Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 16
  2. Negative: 0 out of 16
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  1. Feb 11, 2022
    83
    The elaborate instrumentation and extended runtimes of their earlier oeuvre have returned, but they’re now justified with greater attention to pacing, mood, and overall cohesiveness.
  2. Mar 23, 2022
    80
    They build their own world. Eventually you grasp its shrewdly filtered emotion and want to live there, too.
  3. Feb 14, 2022
    80
    With The Dream, we see a maturing band dip deep into their emotions, immersing us not only in art and culture but in their dreams, and it is utterly brilliant.
  4. Feb 14, 2022
    80
    The Dream is another enjoyable stroll around the band’s latest curiosity shop.
  5. Feb 11, 2022
    80
    Their best since 2014's This Is All Yours, The Dream finds Alt-J in top form. Despite being so lyrically death-obsessed, the beauty and warmth coursing through the album make it full of life and absolutely human.
  6. Feb 11, 2022
    80
    The Dream is sensuous and seductive, but it often lingers on the borderline of turning into a nightmare.
  7. 80
    ‘The Dream’ continues the slow, rewarding blossoming of Alt-J’s records, each a little more generous, thoughtful and optimistic than the last. ... It’s the sound of a band revitalised, having finally found their happy place.
  8. 80
    The Dream sees the band moving briskly through sensations, their heads stuck out the window of a speeding car, tongues wagging, sticking to whatever comes their way.
  9. Feb 9, 2022
    80
    Indie’s most eclectic ensemble are not slowing down so much as aging gracefully. The Dream confirms that it’s worth aging with them.
  10. Feb 9, 2022
    80
    ‘The Dream’’s strength is in packing not just alt-J’s usual futuristic twist, but a heavy side serving of nostalgia too. It’s a perfect, subtle, and unpretentious combo.
  11. 80
    The album is - as expected - a well-crafted, sonically flawless work. What it lacks in heart (as with all of their albums, there's very little humanity in the sound or the lyrics) it more than makes up for in style and finesse, and it continues the band's run of producing quality records.
  12. Classic Rock Magazine
    Mar 7, 2022
    70
    It needs time to be savoured and reveal its full flavours, a satisfying move in a world of glib instant gratification. [Apr 2022, p.83]
  13. Mar 2, 2022
    70
    With The Dream, we see a band dig deep into themselves and mature as artists.
  14. Feb 10, 2022
    70
    A work of assured yet subtle transition, it re-engages with some of alt-J’s core tenets, while not being afraid to engage emotionally.
  15. Feb 15, 2022
    64
    The Dream doesn’t feel like a failed attempt at reaching new heights of popularity. It feels like a lot at once, but in a way that makes one want to give it another shot.
  16. Uncut
    Feb 9, 2022
    60
    If a few concessions are made to mainstream mores here, it still works on its own idiosyncratic terms. [Mar 2022, p.25]
User Score
8.3

Universal acclaim- based on 24 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 24
  2. Negative: 0 out of 24
  1. Feb 12, 2022
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view. Still funky. Still dark. Still genere-bendingly innovative. Perhaps more hopeful. Definitely a bit more fun. For better or worse, it is also the most "American" of their albums in its themes and in the nostalgia it invokes. After all, what's more American than dueling songs about Cocaine and Coca-Cola? Overall, a great return to form after the occasional drudge at the back end of RELAXER. The primary misstep here is Philadelphia. I'm all for occasionally incorporating baroque opera's contrapuntal precision and florid style into modern music, but it's done in a tacky "Bond Theme" kind of way. Some might also argue that Walk a Mile is a bit long or aimless, but it's filled with soul and deft melodic variations. Sit back and enjoy it. For returning fans, I'd recommend adjusting your palate with Happier When You're Gone, a big-hearted blend of old and new. For new fans, welcome to the weird, lush, and wonderful world of Alt-J. This is a great place to start. 8.5/10 Full Review »
  2. May 22, 2022
    7
    Alt-J's latest album 'The Dream' makes for an enjoyable, easy listen, but towards to the back half of the album becomes a lil to complacentAlt-J's latest album 'The Dream' makes for an enjoyable, easy listen, but towards to the back half of the album becomes a lil to complacent and struggles to pick up its pace before finally ending. Personal favorites include: Philadelphia / U&ME / The Actor / Hard Drive Gold / Bane Full Review »
  3. Apr 25, 2022
    7
    Big step up from RELAXER, this album is full of surprised. From the hypnotic opener, "Bane", to the dreamy, synth-heavy "The Actor", thisBig step up from RELAXER, this album is full of surprised. From the hypnotic opener, "Bane", to the dreamy, synth-heavy "The Actor", this album develops Alt-J's sound even further than what was first thought. The teasers were all from the first half of the album, which is easily the more accessible half of The Dream, but then as we dive into the last half of the LP - we realise that this is the more abstract side - in other words, the backbone of this album. With dreary, long songs to classic alt-j interludes (such as "Delta"), this album is one of alt-j's finest records since 2014. Full Review »