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CRITIC REVIEWS
90
Reward is just that: the precious, well-earned outcome of patience and introspection, and the bravery to be wholly yourself.
90
Easily Le Bon's most involved, risky, and satisfying material up until this point.
80
Welsh singer-songwriter Cate Timothy, also known as Cate Le Bon, packs a lot of punch on her fifth studio album, Reward. Her style is veiled in mysterious, hypnotic lyrics and striking instrumentals that make the listening experience feel otherworldly.
80
Alternating somewhere in a grey zone land of ambiguity, between dream and reality, there is an adaptability and it manifests itself in sparks of humour or deep sincerity, and between cynicism and vulnerability. The effects are profound.
80
‘Reward’ could feel like a slog, too bleak and weird to be truly enjoyable - but it doesn’t. It’s entirely captivating, with just enough moments of optimism to keep you hanging on.
80
Lovely, airy, occasionally rocking songs are underpinned by elliptical lyrics and seeping loneliness on Le Bon’s remarkable album.
80
It’s hard to go back and listen to earlier albums after Reward—the enhanced instrumentation and dreamy songwriting make this the singer’s strongest album yet.
80
Le Bon’s fifth studio album Reward is a charming and moving work.
10h
62
Rather than fixing a steady gaze on our isolating and destabilizing present, Reward often taunts, pokes, glances, and winks—gestures that pester and provoke without leaving much of an impression.
okay okay it's kind of Aldous Harding ish in a sense, and will be compared to (and similarly dismissed like) a lot of the other recent female singer/songwriter releases, but its for sure 'weird' all in its own unique way. Some really pretty songs on here, some goofy moments (Mother's Mother's Magazines especially, which is really elevated by the second half of the tune), and the album has a nice bounce to it through out. The sax additions are really nice. Cate Le Bon's best yet, I'd say.
The ... read more
The ... read more
"The more you feel/ The more you lose."
Isolation and heartache permeates through the fifth studio album from the Welsh singer-songwriter, coming out after a year of seclusion from a remote part of England and taking up an intensive year-long furniture-making course that let her catharsis be poured out in a form of ten songs, at her most personal work to date. Her eccentricity and signature art-rock leanings are still present with bits of playfulness and introspection, starting with ... read more
Isolation and heartache permeates through the fifth studio album from the Welsh singer-songwriter, coming out after a year of seclusion from a remote part of England and taking up an intensive year-long furniture-making course that let her catharsis be poured out in a form of ten songs, at her most personal work to date. Her eccentricity and signature art-rock leanings are still present with bits of playfulness and introspection, starting with ... read more
Pretty much sounds like what you would expect from a folky singer songwriter in 2019 in other words this is completely generic cookie cutter indie folk.
moving between a sophisti-pop flirtation and her usual quirky art folk approach, Cate Le Bon has made a perfectly professional if somewhat soulless record. I guess it is bouncy enough but it sure drags in places, like the interminable "Home To You" which feels like it will never get there, and the meandering and formless "Magnificent Gestures". I still prefer Mug Museum and Crab Day to this release, but I like that she is still committed to changing things up. her top-shelf ... read more
Great album from Cate. Love the instrumentation particularly. it really adds to her writing on this especially with some of the more repetitive lyrics. Very introspective and kinda sad in general but there's mystery in her metaphors that keeps me really interested.
Faves: Sad Nudes, Daylight Matters, Home To You.
Faves: Sad Nudes, Daylight Matters, Home To You.
Track List
- Miami
- Daylight Matters
- Home To You
- Mother's Mother's Magazines
- Here It Comes Again
- Sad Nudes
- The Light
- Magnificent Gestures
- You Don't Love Me
- Meet The Man
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In Library (20)
brooklynvegan.com
Cate Le Bon announces new LP & tour (listen to “Daylight Matters”) northerntransmissions.com
Cate Le Bon Announces ‘Rock Pool’ EP 
Added on: March 20, 2019
