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Cool It Down
by
Cool It Down Image
Metascore
82

Universal acclaim - based on 25 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 26 Ratings

  • Summary: The first new full-length studio release in nine years for New York City indie rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs features a guest appearance from Perfume Genius.
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 25
  3. Negative: 0 out of 25
  1. DIY Magazine
    Oct 6, 2022
    100
    Across ‘Cool It Down’, Yeah Yeah Yeahs remain true to their roots without making it sound like a nostalgic grab for previous glory. ... It turns out Yeah Yeah Yeahs 2.0 is exactly what 2022 needs.
  2. Glide Magazine
    Sep 29, 2022
    90
    Cool It Down is a masterwork of lush production and catchy melodies that work off of one another to create a colorful and textured album that makes the 13-year wait worthwhile.
  3. Paste Magazine
    Sep 26, 2022
    84
    Whereas previous YYYs albums are built on thrills and speed, Cool It Down drives us with its almost manic instrumentation at every corner, subdued and despondent pleas in its lyricism, and an intoxicating, frenetic energy.
  4. Uncut
    Sep 26, 2022
    80
    Space and darkness area constant among these eight tight songs, but there’s also plenty of punch. [Oct 2022, p.36]
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  5. musicOMH.com
    Sep 28, 2022
    80
    It’s their shortest album to date – just eight tracks, with a little over 30 minutes for a running time – and, as with Mosquito, there’s less emphasis on Zinner’s incendiary solos now, in favour of a smoother, synth led sheen. When it kicks into gear though, they still sound magnificent.
  6. Pitchfork
    Sep 29, 2022
    74
    Yeah Yeah Yeahs spend some of Cool It Down’s sharpest moments citing and deconstructing their influences with refreshing candor. ... But every now and then, her reliable lyrical workhorse hits a brick wall.
  7. The Skinny
    Sep 26, 2022
    60
    Cool It Down is topical without getting too deep, and fun without overstaying its welcome, but even for a band as mercurial as YYYs, it feels a little too ephemeral.

See all 25 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. stvart
    Dec 30, 2022
    10
    Top ten record of 2022 and possibly the best YYY album of all time. Classic.
  2. sebastjan
    Oct 1, 2022
    10
    Valió la pena esperar 10 años, los YYYs regresan en su lado más maduro, experimental y serio desde It's Blitz!
  4. Rincemac
    Oct 1, 2022
    9
    The studio album is just eight tracks, but I can dig that if they're as good as the eight presented on Cool It Down, which is an overall greatThe studio album is just eight tracks, but I can dig that if they're as good as the eight presented on Cool It Down, which is an overall great revivial for the band you will enjoy - either being a fan of their work or as a general fan of the wide field of "indie/alt" Rock.

    Favorite Track: Wolf. Low Point of the Album: Mars.

    A long, long time ago in a universe not so far away from ours, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs released their last studio album "Mosquito" - and it was OK, coming from high expectations ("Fever to tell" -> "It's Blitz"), which was fantastically fresh and wild in 2009.

    Today in 2022, "Cool It Down" is released. And it is fabulous. It is something new from what you might expect, while still being somehow delivered with familiarity and clarity we've come to known from the group. The eight songs will present you with a musical journey where you can make out some of the "Yeah Yeah Yeahs" original sound in form of clear hooks and electro-infused dance rock if you want to call it that.

    You'll join the Karen O on her reformation journey on a high note in the starter track "Spitting off the Edge of the World" - oh no! - has she become a flat earther? No, I don't think so... it's probably just a metaphor for challenging the status quo, I'm sure. Anyway, more Bliss follows in the form of tracks like "Fleez", where the band lures you with an upbeat, lifting feeling setting you up for the jump kind of like that album cover shopgirl. She is cajoling in the air just above the edge of something burning, or is it just the stock market, exploding? And just as you're up there, wondering what smells like burnt dreams tracks like "Burning", "Blacktop" and the ending number, exploring the more sad, downtempo realms of "Mars" bring you to the end of the musical journey. Time to Cool it Down from that looping.    … Expand
  5. jens76
    Nov 2, 2022
    9
    Yeah Yeah Yeahs fetzt und weckt den ganzen Hasenstolz, wie man heutzutage sagt. Karen O hat soviel Energie, dass man Angst hat sie explodiert.
  6. tacoschmaco
    Oct 3, 2022
    8
    While this isn't my favourite YYY album, I'm really enjoying it so far! I often struggle to listen to albums all the way through the firstWhile this isn't my favourite YYY album, I'm really enjoying it so far! I often struggle to listen to albums all the way through the first time, but with this album I didn't want to stop listening. I keep gravitating towards Wolf and Different Today, but there isn't a song I dislike on this album.

    It's a mellow, mature record that is perfect for fall (it feels cozy, almost). And Karen O's voice is as gorgeous as ever.

    7.5 to 8/10 - definitely going to catch them on tour for this!    … Expand
  7. Alix-Farron
    Dec 15, 2022
    8
    Good atmospheric album.
    Timelessness prediction: 5.
    Good beat but made with rough and aggressive tune. Not timeless.
  8. bertobellamy
    Sep 30, 2022
    7
    Not my favorite YYY album, but this sounds very focused and mature. A lot of the songs are intimate bangers, and I can´t wait to hear them live!

Awards & Rankings

100
#100 Most Discussed Album of 2022

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