This Is How You Smile
by Helado Negro
Metascore
81

Universal acclaim - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
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  1. Pitchfork
    Mar 8, 2019
    85
    The album deepens and expands upon the imagistic nature of Lange’s lyrics and cosmic synth-folk, using found sound and his own sonorous, humming voice to tease out the complicated harmony of love and power at the heart of Kincaid’s short story.
  2. The Wire
    Mar 20, 2019
    80
    By the time you’re through to the end of the album, Negro’s precise refusal to have bullied you with his ideas means you’re happy to return to the beginning and let that sunlight in again. Central heating for kids. Lovely. [Mar 2019, p.57]
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  3. No Ripcord
    Mar 19, 2019
    80
    This Is How You Smile feels like an exercise in restraint but not in a dull suffocating kind of way. What makes it work is how even as he continues embracing more conventional instruments and structures, Lange still leaves room for himself to tinker and experiment at the same time. For music so understated and gentle, it's almost startling just how powerful it's capable of being.
  5. Tiny Mix Tapes
    Mar 11, 2019
    80
    No question, This Is How You Smile is a love album, a happy album in spite of everything and anything else. It’s there in the title. Instructions for sanity and joy can be simple to follow. Roberto Carlos Lange seems to have it figured out.
  6. AllMusic
    Mar 8, 2019
    80
    A winning combination of his long-standing and more recently developed gifts, This Is How You Smile is a culmination of Helado Negro's work and completely relevant to when it was released.
  7. Exclaim
    Mar 8, 2019
    80
    Helado Negro has managed to craft an emotionally powerful classic with This is How You Smile.
  8. Under The Radar
    Mar 8, 2019
    75
    The instrumentals stitched throughout the album weld together field recordings and wisps of processed samples and are placed evenly between romantic pop balladry and nostalgic bedroom reminiscences. Comfort might be hard-won but it is something worth winning even if it requires wearing a smile as a shield.
  9. Uncut
    Mar 21, 2019
    70
    Tracks like "Running" show he can do a decent dreamy R&B ballad, but more interesting are the digitally manipulated sonic collages, or the impressionistic Spanish-language songs. [May 2019, p.29]
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  10. PopMatters
    Mar 8, 2019
    70
    This Is How You Smile, seems to take a slightly more relaxed approach, concentrating more on musical dynamics and reflecting a slightly idiosyncratic mood.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 23 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 23
  3. Negative: 1 out of 23
  1. musicwizard636
    May 6, 2019
    8
    Ok, imagine this. You're in an airport. It's 5am and you haven't slept in two days due to a diabolically painful flu virus you got fromOk, imagine this. You're in an airport. It's 5am and you haven't slept in two days due to a diabolically painful flu virus you got from Universal Studios. You're laying on the floor by the terminal, sobbing uncontrollably on the phone to your mom. She recommends Motrin and her voice makes things a little less painful. There are a few more hours until the plane boards, so you need to pass the time. Local Natives and Vampire Weekend are too noisy for this occasion. You choose to listen to the new Helado Negro album because you liked all the singles leading up to it and Pitchfork rated it one of the best albums of the year. The first song greets you like a warm ray of sunshine. The man's voice is soft and he sings about not being good enough. He makes things a little less painful.

    "This is How You Smile" is a serine, gorgeous album. Helado Negro's voice alone beckons listeners deeper into the experience. The production is bright and colorful. It's a sound unlike anything I've heard before.    … Full Review »
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