Virtue
by The Voidz
  • Record Label: RCA
  • Release Date: Mar 30, 2018
Metascore
68

Generally favorable reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 14
  3. Negative: 1 out of 14
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  1. Pretty Much Amazing
    Mar 29, 2018
    100
    Julian has been leading us here since First Impressions of Earth, he has finally made his no-fi, bonkers masterpiece.
  2. Exclaim
    Apr 2, 2018
    80
    Virtue is as fun as it is challenging and is both catchy and complex.
  3. DIY Magazine
    Mar 30, 2018
    80
    There’s so much to take in, it’s almost hard to know if it’s even any good. Between these sensory overloads, however, we get the funky bop of ‘All Wordz Are Made Up’ and the acoustic lullaby of ‘Think Before You Drink’.
  5. New Musical Express (NME)
    Mar 29, 2018
    80
    The Voidz and Julian might not be the most predictable band to pin down, but there are at least some things that we’ve come to expect from them: whatever they do will be interesting, unusual and thought-provoking. On Virtue, they’ve hit the jackpot with a bonus ball--fun.
  6. Consequence
    Apr 3, 2018
    75
    Virtue delivers a bracing set of experiments and amounts to the most interesting record of Casablancas’ career.
  7. Uncut
    Apr 19, 2018
    70
    This 15-track album is daft, sprawling, naive and full of contradictions--but rarely less than entertaining. [Jun 2018, p.37]
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  8. Rolling Stone
    Mar 29, 2018
    70
    Virtue is the sound of honest confusion--messy, complicated and intriguing.
  9. Slant Magazine
    Mar 29, 2018
    70
    Casablancas may not have many answers to his big questions other than expressing a desire to escape it all, but the combination of musical dynamism and lyrical desperation makes Virtue a cathartic experience, if not an especially comforting one.
  10. Pitchfork
    Apr 5, 2018
    69
    This is a record where inspired ideas are constantly battling for oxygen with dubious ones.
  11. Under The Radar
    Mar 29, 2018
    65
    This is Casablancas unwinding and having fun and there's a lot to enjoy here. He's never sounded better (or as versatile) as a vocalist and a lot of this album ("All Wordz Are Made Up," "Lazy Boy") is genuinely great. He may be trying too hard, but at least he's trying to do something different.
  12. AllMusic
    Mar 30, 2018
    60
    It's a breezier listen than its predecessor, but the Voidz's willingness to try anything--whether it works or not--still might be too much for all but their most die-hard fans.
  13. The Guardian
    Mar 30, 2018
    60
    There’s enough about Virtue to keep it interesting. There’s not enough to make it genuinely good.
  14. The A.V. Club
    Mar 30, 2018
    42
    For every adequate Strokes throwback or Radiohead soundalike, Virtue antagonizes you with two formless freak-outs cobbled together from influences as wide-ranging as ’90s R&B, Arabic chants, “Monster Mash,” and a shocking amount of nü-metal.
  15. The Observer (UK)
    Apr 2, 2018
    20
    Pink Ocean locks into an appealing groove; Think Before You Drink is tuneful enough, if an abomination lyrically. But even the biggest Strokes devotee will find precious little worth hearing here.

Awards & Rankings

74
#74 Most Discussed Album of 2018
80
#80 Most Shared Album of 2018

User Reviews

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User Score
8.3

Universal acclaim- based on 99 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 87 out of 99
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 99
  3. Negative: 9 out of 99
  1. HDelattre
    Mar 30, 2018
    10
    Julian just saved rock music again (with due credit to the rest of the Voidz who are all brilliant musicians in their own right). Virtue is anJulian just saved rock music again (with due credit to the rest of the Voidz who are all brilliant musicians in their own right). Virtue is an instant classic bursting with diverse, new ideas that display all the creativity Julian's been trying record since First Impressions of Earth perfectly blended with the gorgeous melodies and brilliant solos that characterize his more popular work. Every song seems to exist in several genres at once or outside traditional genre entirely (other than the fact that of course they're using rock instruments). 15 songs with no filler! Though I have a few least favorites like One of the Ones you'll find others who consider it their favorite, and there are no obvious throwaways. The album gets better with every listen and each song is so different you can just listen on repeat without it ever feeling stale. I feel sorry for the idiotic critics who gave this mediocre reviews, they'll be kicking themselves for discarding music this important (reminds me of when Pitchfork gave Discovery a 6.4).… Full Review »
  2. Oriolebird
    Mar 30, 2018
    10
    The Voidz cover all the bases on Virtue. To be able to master so many different sounds in one able and to hit the nail on the head for most ofThe Voidz cover all the bases on Virtue. To be able to master so many different sounds in one able and to hit the nail on the head for most of them is a true sign of a great album. It doesn't need to be consistent in its sound when all the songs are consistently good.… Full Review »
  3. awedcgyjm
    Mar 30, 2018
    10
    this album is truly amazing! very diverse through the different sounds and 'genres' included so theres definitely a song for everybody's music tastes
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