Young Fathers - Heavy Heavy
Critic Score
Based on 26 reviews
2023 Ratings: #28 / 757
Year End Rank: #11
User Score
2023 Rank: #178
Liked by 495 people
Sign In to rate and review

CRITIC REVIEWS

100
Louder Than War

Young Fathers’ fourth album, Heavy Heavy, offers a jubilantly eclectic new sound that manages to turn against atrocity towards a celebration of life.

100
NME
The versatile Edinburgh trio continue their strong run of form with a passionate, soulful and often mesmerising work.
100
The Skinny
Young Fathers return with an engrossing new album featuring everything from orchestral pomp to 2-step beats, snarling claustrophobia to R'n'B slow-jams.
100
DIY
What remains evident about this group is the preservation of themselves as an entity - it’s very difficult to pinpoint which member is providing the vocal at any one time which feels like a deliberate ploy to celebrate their bond.
90
musicOMH
Underneath the experimentation and sometimes harsh sound techniques, this is a collection of big pop songs that make up an album crammed full of ideas.
90
Northern Transmissions
Each of the tracks fits well with the rest, but each track is surprisingly unique, so that it is a thrilling listen from front to back. A little Michael Jackson makes its way into the mix, a little bit of Kendrick Lamar, and a whole lot of what feels like indigenous sound, the most compelling part of this project for me. It’s full of great sounds and great sentiments.
90
Loud and Quiet
There’s human sincerity in their wistful but major-key elation and heartache in its yearning; a brilliant return from a gold-standard band in UK music.
90
Still Listening

Heavy Heavy is a deeply personal album that sounds like a step back into who Young Fathers are.

88
Sputnikmusic

Young Fathers don't owe us anything except themselves, which Heavy Heavy feels like a true and warmly sincere extension of, a hand extended from the light across the dark, if we're willing to let go and take it.

85
Under the Radar

On Heavy Heavy, Young Fathers render it all powerless, the darkness just a blank canvas on which every burst of light and hope becomes all the more brilliant.

81
Beats Per Minute

Heavy, Heavy never buckles. As a testament to the constant, psychological stresses of being an artist in the 2020s, it is bright, inventive, vulnerable, and rewarding. Pressure making diamonds and all that… maybe there’s something to it.

80
Record Collector
Their unpredictability and magnetic power remain undimmed by the years.
80
Spill Magazine
They nevertheless prove that this mixture is effective later on in the album, during the final track “Be Your Lady”. In this last tour de force, madness runs rife as social norms are subverted and broken relationships make sense again; the song’s collection of voices in unison is one of many instances where the album offers heart-warming solace to those enduring the crisis of a discordant society.
80
Dork
‘Heavy Heavy’ is an album dense in its twists and turns, proudly showcasing that DNA which will have them looked back on as true authors of our time. ‘Heavy Heavy’ finds joyful defiance in the darkest of times, and the result is nothing short of euphoric.
80
Spectrum Culture
As easy as it is to hear the album’s unexpected beauty and assume that beauty exists in all corners, there’s also the occasional sense that their denseness is meant to be a mask.
80
The Observer
The Edinburgh band’s fourth album is an enjoyable mix of driving beats and infectious enthusiasm.
80
Rolling Stone UK

Young Fathers remain one of the country’s most unique musical voices ... Striking and strange, but always accessible. Fans will lap it up.

80
Mojo
These 10 tight tracks — the longest just a shade over three-and-a-half-minutes — once again invite the listener to step into Young Fathers’ hall of mirrors sonic world, with its disorienting shapes and arrangements created by using cheap or malfunctioning instruments.
80
Uncut

The band's omnivorous musical appetite throws up some pretty wild combinations ... but mostly they don't sound like anyone except themselves, multiplied by a thousand.

80
Clash
‘Heavy Heavy’ is a stubborn challenge to have fun to despite everything around us; a resolute dance through gritted teeth, an acknowledgement that while the world crumbles, we can stand firm, still love, still dance, still sweat, and still be good to each other.
80
Exclaim!

Heavy Heavy may be a little too sweet for long-time listeners, but its massive choruses, strong hooks and ecstatic sound too timely and too powerful to deny.

80
The Line of Best Fit

Young Fathers might feel the weight of the world on their shoulders, but on Heavy Heavy they shake it off.

80
AllMusic

They continue here to hone their rich hybrid sound -- gospel, soul, folk, dub, and hip-hop recombined with punk energy -- and reaffirm that deeply physical music can have a psychedelic quality. There is a key difference.

80
PopMatters

Young Fathers declare their awareness of what’s going on but take it a step further. Heavy Heavy urges the audience to do the heavy lifting and “have fun”.

75
Pitchfork
Defined by small acts of joyful resistance, the Edinburgh group’s fourth album is a celebration of music as shared and spontaneous practice.
70
The Needle Drop
The trio's most exciting studio album yet, so well worth the wait.
UltimateLifeFrm
95

Wow, those 32mins flew by so quick but my God was the experience a lot of fun.

I've heard of Scottish trio Young Fathers' name being thrown around in discussions on sites like RYM and Reddit, but I've never been that familiar with them otherwise.

Seeing their genre tags being Art Pop, Experimental Hip-Hop and.... Gospel? A intriguing blend of sounds that doesn't sound like it would work, but it does here!

Having been in the works for 3 years, you can hear EVERY single ounce of passion within ... read more

cfnugent
80

Young Fathers album got me like: 🫃👨‍🍼

If this album doesn’t get you moving in some way (foot tapping, head nodding, or just dancing), then I’m not sure I can trust you. This album REQUIRES it!

‘Heavy Heavy’ is the name of the fourth studio album from Scottish band Young Fathers. Their second EP ‘Tape Two’ and most recent album ‘Cocoa Sugar’ both won the band the Scottish Album of the Year Award, as well as their debut album ... read more

ruubiks
84

Liquid Gold.

Ever since I listened to their 2013 record last year, "TAPE TWO" and became absolutely obsessed with a few tracks on there (especially Ebony Sky), Young Fathers had landed on my radar of artists to look out for. Especially after the announcement of this record last fall: The 4 teaser singles to come out posed a similar sound to YF's previous work, but with a more gospel touch to it. I was intrigued and couldn't stop listening to them.

Full of optimism, I felt like ... read more

92

Such a banger from start to finish. Loved it, so much power even tho the themes were darker sometimes.

Issa2009
74

Young Fathers got me in a groovy and fun mood rn, Anyways the album was pretty okay compared to Cocoa Sugar imo. But at least the band still got their catchiness in groove and it was still a fun listen overall. SHITS GOT ME MOVING ONG‼️🗣️🔥‼️

tkmrc16
75

dynamic, euphoric and danceable. creative moments everywhere. such a fun listen.

Purchasing Heavy Heavy from Amazon helps support Album of the Year. Or consider a donation?
Become a Donor
Donor badge, no ads + more benefits.
Advertisement

Track List

1Rice
2:39
81
2I Saw
3:27
86
3Drum
3:38
82
4Tell Somebody
3:10
80
5Geronimo
3:33
81
6Shoot Me Down
3:28
79
7Ululation
2:53
75
8Sink Or Swim
3:04
77
9Holy Moly
3:29
82
10Be Your Lady
3:14
77
Total Length: 32 minutes
Sign in to comment
2w
2w
2mo
2mo
3mo


Added on: October 19, 2022