Crawling Up the Stairs

Pure X - Crawling Up the Stairs
Critic Score
Based on 16 reviews
2013 Ratings: #609 / 1115
User Score
Based on 18 ratings
Liked by 1 person
May 14, 2013 / Release Date
LP / Format
Acéphale / Label
Shoegaze / Genre
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CRITIC REVIEWS

85
The 405

It's harrowing and downright depressing listening at times, but the best art often comes from the worst of situations; an album like this needed to exist, and I'm glad it does.

80
musicOMH

Crawling Up The Walls [sic] is a very fine follow up that sees them once again exploring the inner workings of their soul and psyche with often beautiful results.

80
Beats Per Minute

Crawling Up The Stairs should be praised not only for its beauty, honesty and sonic specialty, but also for the way it’s sequenced. Listening through the album takes you on an emotional journey that it’s clear that Pure X have carefully mapped out.

80
FACT Magazine

It’s an album that happily draws upon familiarity as a ruse, a means to take the listener somewhere far hazier and less comfortable. It’s bleak and bittersweet, and it’s very well done.

70
Pitchfork

It may not be as instantly gratifying as Pleasure, but it's more sophisticated and self-aware.

70
Tiny Mix Tapes

It’s an album of stitched-together aspects that feel incongruous, though interesting.

70
The Fly

Whilst often brilliant, ‘Crawling…’ makes you wonder why Pure X have swapped pleasure for pain.

70
DIY

‘Crawling Up The Stairs’, then, is the sound of a band staring down the invasive drag of their own instruments and winning. 

60
AllMusic

While the more standard production helps peel away a few layers of distortion, Crawling Up the Stairs is a pretty bleak picture when observed without Pure X's unique filtering.

60
NME

Texan trio Pure X's second album doesn't so much invite you in for a chat as sit you down and stare you in the eye until things get uncomfortable.

60
No Ripcord

Crawling Up The Stairs has strong riptides that have no qualms over carrying you away, but if you embrace them you may be pleasurably surprised.

50
PopMatters

Crawling smartly plays upon Pleasure‘s strengths, but even with a more professional sheen coating the disc, Pure X needs to write stronger songs to fit with their talents. 

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Added on: April 25, 2013