How Do You Burn?
by The Afghan Whigs
  • Record Label: BMG
  • Release Date: Sep 9, 2022
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
Buy Now
Buy on
  1. Record Collector
    Sep 13, 2022
    80
    How Do You Burn? finds the Whigs in particularly lusty form.
  2. Classic Rock Magazine
    Sep 12, 2022
    80
    How does it burn? Darkly, but with sparks.
  3. Glide Magazine
    Sep 9, 2022
    80
    Aside from the opening track, How Do You Burn? lacks the raw intensity frequently found on early Afghan Whigs releases. But what it lacks in power, the album makes up for in intricate arrangements, dense compositions drawing upon the band’s unique alchemy of influences, and infectious beats.
  5. PopMatters
    Sep 9, 2022
    80
    How Do You Burn? may take a few spins before you can differentiate it from other recent Dulli releases, but spooky treasures lie beneath when you take the trouble.
  6. Rolling Stone
    Sep 8, 2022
    80
    Their third and most arresting record since their reformation.
  7. Uncut
    Sep 8, 2022
    80
    [Greg Dulli has] pulled the Whigs back into (sharp) focus. ... Closer “In Flames” is a welcome reminder that few can match the Whigs in the slow-burn desperation stakes. [Oct 2022, p.23]
    All this publication's reviews
  8. Mojo
    Sep 8, 2022
    80
    How Do You Burn? finds the group on vintage form throughout. [Oct 2022, p.82]
    All this publication's reviews
  9. The Line of Best Fit
    Sep 8, 2022
    80
    How Do You Burn? ups the ante on its two predecessors going deeper in a richly assured display of Dulli and the band’s abilities.
  10. Pitchfork
    Sep 9, 2022
    78
    How Do You Burn? boasts a mixtape-like eclecticism, communal bonhomie, and psychedelic texture that feel untethered to the Whigs’ past playbooks.
  11. Under The Radar
    Sep 12, 2022
    75
    How Do You Burn? is uneven though, sometimes clichéd, and there are stretches here more concerned with sound than with song, but with epic, textured production from Dulli and longtime collaborator Christopher Thorn, that’s partly understandable. The diamond may not always shine quite the way it used to, then, but it seems there’s plenty of black gold left in The Afghan Whigs.
  12. American Songwriter
    Sep 8, 2022
    70
    An impressive collection that’s innovative and inventive if not collaborative.
  13. AllMusic
    Sep 16, 2022
    60
    How Do You Burn? suggests he needs a fiercer and more energetic team of underlings if he's going to remain a force to be reckoned with.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
tbd

No user score yet- Awaiting 1 more rating

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. redamaher
    Nov 8, 2022
    10
    They sound like noody else even when they sound nothing like themselves. A real feel-good record, opening with the gusto of 'I'll make you seeThey sound like noody else even when they sound nothing like themselves. A real feel-good record, opening with the gusto of 'I'll make you see God' and closing on the hangover of 'In Flames'. Haunted by the ghost of Mark Lanegan, who provides subtle backing vocals on two tracks, and titled by one of his phrases, 'How do you Burn' is arguably the most consistent and fun of Whigs Vsn II. Set to be another lost classic.… Full Review »
See all user reviews »