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The Darker the Shadow the Brighter the Light Image
Metascore
74

Generally favorable reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews What's this?

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  • Summary: The first full-length studio release from British rapper The Streets in 12 years features a guest appearance by Teef.
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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 8
  2. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. Uncut
    Oct 25, 2023
    80
    Skinner's brightest, punchiest and most eclectic in memory. It's a welcome return. [Dec 2023, p.36]
  2. Mojo
    Oct 18, 2023
    80
    Skinner's grown-up musings are more twisty and cryptic than his rascally early work, but no less incisive or well-wrought. Inimitable, humane, flawed, it's good to have him back. [Dec 2023, p.86]
  3. Oct 20, 2023
    80
    Overall, it feels less like a comeback and more like the latest chapter in the ongoing saga Skinner has been spinning since 2002.
  4. 60
    While ‘The Darker The Shadow’ is ambitious, packed with witty, insightful commentary on the human experience, its conceptual focus allowing plenty of scope for creative flourishes, it ultimately lacks the incisive punch of his earlier songwriting.
  5. Oct 23, 2023
    60
    The Darker the Shadow the Brighter the Light is baggy and unfocused. If he wants to sell a promise of salvation, he needs a better story to tell.
  6. 60
    The record isn’t a patch on his very best stuff, but compare Original Pirate Material to the work of the vast majority of artists and they’ll come up short. For every eye rolling moment, there are more than enough to make you glad The Streets are back.
  7. Oct 18, 2023
    50
    Too often on The Darker The Shadow The Brighter The Light you find yourself reaching for the earlier albums to listen to instead. While Skinner’s hardcore fans will be pleased to see him back, much of the time this feels a lot like The Streets on autopilot.

See all 8 Critic Reviews