A Bit of Previous
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CRITIC REVIEWS
85
It is the right mix of melancholy and ecstatic, reflective and hopeful.
1mo
80
For the first time in over 20 years, they stayed home and, coincidentally or not, made their best record in over 20 years.
2mo
80
It always comes as a surprise to find that each Belle & Sebastian album is a masterclass in pop songwriting.
2mo
80
It's in the album's unlikely combination of weighty sentiments and cheerful (if especially diverse) sounds that Belle and Sebastian grow, offering up an honest assessment of what getting older feels like when you're one of the world's best indie pop bands.
1mo
80
Seven years since their last ‘official’ album comes this warm, comforting return from a band who do what they do extremely well.
1mo
80
Over the course of their 30-year long career, Belle and Sebastian have had a knack for creating earworms, and this record is no exception.
1mo
80
Grounded by lockdown, the veteran indie-pop septet made an album in their hometown of Glasgow for the first time in 22 years. The result is glorious.
1mo
80
Ahen they’re serving up classical pop tracks this accomplished, it’s ground you’re delighted to hear them going back over.
1mo
80
Their ninth album A Bit of Previous suggests Belle and Sebastian still have enough hooks to last several lifetimes.
1mo
80
If A Bit of Previous may seem a bit precious in its exact arrangements, then so be it. The definition of radio-ready music has changed significantly over the decades, and given what we’re left with, that’s not necessarily such a good thing.
1mo
75
The Scottish band’s first studio album in seven years considers the importance of togetherness with clear, aphoristic language and a few musical experiments.
1mo
70
Belle and Sebastian’s 10th album strikes a balance between the band’s familiar sound and proving they still have something to say.
1mo
70
Belle and Sebastian aren't making a grand statement here; rather, more than seven years on from their last proper LP, B&S are honing in on some of their signature styles and making an album that sounds quintessentially like
themselves.
themselves.
1mo
70
An exercise in self-awareness by a band too intelligent to sell out, but certainly not impervious to the spell of nostalgia.
1mo
70
The beloved Scottish indie poppers are back with their first album in seven years, and they’re still great at delivering wry prettiness like the excellent opener “Young and Stupid”.
60
Bookish indie veterans mature in style.
2mo
60
On Belle and Sebastian’s first album in seven years, A Bit of Previous, the cozy Glaswegians prioritize candor and retain a bit of their previous magic.
1mo
60
This isn’t an album to convert non-believers - but it will delight one of indie pop’s most devoted fanbases.
1mo
60
Ultimately ... A Bit of Previous lacks a clear tonal throughline to tie this work together for a greater impact.
1mo
60
Not seeming to flourish into anything substantial, with such brilliantly crafted and poetically lyrical albums in their in their back catalogue, A Bit of Previous fails to standout.
1mo
50
If you’re able to turn off the most critical impulses you may have, you might love A Bit of Previous — after all, its songs are fun to listen to, and if you don’t feel the urge to nitpick incessantly, you might even grow to love the record. But, honestly, that’s a huge bummer.
1mo
Young and Stupid - 4/5
If They’re Shooting At You - 3/5
Talk to Me, Talk to Me - 5/5 ❤
Reclaim the Night - 3/5
Do It for Your Country - 4/5
Prophets On Hold - 3/5
Unnecessary Drama - 4/5
Come On Home - 4/5
A World Without You - 4/5
Deathbed of My Dreams - 3/5
Sea of Sorrow - 4/5
Working Boy in New York City - 5/5 ❤
Belle & Sebastian’s first new record since 2017’s "Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance" probably won’t win them any new fans but there are enough good tunes here for the old ones to remain. ”Young and Stupid” and ”If They’re Shooting at You” has the Scottish group’s trademark blissful stain of a warm breeze hanging over them, ”Unnecessary Drama” is the catchy rock stand-out, and ”Come On Home” is a hidden ... read more
as a mahusive fan of belle and sebastian, god i fucking listened to them religiously between the ages of 15-17, this is absolutely their worst offering album wise. on the whole it is a sterile, flaccid affair. i can't in right mind assert that it is a necessarily bad album, but it certainly offers very very little in terms of positives or negatives to grasp in my mind.
It’s been a long time since Belle and Sebastian have made a meaningful project and, besides a few good tracks, this album that touches on themes at a surface level does not change things.
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Track List
| 1 | Young and Stupid 2:54 | 77 |
| 2 | If They’re Shooting At You 4:31 | 70 |
| 3 | Talk to Me, Talk to Me 4:27 | 89 |
| 4 | Reclaim the Night 3:13 | 68 |
| 5 | Do It for Your Country 3:50 | 75 |
| 6 | Prophets On Hold 4:46 | 74 |
| 7 | Unnecessary Drama 4:16 | 80 |
| 8 | Come On Home 3:54 | 76 |
| 9 | A World Without You 3:03 | 78 |
| 10 | Deathbed of My Dreams 3:48 | 68 |
| 11 | Sea of Sorrow 4:58 | 73 |
| 12 | Working Boy in New York City 4:15 | 81 |
Total Length: 48 minutes
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Added on: March 2, 2022