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Critic Reviews
80
There are a couple of duds here – Keep Your Head Up, TV Dream – but sufficient sass and energy to keep you up until well past bedtime.
5y
80
In fact, the album's sound is so alluring that it sometimes threatens to overwhelm the delicate vocals and melodies. Still, Static is a vivid, poignant tour of heartbreak that's much more enjoyable than that description suggests.
12y
80
Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion are no longer a couple and their second album wears its bruised heart on its sleeve.
12y
80
Cults' combination of mid-'60s girl-group and cusp-of-the-'90s shoegazing is still bewitching but takes a more stripped-down form here, and packs more of a thwack.
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3y
80
Cults clearly know what they want to say, and express themselves as if there’s a real need to say it. Static is steeped in loss, but serves up something triumphant.
5y
80
Their second album remains indebted to 60s girl groups and bubblegum pop, but joyous songs are delivered through gritted teeth.
11y
80
Despite some bummer subject matter, this could be the year's most fun album.
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1y
78
The layers at times get a little too thick, enough to hide some of Follin’s words. But as packed as the songs get with incident and sound, the gooey goodness of Cults’ candy pop wins out every time.
12y
75
It's a peanut butter and chocolate kind of thing here: if things get too sweet, just dive into the layers of guitars and keyboard to take the edge off.
12y
70
All told, Static is definitely worth your time, but it falls short of being the truly great record that Cults will hopefully go on to make.
12y
70
It’s the anti-Rumours, a record that declaims accusation and anger and instead floats along on a featherbed of sadness and regret. It’s slight but deeply affecting too.
6mo
70
Rich and timeless, Static is the soundtrack worthy of a kiss me quick hat and quick spin on the tea cups.
9y
70
Static has a heavy heart, presenting a band with not only a better understanding of their music, but of each other as human beings.
11y
70
So far, Cults have relied on that brand of fresh, unbridled energy that fuels new groups like them, making Static a fine example of an album running perfectly off of kinetics.
12y
70
Cults find themselves at a transition point on album two, as they move from their previous jangly sounds into something bigger. On Static, they arrive at a place where they’re able to sustain new layers of complexity across their songs.
12y
70
This record isn't erudite; it's about as meat-and-potatoes as indie rock gets these days, with songs mostly clocking in at under four minutes. Unlike the work of too many of their peers these days (looking at you, Arcade Fire), Static is not a high-minded critique of These Modern Times.
12y
70
Static isn’t a perfect album, but it contains enough promising signs of evolution to predict a long career for Cults
12y
68
Cults' sophomore album sidesteps presumptions about a rising, major-label band and admirably finds contentment not in what they could be, but what they are right now. And that's moodier, louder, more atmospheric.
12y
65
On Static, the band uses noisier guitars and more complicated arrangements to push at the edges of their sound. The album’s darker tone is an interesting shift but it also comes at the expense of some of Cults’ wilder moments.
12y
60
The best parts of the record are when Oblivion’s melancholy production and overwhelming array of effects complement Follin’s venom, but more often than not the result is a gloomy, obscured one, difficult to parse and harder to slog through on repeat.
12y
60
'Static' is the sound of a band realising who they are and there’s a glow and intelligence that run throughout the songs that lifts it way above the twee-pop description that’s been lumped with.
12y
60
Static's production is bright and punchy, which has the unintended effect of sabotaging softer moments.
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3y
60
Cinematic touches and inventive studio sonics have made their way into their fairly generic haze-pop sound. But while the songs are hella catchy and pleasant, a little more grit and sorrow would have bridged the emotional disconnect.
10y
60
Static is remarkably self-assured and meticulously produced, but such traits cannot disguise its throwback trappings.
12y
58
The problem comes down to this: Static lacks variety. It’s just a short-fused, gloomy rehash, and what little has been changed isn’t really an improvement.
12y
40
Loaded with insipid lyrics, amateur singing, and childish melodies, it's pretty clear the pop duo known as Cults has no desire whatsoever to mature their sound.
8y
This album fixed the problem on Cults first where a bunch of the songs sound similar. Each song has character although I do think there were still places for some improvement. Cults stays true to their unique sound and continues to dominate the dream pop genre.
Underrated album if you ask me, Static was such an alluring and catchy experience.
Even the vocals was so tact throughout this album, with great bass-line chemistry (Especially We've Got It and Always Forever).
If I have to pick a certain track that stood out though and my clear favourite in this album is I Can Hardly Make You Mine; that was a belter to listen (Thank 2013 movie Carrie for introducing me to this song).
It’s like the self titled, but they put more thought into the structure and flow. Static brings in some very sweet pop, with a cleaner, more coherent sound.
"Static"'s Cults is the duo's second album after their self-titled, and it partakes in giving us a decent dream pop album that, while it is nothing too crazy, manages to be a pretty captivating and clean experience with no major hiccups (although 'Keep Your Head Up' definitely could have used more time in the oven). This album also brought us the well known, 'Always Forever,' which is a sweet and wonderful listen.
While a few songs kind of blend ... read more
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Track List
| 1 | I Know 1:42 | 79 |
| 2 | I Can Hardly Make You Mine 3:31 | 86 |
| 3 | Always Forever 3:44 | 92 |
| 4 | High Road 4:29 | 84 |
| 5 | Were Before 3:01 | 83 |
| 6 | So Far 3:29 | 84 |
| 7 | Keep Your Head Up 3:38 | 76 |
| 8 | TV Dream 1:03 | 79 |
| 9 | We've Got It 3:26 | 81 |
| 10 | Shine a Light 3:14 | 85 |
| 11 | No Hope 3:44 | 85 |
Total Length: 35 minutes
