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Goths
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Goths Image
Metascore
83

Universal acclaim - based on 20 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 32 Ratings

  • Summary: The 16th full-length release for the John Darnielle indie project features no guitars and was produced by Brandon Eggleston.
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Top Track

Rain in Soho
No one knows where the lone wolf sleeps No one sees the hidden treasure in the castle keep No one learns the secret name No one burns in the absent... See the rest of the song lyrics
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. Pretty Much Amazing
    Jun 23, 2017
    91
    Though it’s a tad long, and there are points where I get the sense that the band is still feeling out this new sound, Darnielle and crew have crafted a marvelous record that earns its place in the esteemed Mountain Goats canon while standing tall on its own merits.
  2. Drowned In Sound
    May 17, 2017
    90
    This album is a love letter, written in elegant cursive (and blood, obvs), for anyone and everyone that holds the underground to their heart.
  3. Prefix Magazine
    Jul 6, 2017
    85
    Darnielle’s lyrics never let nostalgia float off in the ether. There’s a geography to Goths that adds complexity and specificity.
  4. Uncut
    May 10, 2017
    80
    Spry, antic and engaging. [Jun 2017, p.34]
    All this publication's reviews
  5. Slant Magazine
    May 12, 2017
    80
    Darnielle deftly weaves through memories of an impressionable period in his life and its accompanying soundtrack while avoiding the pitfall of nostalgia or sentimentalism for the music of his youth.
  6. The A.V. Club
    May 19, 2017
    75
    As part of the band’s rich story, It’s still a journey worth taking, both for the band and listeners. But the latter will find themselves staring out the window, brooding over the gray and dismal scenery a bit more.
  7. Consequence
    May 18, 2017
    67
    Despite the uneven results between that last track and the album’s superlative opener, Goths is a record that grows on you.

See all 20 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. destino
    Jul 4, 2017
    9
    This album is absolutely fantastic. The band is playing in some very fresh musical territory. Fans who hanker to hear a return to the boomboxThis album is absolutely fantastic. The band is playing in some very fresh musical territory. Fans who hanker to hear a return to the boombox recordings of Tallahassee and All Hail West Texas will probably be disappointed; the band's progression away from their characteristic old-school lo-fi ep sound continues on Goths. The last few albums have been "meh" in my opinion: not great but not terrible either. This album is phenomenally engineered, with well written songs and some great orchestration. Fun horn section accompaniments and some killer bass playing add some very nice layers to many of the songs. I never thought that I would "groove" to The Mountain Goats. A darkly hilarious masterpiece. I love it.… Expand
  2. Jimbers
    May 21, 2019
    6
    A deeply consistant entry from the Mountain Goats. GOTHS is frequently funny and has some marvelous musicianship from Jon Wurster, Peter PeterA deeply consistant entry from the Mountain Goats. GOTHS is frequently funny and has some marvelous musicianship from Jon Wurster, Peter Peter Hughes, and Matt Douglas. The gimmicks involved do hold it back though and some of the songwriting feels less finely crafted than that of earlier works. GOTHS is a very strong album but, particularly after Beat the Champ two years earlier, it remains one of this band's low points.… Collapse

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86
#86 Best Album of 2017

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