DIY Magazine's Scores

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For 3,087 reviews, this publication has graded:
  • 54% higher than the average critic
  • 4% same as the average critic
  • 42% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 0.1 points higher than other critics. (0-100 point scale)
Average Music review score: 73
Highest review score: 100 Not to Disappear
Lowest review score: 20 Let It Reign
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,183 out of 3087
  2. Mixed: 891 out of 3087
  3. Negative: 13 out of 3087
3087 music reviews
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    • 72 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Appalling Human
    It’s sharp and serious but without the navel-gazing feel that sometimes makes ‘Appalling Human’ a difficult one to truly get stuck into.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    So When You Gonna...
    The middle run of ‘U Do U’, ‘RH RN’ and ‘Old Flame’ is so mid-paced and lacking in audible spark that it’s as if the record has momentarily dozed off. And for a group who have seemed so overflowing with ideas, so strong in their convictions and so urgently essential, it can’t help but feel a bit disappointing
    • 46 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Chapter 1: Snake Oil
    The result is still just a big, slick, debatably-decent pop record.
    • 74 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Goons Be Gone
    A couple of times they get some wind in their sails, namely ‘War Dance’ and ‘Turned to String’, but the overall feeling from this is that No Age are, ironically, starting to show their years.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Domesticated
    It’s all pleasant, but feels inessential and - at times - dated, not least because the lower-tempo tracks veer dangerously close to sounding like chillwave. Domestication has not robbed Sébastien of his adventurousness, but the killer instinct that defines his best work is missing here: ‘Domesticated’ is a meandering listen.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Earth
    Earth might be musically faultless, but it lacks the bite of his day job.
    • 72 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Womb
    Despite some stellar production and sparkling pop moments, it feels like there’s been little evolution in the duo’s sound in the five years since ‘Another Eternity’.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    The Performer
    A potent mix of influences, it manages to sound equally focused and effortless - the work of a true performer.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Uneasy Laughter
    The songs here mostly lack the sonic power and impact of those on its predecessor, but they do accomplish the not inconsiderable task of making Sean’s angular guitars sit alongside Pascal Stevenson’s synths congruously on tracks like ‘Ego’ and ‘Keep Out’. Post-punk bands of various eras have transitioned to new wave over the course of three or four albums, but Moaning have done that with just two.
    • 65 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    No One Else Can Wear Your Crown
    For every track that falls short, there is another where they hit a sweet spot.
    • 82 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Sad Happy
    The Liverpudlian four-piece are gifted with penning peppy indie-pop, the melodies that lift the likes of ‘Be Your Drug’ and ‘Move To San Francisco’ are spiky and infectious but ultimately stick to a well-worn formula that produces middling results.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Container
    Though there’s a clear outlook and lots to like, there’s a certain ‘leather trenchcoat on Camden High Street’ vibe to The Wants when you sense they were aiming for something a little more forward-thinking.
    • 69 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Ricky Music
    While this collection is his slickest, most watertight LP, it does little to push his sound or songwriting forward.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Deap Lips
    The supergroup’s self-titled record might feature the dirty rock of the former and the latter’s penchant for synth-led tangents, but by each party’s style rubbing off on the other, they’ve also sanded them down.
    • 81 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Superstar
    Although ‘Superstar’ certainly reaches for the stars in its slick production, her wit doesn’t sparkle as strongly, and its theme of an awkward outsider trying to chase success feels a little too close to home.
    • 77 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    The Main Thing
    Torn between old habits and a limber, more flexible stance, this fifth album stands as a misty mix of downtempo vibes with sombre, often questioning lyrics - Real Estate strike out here, thriving in the art of surprise and subversion.
    • 78 Metascore
    • 50 Critic Score
    Cape God
    ‘CollXtion I’ posed Allie as an exciting new songwriter, but this record fails to push boundaries in the same way.
    • 75 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Hyacinth
    ‘Hyacinth’ shows Spinning Coin are OK with dipping their toes in the water of something new, but will leave you wishing they would just jump in.
    • 70 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Names of North End Women
    ‘Light Years Out’ is an ill-advised journey into electro-funk territory but overall, ‘Names of North End Women’ is an interesting work that shows Ranaldo has retained all his youthful capacity for innovation and experimentation.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Man Alive!
    Ultimately, ‘Man Alive!’ feels like the work of an artist in transition: a handful of stunning tracks surrounded by some backfiring experiments. It’s frustrating but there are still gems to be found amid the soul-searching.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Stray
    M uch of ‘Stray’ could do with heeding its own advice; instead Bambara stay firmly on a strong but fairly predictable path.
    • 79 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Big Exercise
    The band have expanded their sound with mixed results.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Supervision
    It’s all largely inoffensive and wholly listenable. Which is fine, but we’ve come to expect more from La Roux.
    • 68 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Father of All…
    Granted, it doesn’t always quite connect, and it probably won’t enter the Green Day canon, but it’s a bit of fun all the same.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Have We Met
    His outlook on the world is no happier than it was before, but the lack of a bigger band brings out a fresher sound in the Destroyer canon. It loses some energy in that regard, especially compared to the magnificent ‘Kaputt’, but it does show that, with 13 albums under his belt, Bejar still has plenty to say and even more fantastical ways to say it.
    • 61 Metascore
    • 40 Critic Score
    Power
    While never the strongest lyricist, ‘Power’ sees vocalist/guitarist Sam McTrusty roll out an unending series of lines that are overt to the point of self-suffocation. ... ‘Messiah’ and closer ‘Praise Me’ are stronger cuts, though as with much of ‘Power’, they’re unfortunately lost amongst the plethora of untidy songwriting on show.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    There Is No Year
    The album blossoms when his delivery matches the tone of the music.
    • 73 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Making a New World
    Aside from a few great moments like the warm and accessible track ‘Beyond That Of Courtesy’, this listen does feel slightly hard to grasp due to its disjointed nature. There are enough ideas in the tank here, but ultimately it's not one to rush out and buy.
    • 76 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    2019 [EP]
    2019 has a pleasing feel no doubt, there are some gems nestled in the 7-track run that are well worth a look, but it feels like a release that is there to keep the wheels turning ahead of a new album.
    • 80 Metascore
    • 60 Critic Score
    Junior
    Corridor evidently have ambitious eyes set on the grand and cinematic. The beautifully eerie closing ambient moments to ‘Goldie’, or the theatrical prettiness of ‘Milan’ convey a band of sophisticated vision, but certain reaches for the epic, such as the stodgy closer, ‘Bang’, suffer for their principals, sounding like half-baked version of Grizzly Bear. Often, it’s hard not to think that there’s something missing.
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