Hold The Girl
Details
LP / Format
Dirty Hit / Label
Clarence Clarity, For Those I Love, Paul Epworth, Barney Lister, Stuart Price, +3 more... / Producer
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CRITIC REVIEWS
100
The genre mixology concocts big, brilliant tunes with trance, indie, ‘90s alt-rock, ‘00s soft-rock – and much more – by lacing by them with undeniable hooks.
8mo
100
An eclectic palette of bombastic, heart-on-sleeve euphoric pop and angsty dancefloor fillers.
8mo
100
Imbued with a spirit and attitude that only the very best pop records have, this is not just a step up but a whole leap to a new exalted level of pop excellence.
8mo
100
Sometimes it feels like a rock opera, sometimes it feels like Gaga at her most theatrical, sometimes it’s so sincere it’ll break your heart, but the euphoria of it all will put it back together.
8mo
90
Pop can be about as ‘dangerous’ as conservative mindsets believe it is – at its very best, it can poke and prod at institutions and societal inventions taken as innate, and often, you don’t need to sit with it for very long to understand what it’s getting at.
9mo
90
Riding the soft rock, dance-pop wave wasn’t exactly unexpected given her previous project, but she still surprises us with her poeticism.
8mo
90
Like debut record ‘SAWAYAMA’, this sophomore LP does a bit of everything, but this time around feels more refined, consistent and polished: exactly what a follow up should be.
8mo
90
Besting the already star-making Sawayama, the triumphant Hold The Girl is the sound of an artist taking their rightful place on the pop throne. Sawayama was born for this.
8mo
81
It’s an impressive album of well-written songs, with all the bells and whistles, including the often perfect vocal ad lib.
8mo
80
On her second full-length record, Rina Sawayama speaks to her inner child through genre-spanning, festival-ready bops.
9mo
80
The British-Japanese star dials down the jarring fusion of her debut on a set of beautifully crafted out-and-out hits.
8mo
80
The album’s final three tracks feel superfluous, but Sawayama ultimately succeeds where Dr Frankenstein failed: her creation greater than the sum of its parts.
8mo
80
The genre-masher returns with another burst of chaotic excess.
8mo
80
Genre-blending sensation digs deep on her glossier, but more introspective follow-up.
8mo
80
By redefining what pop music can say or do, Sawayama is one of the most exciting musicians today.
8mo
80
Rina Sawayama's second album Hold the Girl feels like a love letter to Sawayama's younger self, like a promise that joy is coming.
8mo
80
Her long-awaited Hold The Girl is a personal journal — a Saturn-return statement about moving out of her twenties and facing up to her past.
9mo
79
Hold the Girl is an excellent sophomore album from an artist who selflessly wears her heart on her sleeve to help others.
8mo
78
On her sophomore album Hold the Girl, Japanese-British singer-songwriter Rina Sawayama straddles countless genres and parts of her identity, combining the numerous aspects to make both a sonically absorbing and thought-provoking album.
8mo
76
A grand attempt to capitalize on her recent brushes with the mainstream, Hold the Girl gives Sayawama’s fans space to process their own traumas and unravel toxic narratives.
8mo
70
Despite some bumps, Hold the Girl is full of passion and reflection, uninterested in holding back and unafraid to revel in the power of vulnerability and self-love.
8mo
70
Shiny, but inward-looking. Humorous, but deep and mature, Hold The Girl is the type of pop record the world so desperately needs right now, because it makes sense when many other things appear not to.
8mo
70
Rina Sawayama’s will and vision have long been strong enough to bend individual sounds to their scope; taking on an entire holistically-packaged zeitgeist, it seems she’s finally met her match.
8mo
70
The album isn’t as bombastic or inventive as the singer’s debut, but it reflects her growing introspection.
8mo
65
Seeking empathy for a younger self, Rina Sawayama’s second album pirouettes through pop-punk and power ballads, trance and stadium rock. It’s ambitious in the same way as putting on all the clothes in your closet.
8mo
60
Rina Sawayama’s second LP, Hold the Girl, suffers from a lack of risk and is self-consciously conservative in terms of execution. It’s a bewildering anticlimax.
8mo
60
Hold the Girl, the second album from this Japanese-British pop superstar-in-waiting, does away with the screwy edges, bats away the quotation marks and, most egregiously, contorts Sawayama to fit her references, not the other way around.
8mo
50
Rina mostly lets go of her alternative edge on Hold The Girl.
8mo
A great pop album experience with bright lights and colors… but this is the first time I’ve cringed at a Rina Sawayama project. A couple of songs are really corny and not all there. The great moments are worth listening to this project for though
"Hold The Girl" is Rina Sawayama's second studio album after the acclaimed "SAWAYAMA" where her creativity and innovation were very praised.
In the same way that fans were disappointed with Charli XCX's more poppy proposal recently with "Crash", perhaps many will feel the same with this album. Rina takes a different proposal from her predecessor and embraces a personality of a true pop vocalist of the 2000s, such as Kelly Clarkson. The production is certainly ... read more
extremely front loaded
I was shocked from the reception of the record. I really couldn’t understand what could’ve happened for this to be such a step down. Even while listening to the first half of this record, I could understand why this could be a step down but I couldn’t understand why it would be considered bad or even mediocre.
That was all until track 7, where everything went downhill. Outside of “Frankenstein”, the second half has practically nothing ... read more
Facetiming the girlfriend so this review will be janky as hell
RINAAAA! STOP MAKING AMAZING MUSIC!!
Hold The Girl is a probably the most personal and emotion album by Rina! This is an album of growth and Rina coming to a love of herself. The last three songs really tie it together.
I think it has weaker moments than her other two projects but the highlights definitely make up for it.
I really like this album. I want more Rina.
Best: Frankenstein
Worst: Holy (Til You Let Me Go)
Contributions By
Alejandro González, Novell_sx, fekpsgrmz, anztec, J_Ellis97, ThomYorke2, OPENblinds, felippe, FakeSmile, riquitrefe, stolenpositions, amalieBecome a Donor
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Track List
| 1 | Minor Feelings 2:00 | 78 |
| 2 | Hold The Girl 4:05 | 86 |
| 3 | This Hell 3:56 | 80 |
| 4 | Catch Me In The Air 3:35 | 76 |
| 5 | Forgiveness 4:20 | 76 |
| 6 | Holy (Til You Let Me Go) 3:19 | 80 |
| 7 | Your Age 2:54 | 77 |
| 8 | Imagining 3:32 | 83 |
| 9 | Frankenstein 3:12 | 85 |
| 10 | Hurricanes 3:22 | 77 |
| 11 | Send My Love To John 3:25 | 75 |
| 12 | Phantom 4:25 | 80 |
| 13 | To Be Alive 3:54 | 75 |
Total Length: 46 minutes
Year End Lists
| #2 | / | USA Today |
| #5 | / | Rough Trade (UK) |
| #6 | / | NME |
| #8 | / | PopMatters |
| #16 | / | Consequence of Sound |
| #16 | / | The Independent |
| #17 | / | DIY |
| #20 | / | Loud and Quiet |
| #22 | / | musicOMH |
| #24 | / | Clash |
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3w
The lyrics here are so surface level it feels like a satire sometimes
"So I create a storm and bury it deep, hiding the key
In plain sight just in case I need help, help"
Like what does this mean? What does "creating a storm" then "burying it deep in plain sight" mean? And why would she needs help from it? 💀😭
"So I create a storm and bury it deep, hiding the key
In plain sight just in case I need help, help"
Like what does this mean? What does "creating a storm" then "burying it deep in plain sight" mean? And why would she needs help from it? 💀😭
Added on: May 13, 2022