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CRITIC REVIEWS
90
No matter what your musical preference is, the sweet charm of these songs and the record has the power to leave anyone with a genuine fondness for it, and I have absolutely no difficulty in saying that.
7mo
90
Listening to Warm Chris is a genuinely interesting, absorbing and sometimes unsettling experience. It’s another remarkable puzzle piece in Aldous Harding’s career, offered to us without pretense or expectation or fanfare.
90
This album drips with drama, humor, and naturalness, making Warm Chris a sincere take on life.
90
The variety in the instrumentation is only met by the variety in her voice; going through registers, accents and even characters, 'Warm Chris' is an album covering the complex and enigmatic voices of a supremely singular talent.
85
Warm Chris is a marvel to behold and a joy to listen to in spite of it being shot through with tell-tale signs of brokenness and burst bubbles.
83
On her new album, the New Zealand folk auteur uses an expanded sonic palette to consider intimacy and performance.
82
The New Zealand songwriter returns with a sparse and oblique album whose gentle psychedelic folk and beguiling free association proudly resist interpretation.
80
The New Zealander’s latest is beautiful on the surface, yet becomes even more wonderful when given a chance, staking its claim as the first great album of the coming summer.
80
This could well be her masterpiece.
80
Off-kilter lyricism and a winning sense of playfulness pervade the singer-songwriter’s hugely satisfying fourth album.
80
If, for some, Harding’s modus operandi might sound a bit like a deep dive into the dress-up box, and perhaps a tad inauthentic, then her sheer, method actor-like intensity snuffs out that argument, along with the revealing glimpses of raw emotion.
80
Listening to the defiantly peculiar Warm Chris, it’s not easy to imagine how much more untethered the artist born Hannah Topp can get.
80
Harding continues to exercise her versatility and restraint, delivering an album that invites close attention and rewards it with understated surprises.
80
Warm Chris is neither refined nor contained: it wanders and wonders, affirming the sheer joy of curiosity.
80
Aldous Harding's many voices and personas are in full effect on Warm Chris, but what she says isn’t as important as how she wants you to feel.
80
As much a great musician as she is an illusionist who dazzles the listener with stylish tricks.
80
The New Zealand singer-songwriter's rich fourth album takes time to sink in, but your patience will be rewarded several times over.
80
Like its three predecessors, Warm Chris blazes its own trail, and following along can sometimes feel like grasping at the last vestiges of a late morning dream. It's both compelling and confounding, like Harding herself.
75
It’s shockingly intimate with the minimal acoustic guitar and piano backdrop acting like a cinematic sonic painting.
65
There can be little doubt that the ever-shifting nature of Harding’s work should be applauded. Her work, as a result, is always interesting, yet intrigue alone is not often enough to sustain a listener’s focus over the 10 tracks here.
60
Although there’s much to love in Warm Chris’s more full-throated moments, and it’s those which will doubtless continue to bring her the success she so richly deserves, it’s hard not to occasionally pine for the transcendental sparseness of her earlier work.
60
She's adapting from many familiar sources—sometimes in a very tasteful manner—but we're never quite sure what she's trying to accomplish.
60
The whole record tilts constantly between dawn and twilight, not sure whether the sun is coming or going, but keeping you in that suspended state of gentle light.
60
Her songs are strange little worlds you get lost in without quite knowing why.
60
The outcome amounts to an admirable showcase of numerous roles, but there’s a skittish ambiguity throughout that somehow leaves Harding anchorless and distanced – not least from herself and the listener.
60
Despite some successes, including song-of-the-year contender “Leathery Whip”, Warm Chris mostly shows the gifted Aldous Harding trying to navigate a troublesome limbo.
50
Quirky voices interchange with somber ones on Warm Chris as Aldous Harding seems to choose musical phrases on the spot, and hesitant piano and guitar lines follow suit, resulting in an album that sounds equally alluring and unfinished.
I prefer this to 2019's 'Designer' to be honest even if none of the individual tracks rival 'The Barrel' as her best song. The folk instrumentation across the whole album is just a lot more varied and colourful with flourishes of piano, acoustic and electric guitar and brass/woodwind (I can't really tell). Meanwhile, stripped back tracks (namely the title track and 'Bubbles') don't really do much for me. Nevertheless, Harding's vocal melodies are always intriguing.
Favourite Tracks: Ennui, ... read more
Aldous stretches her contortions more than ever before, calling to mind several musical luminaries. All the uptempo tunes (the two singles, Ennui, Tick Tock, Passion Babe, Staring at the Henry Moore and Leathery Whip) are filled with variety, and obvious winners in my book. Three more sparse tracks remain, with the arresting style of the title track completely captivating me. Bubbles straight up sounds like vashti bunyan, and She’ll Be Coming Around the Mountain almost sounds like a ... read more
you know it was always going to be 100 for me. one songwriter, ten songs, ten different vocalists all in one person. even though I desperately wanted "She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain" to be THE "She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain", I'm not even mad. this is meant to be a more intimate and interior album than Designer, but it's still expansive and trippy. except for the sophisti-pop guitars of "Staring at the Henry More" this is predominatly piano-driven. it ... read more
Harding's direction on this album stands out when compared to Designer, it's stripped down and more mysterious. The lyrics pack a larger nuance and there are so many great tracks on this record.
Favorite Tracks: Ennui, Lawn
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Track List
| 1 | Ennui 4:38 | 78 |
| 2 | Tick Tock 3:39 | 81 |
| 3 | Fever 4:17 | 82 |
| 4 | Warm Chris 3:46 | 79 |
| 5 | Lawn 3:37 | 86 |
| 6 | Passion Babe 3:33 | 78 |
| 7 | She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain 4:28 | 79 |
| 8 | Staring at the Henry Moore 3:19 | 77 |
| 9 | Bubbles 3:55 | 74 |
| 10 | Leathery Whip 4:00 | 79 |
Total Length: 39 minutes
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8mo
My opinion to this album changes a lot, like at times I thought this was great, and another times I thought this was just fine
Might re-listen for the 127th time tonight
Might re-listen for the 127th time tonight
10mo
i was deaf when i ranked this outside of my top 50 albums of the year. might be top 15, i've been coming back to this record and it's just exceptional.
1y
Just saw her in concert 2 days ago. What an experience! If you have the chance you really MUST go to see her and her amazingly tight band.
Added on: January 12, 2022