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You Can't Go Back if There's Nothing To Go Back To
by
You Can't Go Back if There's Nothing To Go Back To Image
Metascore
81

Universal acclaim - based on 9 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 8 Ratings

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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. Record Collector
    Feb 29, 2016
    100
    Beautifully played, arranged to perfection, crystal clear recording and production with the vocals to the fore, but cushioned by immaculate musicianship. A classic of the genre.
  2. Uncut
    Feb 29, 2016
    90
    It's a more poignant epitaph to their fine career than the dour and sometimes impenetrable The High Country. [Apr 2016, p.77]
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  3. PopMatters
    Mar 17, 2016
    90
    An Americana capstone, artists present and future should aspire to reach the heights of You Can’t Go Back If There’s Nothing to Go Back To.
  4. The Line of Best Fit
    Feb 29, 2016
    80
    If this really is the end, You Can’t Go Back... is more than a worthy addition to the story of a band who leave behind one of the--if not the--richest catalogues in sunny-side-down American songwriting; only a few slightly stale rehashes of familiar templates towards the end keep this from achieving the lofty standards of, say, 2009's We Used To Think The Freeway Sounded Like The River.
  5. Magnet
    Apr 15, 2016
    80
    This is a record packed to the rafters. [No. 130, p.58]
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  6. Drowned In Sound
    Mar 15, 2016
    70
    Richmond Fontaine hardly deserves any kind of apologetic treatment, if for no other reason than You Can’t Go Back If There’s Nothing To Go Back To is a lively statement at the (supposed) end of a 22-year-run.
  7. Mojo
    Feb 29, 2016
    60
    Damaged souls taking bitter stock of what they've become. It's all here in this raw, reflective clutch, with the taste of midlife crisis on its tongue. [Apr 2016, p.92]
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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. AnotherSuffolk
    Mar 29, 2016
    10
    Richmond Fontaine don't do bad albums. As the kings of literate music, their sound and lyrics come straight to the ears of anyone who hasRichmond Fontaine don't do bad albums. As the kings of literate music, their sound and lyrics come straight to the ears of anyone who has fallen on hard times. Aside from Willy's side project 'The Delines' recent albums have not struck home with me quite as much as their heyday greats (Thirteen Cities, Winnemucca etc), but this album is a return to that heyday. A beautiful collection of songs telling the story of those about to hit the wall. Many alt-country acts try to do this, some do it well, but RF do it genuinely with class and style.… Expand