Death from Above 1979 - Is 4 Lovers
Critic Score
Based on 15 reviews
2021 Ratings: #663 / 753
User Score
Based on 357 ratings
2021 Rank: #863
Liked by 23 people
March 26, 2021 / Release Date
LP / Format
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CRITIC REVIEWS

80
AllMusic

One of Death from Above 1979's most balanced and stylistically engaging albums.

80
NME

The Canadian dance-punk duo tackle love and modern society of their gnarly fourth record. They still pack a punch, but now the bruise is more colourful.

80
Exclaim!

On Is 4 Lovers, the pair have settled in and settled down, both in their lives and to their own sound.

80
Northern Transmissions

Where others imitate, Death From Above 1979 continue to innovate – this album really ‘Is 4 Lovers’.

75
Beats Per Minute
A fun album that is also their most diverse so far and finds the duo fully trusting their own instincts.
70
DIY
An album which sees the pair attempt to build upon the mythology of their past - and reclaim a little of it, too - it’s a move that largely pays off.
70
Clash

 ‘Is 4 Lovers’ is both a worthy addition to the collection and a reminder of what the band has gained over the years since they were just two kids from Toronto blowing everyone’s minds by not hiring a guitarist.

70
Classic Rock

Just as Daft Punk press the self-destruct button, a similarly secretive, revolutionary and electro-heavy duo prone to lengthy career silences find a fresh creative tail wind ... 4 lovers of gloriously degraded punk pop.

67
Paste

With Is 4 Lovers, they not only prove that they can stretch without compromising, but also that intimacy and discovery can still be rockin’ AF.

60
musicOMH

Despite this being their third decade as a group, you might be expecting them to have added some new dimensions to their sound, but for better or worse that hasn’t happened.

60
Mojo

The first half rifles through their familiar bag of production tricks ... The weirder and more diverse second side is where stuff gets interesting.

60
The Independent

There’s still a nagging sense that the band are resting on their laurels. The record is still good – DFA are too talented for it to be otherwise – but it’s a little deflating for a band whose history is built on boundary-pushing.

60
The Needle Drop

Is 4 Lovers sounds like a transitional project for DFA.

60
Kerrang!

It’s a good idea to mix things up, but the move also renders them less visceral and dilutes their identity.

56
Sputnikmusic

Is 4 Lovers isn’t a bad album, it just lacks that much-needed energy and purpose. A lot of the songs here feel like they’re going through the motions.

CLJesse
32

C.L. Jesse is fucking mad online.

I listened to this album with my boyfriend, and after the first 30 seconds, I kept asking him the same question throughout the entire record: why the fuck does sound like this? Genuinely? Why is there S͟t͟. A͟n͟g͟e͟r͟ tier production on the drums?

I didn't want to hate this. I honest to God wanted to love it. Y͟o͟u͟'r͟e͟ a͟ W͟o͟m͟a͟n͟, I͟'m͟ a͟ M͟a͟c͟h͟i͟n͟e͟ is one of my favorite dance punk albums ever, and I even defend T͟h͟e͟ ... read more

PipePanic
34

If this album “Is 4 Lovers”, then I would absolutely love to jam a nail into my front toe.

Yes. I’m not exaggerating. I legit am fuming. This album took one of my favorite bands, and stripped it of all of the things that made them interesting and replaced it with forgettable, bland and boring carbon copies of themselves.

I should probably explain why then, huh?

This band, as some of you may know, are just straight-up one of my favorite Dance-Punk outfits that dominated the ... read more

Stankysauce
80

wow people really don't like this? sure it has that radio rock vibe that Royal Blood has, but didn't these guys essentially put them on in the first place? Also they manage to pull it off in a way that doesn't sound tacky or watered down, sorta like how BMTTH made nu metal and alt metal work in 2020 without sounding outdated.

Also in what universe is this bad production? It's so thick and heavy, and raw and loud. like JEEZ the bass on here is so intense it reminds me of that last Idles record ... read more

76

Underrated.

55

Is 4 Lovers isn’t bad per say, it just lacks too much that you need for a good record.

Bucckettttt
50

This might be the first time I will ever actually agree that an album is completely "mid"

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Track List

1Modern Guy
3:29
71
2One + One
3:46
73
3Free Animal
2:51
66
4N.Y.C. Power Elite Part I
2:49
72
5N.Y.C. Power Elite Part II
1:31
66
6Totally Wiped Out
2:32
56
7Glass Homes
3:44
56
8Love Letter
4:17
55
9Mean Streets
2:26
51
10No War
3:37
60
Total Length: 31 minutes
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Added on: December 5, 2020