R.Y.C

Mura Masa - R.Y.C
Critic Score
Based on 17 reviews
2020 Ratings: #822 / 871
User Score
Based on 493 ratings
2020 Rank: #883
Liked by 19 people
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CRITIC REVIEWS

100
NME

‘R.Y.C’ is at its most provocative and memorable when its larger-than-life characters and productions become unhinged and combustible with lust for life.

80
Dork

An album which finds Mura Masa coming of age. Once again delivering an album that captures a sound unique of his own, every element ties together to form a body of work that deserves to be played over and over again.

80
DIY

‘R.Y.C’ bills Mura Masa as a different prospect entirely.

77
Paste

R.Y.C makes no sense on paper, but Mura Masa displays his knob-turning strengths, dizzying versatility and ever-expanding potential, proving he more than belongs amongst his British youth-oriented and electronic forebears.

70
musicOMH

Missteps on R.Y.C are rare – Slowthai ruins a good beat with his local lad impression, Today with Tirzah is a bit too sleepy to have much of an impact – and the album sees Crossan as a distinctive producer once again, after the events of the past few years threatened to leave him faceless.

70
Gigwise
Long story short, if you’re a young person and you like dance bangers, this one is probably for you.
67
Pitchfork

Where R.Y.C. succeeds—and where Crossan reveals a real point of view—is in his ultimate rejection of these initial frameworks in favor of something more fluid, a hybrid space in which these sounds, stylings, and emotional responses work together.

60
Clash

The producer has made bold and brave steps for his sophomore album; switching up from his usual electronic style to a guitar-heavy, angsty sound while laying down his own vocals on some of the main tracks.

60
AllMusic

R.Y.C. is scattered and uneasy, but considering its subject matter and the emotions it expresses, it seems like it couldn't have turned out any other way, so it sounds undeniably genuine.

55
Northern Transmissions

R.Y.C. isn’t as “profoundly awful” as The Guardian might have you believe, but it does represent a misstep of sorts for Mura Masa.

50
Spectrum Culture

R.Y.C. is less of a dynamic, energetic exploration of youth culture as it is a mostly banal record coated in a heavy, pale malaise that not even the most exciting of the artists featured on this record can cumulatively lift.

40
The Observer

Despite a couple of nicely turned meditations (the title track, A Meeting at an Oak Tree), Raw Youth Collage mainly transmits a confusion that is less generational than solely Mura Masa’s.

40
PopMatters

Ultimately, Crossan's earlier work far outperforms RYC, but risks with genre definitely earn him brownie points for effort and reveal a musical sensibility worth watching.

20
The Guardian

The whole thing does perhaps work as a satire on the stultifying effect of nostalgia, but if you’re worried about our burning planet, keep facing outward and don’t waste a single moment listening to anything this wretchedly blinkered.

MAN
55

Had some spare time for this Mura Masa album and, yet again, another project made by him that just could have been much much better. Still nice to hear though!

AndreVital
79

I understand that some elements of this album's production can be seen as maybe messy, cringe or amateurish. I will certainly understand if some fans of Mura Masa's fans are turned off because of the lack of real engaging songs except for "Deal Wiv It". However, it is hard to deny that Mura Masa isn't honestly expressing an unfiltered stream of youth. Or as he would put it...a "Raw Youth Collage".

That concept may repel some of you artsier music snobs, but in all honesty ... read more

elitimesfour
55

Deal Wiv It still goes insanely hard but besides that the songs don't do much for me.

hwkn
59

Lot of the tracks on here are pretty basic and formulaic, fine for background music but not something I'd go out of my way to sit down and listen to. Pretty disappointing production-wise. Deal Wiv It brings some energy at least, and a few other songs stand out over the rest.

Favs: Today, I Don't Think I Can Do This Again, Teenage Headache Dreams

insomniblvck
50

God this album is so weak compared to the newer 2022 record.

holsgr
10

dislikable (★☆☆☆☆)

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Added on: October 25, 2019