User ratings in Music are temporarily disabled. More info
What Now Image
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 18 Ratings

  • Summary: The second full-length release for the electronic pop duo of Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn was written in North Carolina, Wisconsin, and Los Angeles in 2016.
Buy Now
Buy on

Top Track

Die Young
I had it all planned that way before you met me Was gonna leave early and so swiftly Maybe in a fire or crash off a ravine People would weep, "How... See the rest of the song lyrics
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 20
  2. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. Apr 28, 2017
    100
    A record so good it answers its own title question and makes you eager to ask it again.
  2. Apr 26, 2017
    80
    What Now is accessible in every sense of the word, but after several spins, it'll pull you much deeper than one might initially think.
  3. May 1, 2017
    80
    The rhythm sections and synths have been crafted with a newfound appreciation for sound, but with unexpected, childlike curiosity. The lyrics retain a relatable amount of simplicity, yet they also portray an intimate exploration of self-worth and image.
  4. Apr 14, 2017
    75
    It swings between biting and sublime, with occasional moments of triteness; but when Meath and Sanborn get it right, they get it very, very right. In a live setting, even the trite ones will bang, and maybe that’s all you can really ask.
  5. Apr 26, 2017
    72
    When Meath and Sanborn ease into a slower lane, they find a sweetness that isn’t entirely likable. There is a bitterness to their Southern bless-your-heart feel, swaddling sharp observations in mannered dance-pop.
  6. Q Magazine
    Apr 14, 2017
    60
    it's not without charm, but you might find yourself wanting to like What Now more than you actually do. [Jun 2017, p.112]
  7. Dec 18, 2017
    60
    They’ve lost a little bit of the magic of their debut. The lyrics feel a tiny bit less wistful, while the bass is a little less heavy--that strange but heady mix from the likes of ‘Hey Mami’ just isn’t jumping out from any of the tracks on What Now.

See all 20 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. May 16, 2017
    7
    While I didn’t find their sound to be particularly entrancing here, which seemed to be the crux of the album, some of the spaces that theyWhile I didn’t find their sound to be particularly entrancing here, which seemed to be the crux of the album, some of the spaces that they created were quite cool and ethereal, with real worth here being the well-formed melodic shapes that made this music memorable. My Score: 124/180 (Good) = 6.9/10 Expand