Beautifully poignant, it feels less like a set of songs and more like a collection of memories you've yet to experience.
Allo Darlin’ and Europe indeed do have what it takes to be a band and album that mean so much to the particular people to whom they mean so much to.
Such straight-ahead pop mastery has become unfashionable in 2012, and Europe begs the question as to why.
Europe is made up of diverse songs tied together by a consistent desire to carefully craft stories everyone can relate to.
Here the band sounds confidently itself, with any pop-culture references wrapped up naturally into the emotional lives of the characters in the songs.
Where on their debut songs headed straight in one directly, here they meander a little more, arriving at the same place but just taking a little longer to get there.
The most disappointing thing about Europe is the failed attempt at a sonic leap forward.
Allo Darlin’ is a good band. Obviously this is a banal observation, but whenever I listen to them, “good” seems to be the best-fitting adjective. They’re not reinventing the wheel, nor are they attempting to, but listening to them is always a satisfying and rewarding experience, because they do what they do really well. “Europe” is a smart sophomore release in that it builds on their debut in a way that should appeal to all of its fans. Elizabeth Morris ... read more
#4 | / | Rough Trade |
#42 | / | Rolling Stone |
#45 | / | Consequence of Sound |
#69 | / | PopMatters |