The Internet - Hive Mind
Critic Score
Based on 34 reviews
2018 Ratings: #132 / 890
Year End Rank: #38
User Score
Based on 713 ratings
2018 Rank: #382
Liked by 72 people
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CRITIC REVIEWS

100
NME
Melding Motown melodies and pop chords for heartbreak and house party listeners alike, ‘Hive Mind’ is a triumph.
100
Entertainment Weekly

Through 13 tracks, Hive Mind rarely rises above a sultry slow-burn, each members’ contributions swirling in unison to create a collection of sublime funk-R&B flourishes most united by their sense of longing.

90
Northern Transmissions
It’s the sense of pure groove and continuity ... that will have you coming back to listen to this album all the way through again and again.
90
The Line of Best Fit
It all results in a moreish stew of hazy, swooning R&B that’s practically impossible to resist.
90
Highsnobiety

It’s soul music through the prism of 2018, infused with all the hot tension, wavering confidence, and constant uncertainty of our times.

88
HipHopDX

From its first funky note, it’s clear we’re in for another soul-fueled journey.

86
Paste
As always, the vibe here is bound to be crowd-pleasing; an intelligent, studied mix of funk, hip-hop, R&B, and jazz textures. Dynamic but relaxed, each track rolls in on an inherently summery energy.
83
Pitchfork
There isn’t a single note or riff on the album that feels contrived or forced, and the entire thing is incredibly smooth and unsegmented, an endless string of hook-ups blurring together.
83
Consequence of Sound

They best the previous effort with full-bodied production and cleaner, more-focused writing.

80
Dork
‘Hive Mind’ is like setting a jukebox off and watching the results dazzle. Always growing, flying, grooving with a newfound confidence - it bottles up the sounds of 70s funk and shakes it with modern shine and a knowing independence.
80
The Observer

Listening to Ego Death, this lineup’s last album, and Hive Mind, their new one, this Internet feels like a configuration where the jams flow intuitively.

80
FLOOD Magazine

"Hive Mind" solidifies The Internet's sound as a newly formed molecule, sharing skills and attributes like electrons in a covalent bond.

80
The Independent
It's undoubtedly one of their best works: the band have a synergy that draws the listener in, allowing you to revel in their irresistible confidence, and hope they might invite you to join the party.
80
Crack Magazine
A brilliant, electric album to keep you dancing through the summer.
80
NOW Magazine

The Internet have delivered their most fully realized project to date.

80
Loud and Quiet
The band’s fourth album is unapologetically ambitious both musically and commercially, resulting in a collection of songs that are leaner, sleeker and more direct than ever.
80
Slant Magazine

Hive Mind is the Internet's most musically diverse and synergetic album to date.

80
Albumism

Perhaps what’s most encouraging is that while Hive Mind elevates and updates their formulas, it’s still very clearly not the band’s final step.

80
Exclaim!

Smooth, mellow and delightfully warm, Hive Mind is a much-needed feel-good album that is well worth the three-year wait.

80
The Skinny

Taking cues from Prince’s end of the world party 1999, dancing through the chaos is the clear through-line of Hive Mind. Squelching guitars and kinetic basslines are in ample supply and, like with Ego Death, romance is the album’s lifeblood.

80
DIY

Just as ‘Hive Mind’ indicates the collaborative spirit of The Internet, it’s clear to see that spending time away working on their individual projects has only strengthened the group’s sound. Each member gets a chance to shine.

80
Q Magazine
Though for all the slick instrumental interplay, with guitarist Steve Lacy again outstanding, it's Syd's hushed, Aaliyah-like delivery that supplies the core emotional connection.
80
Evening Standard
It’s a pristine production that perhaps runs a little low on ideas. But even when they drift into potentially soporific neo-soul The Internet’s seductive songs are hard to shake off.
75
A.V. Club

For all of Hive Mind’s merits, it still has a tendency to get lost in its own grooves and retread some of the same territory, particularly in its slower, more intimate cuts. But this is still a step forward for this young, talented crew, housing nothing but scintillating performances from Syd and, in the rare moments when the group cuts loose, some seriously intoxicating funk.

70
Drowned in Sound

The group do not always connect perfectly on this album but when they do, it’s magical. Hive Mind celebrates musical collectivism and succeeds when it is at its most collaborative.

70
The Needle Drop

Pretty much all the awkward kinks in The Internet's previous albums evaporate on Hive Mind.

70
Rolling Stone

Hive Mind, the group’s 4th LP, is its most polished, full of tranquil, yearning Quiet Storm and light-footed, live-band funk.

70
The 405

This is a record that really unites the individuals in the group and despite it's considerable length it proves to The Internet's most cohesive album yet.

70
AllMusic
Evidently remaining under no pressure to assimilate with commercial R&B or even commit to traditional song structures, the musicians whip up another mixture of loose dance grooves and languid ballads. The effect is only a shade less stimulating than that of their previous LP.
70
PopMatters

The Internet's fourth album, their most focused if not their most compelling, is a distillation of everything that makes them so distinctively cool.

60
Spectrum Culture

From the music to the singing, Hive Mind can get too comfortable for its own good.

60
The Guardian
When rhythmically charged with the tambourine-shaking bounce of Roll, Come Over and Beat Goes On, the Internet tie their talent together and find a unique voice, interweaving subaqueous synths with high-pitched guitars and sludgy bass lines. Yet when they frequently turn downbeat they can stray into pastiche.
50
The Sydney Morning Herald

Hive Mind is not a particularly bad album, but nor does it boast anything to make it a memorable one, either.

ibrokemylefttoe
79

I think the best thing this album does is remove some of the purpleness and nakedness. really accentuates the charm

Strangelightsyd
35

I don't write stuff on here usually but I felt like writing on this soooo

It's like they found a sound that worked and decided to do nothing but repeat it over and over again instead of expanding it and actually having a minimal amount of variety. I enjoyed the first couple tracks, but once I realized that all these songs were just clones of one another, it just boring and pointless.

bl0nded
81

does anyone want me to make a r/theinternet sub? pls reply

update: www.reddit.com/r/theinternetsub

75

such a cool fusion of genres and artists, and yet still such an original sound. big respect for this album.

hareverie
75

very soulful & soothing rnb. it may be a safe album buts its nice to listen to, especially when u wanna relax.

jaedvbb
75

definetly gonna relisten to this one

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Track List

1Come Together
3:40
87
2Roll (Burbank Funk)
3:11
86
3Come Over
5:21
91
4La Di Da
3:27
88
5Stay the Night
4:21
87
6Bravo
3:26
80
7Mood
3:18
81
8Next Time / Humble Pie
5:40
86
9It Gets Better (With Time)
5:26
90
10Look What U Started
4:30
80
11Wanna Be
4:27
82
12Beat Goes On
4:16
80
13Hold On
6:46
92
Total Length: 57 minutes
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Added on: May 18, 2018