Working Men's Club - Working Men's Club
Critic Score
Based on 15 reviews
2020 Ratings: #44 / 871
Year End Rank: #50
User Score
Based on 257 ratings
2020 Rank: #328
Liked by 25 people
October 2, 2020 / Release Date
LP / Format
Heavenly / Label
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CRITIC REVIEWS

100
NME
A world away from their early work, the Todmorden group find chaos in the every day on their superb debut.
100
God Is in the TV

Really, this is a very special record, inspired by a fairly specific past but managing to sound fresh, contemporary and original, due in no small part to the precocious talent and charisma of singer Syd Minsky-Sergeant, a true star in the making.

100
Dork

It’s rare that a band who seem so geared towards chaotic live shows manage to capture the same energy on record, and even rarer for them to manage it on their debut, but Working Men’s Club seem to pull it off without even trying.

90
Uncut

They're well worth the wait ... with leader Sydney Minsky-Sargeant’s stalking through this potent set of bruising electro songs like a cool composite of Stephen Mallinder and Mark E Smith.

90
Gigwise

Working Men’s Club need to be listened to. They offer a vital escape into the unusual, acting as an ecstatic placeholder in a world where we often (ok, always) need to get away.

80
DIY
It's the underlying sense of unease and something to prove that really adds the edge.
80
The Line of Best Fit
Working Men’s Club overcome change to create a debut more than worth the wait.
80
Clash

This rhythmically expansive body of work could pass as a mixtape, traversing through a medley of sounds, eras and genres. The one thing consistent throughout are the standout vocals of Minsky-Sergeant.

80
The Guardian
Stark electronics are undercut with funkier elements of Detroit techno, acid house squiggles and Italian house pianos to create a danceable sound that’s simultaneously austere and uplifting.
80
Mojo
For now we'll just imagine how fantastic this would sound in a cramped club, but the spirit of youth culture is here to be imbibed. Get in the biggest round you can and drink up.
70
Loud and Quiet

Working Men’s Club is nothing we haven’t heard before, but the sheer force of Minsky-Sargeant’s conviction makes it difficult to resist.

60
AllMusic
The group have certainly done their homework, and unfortunately the album has the feel of an academic exercise.
QuinDelamore
60

Good synthpop, with the incredible amount of oversaturation in the genre, is becoming an increasingly difficult find. Fortunately, Working Men's Club and their catchy and simplistic brand of dance-punk arrived onto the scene. While they lack the charisma of past dance-punk acts, this Yorkshire four piece's sound is surprisingly dense.

marvelgaryen
89

Filled with battery, this debut album is joy to my ears. By the way I listened to this at 2 a.m and my insomnia is reinforced. I'm fascinated by the instrumentation, the subtle yet intense transitions and the craziness of the genre mixing are a great bonus. I'm so oftenly bored by bands, that's why I don't usually review many, but sometimes bands like this make me shiver of excitement, the spontaneity that lacks from the old days, when the old-school musicians were innovating not for the sake ... read more

ST4T1C
80

Being this is a debut album from an up and coming band, standards weren't all that high, but this was honestly really great! I loved the punky aesthetic it had with its dance club vibes! It's surprisingly diverse and dense with the instrumental's sounding super lush and alive! Honestly, stuff like the opener "Valleys" is some of the material I've heard so far! Even with some not so great moments on here, like the boring and bland "Outside", or the 12 minute "Angel" ... read more

kaimasonnn
80

yeah its enjoyable

AP__Music
50

I still don’t really understand this album! I’ve listened to it a lot over the past week and still am no further into ‘breaking it.’ This is summed up by ‘Angel’ I’m undecided if it’s a stroke of genius to have a 12m30s song on your debut album, nor a complete narcissistic move that hasn’t been earned. (and one whichever outcome I agree upon, will not be added to our playlist.) This is the theme than runs throughout the album – is this ... read more

ghostwriter27
70

Slaps.
I ain't gonna do a deep dive on this one but this is one of my favorite synth-wave / Depeche-mode-like albums. I like to return to this album quite a lot because it has such a distinct sound with loud synthesizers, post-punk vocals (kinda similar to Black Country New Road), funny and interesting lyricism, great drum beats, and stunning guitar passages. I love the static, electronic sound of it all, the way each song morphs, and just the whole combination of the sounds showcased.

As a ... read more

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Added on: March 11, 2020