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Sympathy for Life Image
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 15 Ratings

  • Summary: The seventh full-length studio release for the Brooklyn indie rock band was produced with Rodaidh McDonald.
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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 19
  2. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. Oct 20, 2021
    84
    Sympathy for Life still skyrockets as a natural follow-up to the left turn of its tonally ambitious and technically masterful predecessor—but on this project, the band ramp up their polished sound with an assembly of synth-rock and soft palettes of speculative and, sometimes, refreshingly vulnerable lyricism.
  2. Oct 19, 2021
    80
    If not as instantly infectious as Wide Awake!, Sympathy For Life imparts the group’s unwillingness to stand still.
  3. Oct 20, 2021
    80
    While some may miss the band's more direct approach of previous records, tracks like Homo Sapien show Parquet Courts can still rock out.
  4. Oct 25, 2021
    76
    Compared to the rest of their catalogue, Sympathy for Life feels broadly accessible.
  5. Oct 26, 2021
    70
    Do they succeed at evolving their sound? The vote is yes. Does it outdo Wide Awake!? The vote is no, but that hardly matters. They’re such different albums that it’s easy to see those more attuned to electronic music digging this far more than rock guys. These guys are such creative songwriters that almost anything they put out is a pleasure to listen to.
  6. Oct 22, 2021
    70
    It’s not a complete reinvention of the Parquet Courts sound. Still, it sounds just refined enough, just imbued with enough intriguing and unexpected influences, that it ends Sympathy for Life on a resounding high.
  7. 60
    While there are undoubtedly highlights on Sympathy For Life, it seems like fans will have to keep waiting to see the band fully commit to their dancefloor ambitions.

See all 19 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 6
  3. Negative: 1 out of 6
  1. Oct 23, 2021
    10
    This album is great. The dance and electronic influenced tracks are very refreshing to their sound and give the album a unique feel overall.This album is great. The dance and electronic influenced tracks are very refreshing to their sound and give the album a unique feel overall. Without a doubt there is not a single bad track here. Even at its "worst" (imo: Application/Apparatus) the record still remains interesting by introducing new elements. I especially recommend the tracks Sympathy for Life, Just Shadows and Pulcinella for those who havent heard it yet. I was simply amazed by this album Expand
  2. Oct 29, 2021
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Maybe not quite as engaging and essential as Human Behaviour or Wide Awake, but this album is a grower - and after 4 or 5 listens it’s creeping up on me. Still great lyrics, but not with the shock of the new or immediacy that accompanied earlier releases. The beats and grooves are new, but the chops are familiar. I suspect time might be kind to this one though. Expand
  3. Nov 1, 2021
    9
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  4. Nov 11, 2021
    8
    This is one of my favorite records of 2021. Right from the start with the excellent opener Walking at a Downtown Pace the album gets off to aThis is one of my favorite records of 2021. Right from the start with the excellent opener Walking at a Downtown Pace the album gets off to a strong start. Sympathy for Life is one of those albums where some songs maybe better than others but there is really no outright clunkers on here. Another strong showing by the Parquet Courts. Expand
  5. Jun 14, 2022
    7
    The opening track had me psyched but it was very much a mixed bag after that for me. Some really interesting pieces and definitely an albumThe opening track had me psyched but it was very much a mixed bag after that for me. Some really interesting pieces and definitely an album that grows on you the more you listen to it but there are still too many dubious tracks that don't really go anywhere. As much as anything else, "Sympathy for Life" suffers due to the fact that it follows the excellent "Wide Awake". Fans of that album probably won't find what they are looking for here. Expand
  6. Oct 22, 2021
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Volvemos a lo mismo parece ser que ahora ya no se trabaja en las líricas y la producción de las canciones y el álbum al final de siente vacío y más de lo mismo termina por aburrir Expand