.
  20. Sep 18, 2015
    60
    Caracal is the kind of effort that diehard fans might convince themselves to appreciate, and then never play again.
  21. Sep 28, 2015
    52
    Caracal has the effect of a magician performing a trick twice in a row, rendering once clandestine, miraculous movements suddenly obvious, over-rehearsed and unnatural.
  22. Sep 28, 2015
    50
    Even an all-star cast can't save Caracal from its restrained atmosphere and overly polished production
  23. Sep 25, 2015
    50
    Pleasantly executed exercise in retro dance pop.
  24. Sep 22, 2015
    40
    The Lawrence bros do pull some new tricks on Caracal. But the album marks the end of Disclosure as a band, and the beginning of Disclosure as a hit-dispensing enterprise that manufactures durable, no-stain, easy-to-clean products to please every audience.
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 140 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Negative: 9 out of 140
  1. Sep 25, 2015
    9
    It's not Settle. You're not going to get the killer basslines or disoriented samples of "Voices" or "Stimulation", or even the CVS-ready popIt's not Settle. You're not going to get the killer basslines or disoriented samples of "Voices" or "Stimulation", or even the CVS-ready pop hit "Latch". At first listen, it might seem a little dull - the synth wubs all sound the same, the hit hats always have the same danceable shuffle, and it seems like whatever chord patch they're using builds up exactly the same way before the drop.

    But listen again. And read their interviews. Because Disclosure have taken themselves in a different direction here: they're less about creating dance hits and more about the brilliant songwriters they've featured. And the songwriting is there - from the chilled out brilliance of "Willing & Able" to the undeniably catchy "Magnets", just because the tempo dropped doesn't mean the record is any less eye-catching. At least, not if you go in with the right expectations.

    Disclosure have been clear about what this album means for their evolution. And sure, the song structures might get a little repetitive, and maybe "Omen" didn't catch on the way everyone hoped it would. Nevertheless, there are quality ideas here. Before you knock the lack of club anthems and house hits, relisten. There's passion in every voice. It's all about the songwriting.
    Full Review »
  2. Oct 27, 2015
    10
    if Caracal outside Disclosure debut album had risen sure the rate of criticism. Good lyrics, good beats, good bass etc,What is wrong with theif Caracal outside Disclosure debut album had risen sure the rate of criticism. Good lyrics, good beats, good bass etc,What is wrong with the album??, caracal is not settle understand once!, Caracal was an album of experimentation and evolution, the next album will be as good as settle, or maybe better!
    the humble opinion of a fanboy
    Full Review »
  3. Nov 8, 2015
    10
    The definition of crazy is doing the same thing twice and expecting different result….except when it comes to dropping an album. Some wantedThe definition of crazy is doing the same thing twice and expecting different result….except when it comes to dropping an album. Some wanted a Settle 2. No doubt Settle was a classic and catches on instantly. This is more slow deep connection that draws you in after each listen but deeper than the first. They touched a different fan base a drew in a new crowd with this one. The bass is phenonmenal, vocals are repetitive but fun, and some songs make you want to cruise, others just listen, and some just go out and party on New Years eve like there’s no tomorrow. You can listen to every song all the way through which to makes it a classic. Best song Hourglass, Nocturnal, Willing & Able, Good Intentions, Magnets. Caracal made me go buy actually CD which I haven’t done in years. Full Review »