Pinned
by A Place to Bury Strangers
Metascore
68

Generally favorable reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
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  1. AllMusic
    Apr 13, 2018
    80
    Equally raw and sleek, Pinned is one of the band's most cohesive albums--even if change is a constant in A Place to Bury Strangers' world, so is the quality of their music.
  2. Mojo
    Apr 9, 2018
    80
    Joy Division, Suicide and JAMC collide for a post-punk racket: ear-splitting and sublimely desolate. [May 2018, p.98]
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  3. Under The Radar
    Apr 11, 2018
    75
    The risks A Place to Bury Strangers take pay off more often than the stranger, near-failed experiments found on "Execution" and "Attitude."
  5. Clash Music
    May 2, 2018
    70
    This year’s Pinned is its well-made product that checks all the boxes, successfully imitating the late ‘80s feel--the highest compliment in this line of work.
  6. The A.V. Club
    Apr 13, 2018
    67
    When the low end is there--as on “Act Your Age” and “Attitude”--Pinned sounds more immediate. Those moments are great, but not as frequent as fans may like.
  7. Uncut
    Apr 9, 2018
    60
    Like the stormy contents of 2015's Transfixiation, songs like "Never Coming Back" have no lack of velocity and ferocity, though APTBS often fall between two poles, being not quite able to deliver memorable songs yet unwilling to let the music dissolve into purer forms if turbulence. [May 2018, p.23]
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  8. Exclaim
    Apr 9, 2018
    60
    They avoid mere imitation, but a sense of aimlessness still floats through the record.
  9. The Line of Best Fit
    Apr 9, 2018
    60
    Pinned isn’t a memorable record; it’s a cacophony of ideas that don’t pan out. While it has bursts of substance, they soon trail off, or are abandoned instantly.
  10. Pitchfork
    Apr 13, 2018
    53
    Pinned reels in some of APTBS’s famous noise, but it doesn’t budge Ackermann from his station as a long-standing rock’n’roll archivist.
  11. Drowned In Sound
    Apr 17, 2018
    40
    The imposed restrictions are evident on this album and the effort to overcome them more so. The result is that tracks like 'Execution' and 'Frustrated Operator' sound amateurish, even awkward, in their extreme simplicity with nothing to mask the mundanity of their composition.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.2

Universal acclaim- based on 10 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. MatthewDarkly
    Jun 12, 2018
    9
    Like The Raveonettes’ naughty step cousins, APTBS strut in drum machine like precision across uneasy baselines and sinister distortion. TheLike The Raveonettes’ naughty step cousins, APTBS strut in drum machine like precision across uneasy baselines and sinister distortion. The ear begins to weave through their maze of guitars with repeated listens that open the album up to catchy, desperate songs.… Full Review »
  2. surf1ngthevoid
    Nov 7, 2019
    8
    With their latest release, it seems that A Place to Bury Strangers reinvent themselves album after album. Exploring a darker sound and addingWith their latest release, it seems that A Place to Bury Strangers reinvent themselves album after album. Exploring a darker sound and adding a new talent as the drummer and multi-instrumentalist Lia Braswell, they still have that characterizing sound that define them as an unique act.… Full Review »
  3. KNOT
    May 16, 2018
    5
    I mean, its ok but I cant help but feel like this would be a better album if the drummer would shut up.
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