Stay Together
by Kaiser Chiefs
  • Record Label: Caroline
  • Release Date: Oct 7, 2016
Metascore
59

Mixed or average reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 10
  3. Negative: 1 out of 10
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  1. AllMusic
    Oct 7, 2016
    70
    Stay Together is undeniably upbeat and revels in its conviction to make you move.
  2. The Telegraph (UK)
    Oct 7, 2016
    60
    Wilson’s vocals are endearingly shaky, as if he is too proud to submit to the autotune and chorus effects that make every modern pop star sound the same. But if, at times, it sounds like a band trying too hard, it is surely better than not trying at all.
  3. The Guardian
    Oct 6, 2016
    60
    Overall it feels like a kind of gentrified pop: synthetic and nondescript, but predictably appealing all the same.
  5. New Musical Express (NME)
    Oct 5, 2016
    60
    ‘Parachute’, the album’s first single, shoots for voguish, vaguely tropical production via Kylie and Girls Aloud hitmakers Xenomania, but is a tad sappy. Wilson’s pop vocal is much more convincing on the album’s bangers, ‘Press Rewind’ and ‘Happen In A Heartbeat’.
  6. Q Magazine
    Oct 3, 2016
    60
    The songs pound like jackhammers, there ate big choruses everywhere and mischief to spare. [Nov 2016, p.108]
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  7. Uncut
    Oct 3, 2016
    60
    The bland, fist-punching positivity of "Hole In My Soul" and "Parachute" are pitched somewhere between Cold Play and The Killers, but occasionally the reinvention works. [Nov 2016, p.31]
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  8. The Line of Best Fit
    Oct 3, 2016
    55
    Too much of Stay Together sounds like it could be an ill-conceived Ricky Wilson solo record.
  9. Under The Radar
    Nov 23, 2016
    50
    Wilson sounds overly smooth and croon-y on "We Stay Together," while on "Hole In My Soul" the group's cartoonish attempt at modern sounds is strung together with a sickly thread of saccharine.
  10. musicOMH.com
    Oct 10, 2016
    40
    It’s not that it’s terrible--and credit should go to them for being so adventurous--but this might just be a makeover too far.
  11. Clash Music
    Oct 18, 2016
    30
    As a self-styled pop record then, Stay Together is something of a failure, distinctly lacking in hooks, entertainment value and any sort of real ingenuity.

User Reviews

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User Score
6.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 23 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 23
  3. Negative: 6 out of 23
  1. Plymike
    Nov 12, 2016
    2
    Expecting another album of heart-pounding, gritty, catchy gems from the Leodensian lads, I instead found myself waiting for each song to endExpecting another album of heart-pounding, gritty, catchy gems from the Leodensian lads, I instead found myself waiting for each song to end in the hope that the next would be anything more than unfiltered, pandering pop. The Kaiser Chiefs are one of my favorite bands and I was so disappointed that this was the direction they chose to take their latest record. I will not be adding this to my otherwise complete Kaiser Chiefs collection.… Full Review »
  2. IlyaKarmanov
    Jul 5, 2017
    10
    First of all, you should understand that this is not a rock music at all! And I usually don't like that "bubble-gum-pop" genre. BUT I justFirst of all, you should understand that this is not a rock music at all! And I usually don't like that "bubble-gum-pop" genre. BUT I just can't stop listening to this album! Sometimes I listened to this full album several times at a time on repeat. Catchy melodies and texts, great vocals, all just light and unobtrusive. Absolutely love it!
    But you should know what to expect from it: this is pop music. Some man even said about it in the old-school-house-kind song "Press Rewind": "this is pop music. we write and record pop music". If you ready to this, so "We stay together", "Parachute" and "Good Clean Fun" is my absolute favorite here.    … Full Review »
  3. victorcarter
    Nov 29, 2016
    2
    Another strong contender for aoty (atrocity of the year), along with Charlie Puth's Nine Track Mind, Meghan Trainor's Thank You andAnother strong contender for aoty (atrocity of the year), along with Charlie Puth's Nine Track Mind, Meghan Trainor's Thank You and Desiigner's New English. Who will win?… Full Review »
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