Hymns
by Bloc Party
User Score
5.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 69 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 69
  2. Mixed: 20 out of 69
  3. Negative: 19 out of 69
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  1. Ricko
    Aug 13, 2016
    4
    For me, "Hymns" is not a real Bloc Party album and this should have been released as a Kele Okereke solo album. The half of the band that brought the frantic, chaotic edginess to Bloc Party have been replaced and Russell Lissack might as well have been for all the input he has on this. I always thought Bloc Party should have called it a day after "Intimacy". You can hear the strain andFor me, "Hymns" is not a real Bloc Party album and this should have been released as a Kele Okereke solo album. The half of the band that brought the frantic, chaotic edginess to Bloc Party have been replaced and Russell Lissack might as well have been for all the input he has on this. I always thought Bloc Party should have called it a day after "Intimacy". You can hear the strain and the struggle to make their last album"Four" in the tunes but I suppose you couldn't fault them for giving it one more go. A couple of years on, "Four" sounds better than when it was first released. "Hymns" is inexcusable though. With half the band gone in a band that had 4 crucial components to their sound, this was always going to be difficult to pull off and they really don't come close to doing it. The biggest disappointment about the album is that Russell Lissack's electrifying guitars are phased out into the beige background and have been replaced by cheap sounding synths that suck the life out of anything good on this record. Opening single "The Love Within", for all its horror, actually could have been ok had it been taken from a different angle but that synth line - my god what were they thinking. "Only He Can Heal Me" isn't bad but fails to take off. In general you can point to a few main flaws across the album - absence of tunes, mawkish lyrics, lack of intensity but most of all complete lack of tempo. Their is no joy or grace in these "Hymns" just a mix of saccharine a grey. In fairness, "The Good News" is a proper tune, manages to rock while still keeping to the hymnal theme of the album. It's also the only tune that manages to have anything resembling intensity and a bit of tempo. To finish, I hope this is the last thing released under the Bloc Party name.… Expand
  2. adamdonal
    Jan 29, 2016
    7
    Better some Bloc Party than no Bloc Party, I say. I am and always have been a huge fan of Bloc Party and Kele's solo work. So you can imagine I was excited about this album so let's review song by song

    1. The Love Within The love Within is moving upwards, so don't you want to get high. No, no Kelle that's why you had to replace two band members you fool. Jokes aside I heard this    Better some Bloc Party than no Bloc Party, I say. I am and always have been a huge fan of Bloc Party and Kele's solo work. So you can imagine I was excited about this album so let's review song by song

    1. The Love Within

    The love Within is moving upwards, so don't you want to get high. No, no Kelle that's why you had to replace two band members you fool. Jokes aside I heard this track back in October and originally hated, but it's so feel-good and catchy I have grown to love it, nurse it and create children of our own with it. Great start to kick off the album

    2. Only He Can Heal Me

    You certainly won't miss this songs name as it is chanted by backing vocals through the whole song. Accompanied by a drum beat throughout kele sings about being defeated and wanting to rest by his saviours feet. On the Coke again? I can only assume this song was written for a partner? idk. Not a thrilling song but satisfying decent.

    3. So Real

    This song is beautiful. Kele really shows he has a great voice in this one. The guitar just feels so right as well. Shortest track on the album wished it went on longer.

    4. The Good News

    Another early release, this one I don't feel it has an IM FROM TEXAS YEEHAH feel. the same feel you would get from Hey Brother by Avicii. Sorry Bloc Party it is not The Good News you wanted. hahaha .    … Expand
  3. Duke_Challenger
    Jan 29, 2016
    2
    "The Love Within" would have been a good starting point for an album that got crazier and crazier with interesting guitar effects as it went on. Instead, it is as experimental (which is saying that much since the song sounds like a standard EDM song) as the album gets, and the album only gets duller and slower.

    The only standouts on the album (since basically all the songs are slow    "The Love Within" would have been a good starting point for an album that got crazier and crazier with interesting guitar effects as it went on. Instead, it is as experimental (which is saying that much since the song sounds like a standard EDM song) as the album gets, and the album only gets duller and slower.

    The only standouts on the album (since basically all the songs are slow ballads) are probably "Fortress" and "Exes." They stood out for their lyrics and Kele's singing.

    The last song "Living Lux" sounds a lot like "Ion Square" and has some more experimental, subtle guitar effects. But they come and go, never repeating.    … Expand
  4. elmarko
    Jan 29, 2016
    0
    This album is dreadful and an insult to the Bloc Party name.

    Bloc Party released four incredible and influential albums.

    Hymns is not only uninspiring, but unbearable.
  5. Exhodius
    Jan 29, 2016
    0
    It's okay to change style and do some other kind of track, but sometime you also have to think about your fans and not only doing what you like... Why ? Because it is a passion AND a job !
    I would have liked to have just 1 or 2 tracks reminding the good old BP, but even 1 or 2 is too much.

    I will just forget this album and wait.
  6. A7sus4
    Jan 29, 2016
    8
    It's a far more mellow and spacious affair then we're used to from Bloc Party, but it's definitely still Bloc Party. The more subdued soundscape imbues the album with a very personal and contemplative feel. As a whole it's also a more cohesive record than any release before it. It's a very good, solid collection of generally strong tracks (some more than others), but it's probably notIt's a far more mellow and spacious affair then we're used to from Bloc Party, but it's definitely still Bloc Party. The more subdued soundscape imbues the album with a very personal and contemplative feel. As a whole it's also a more cohesive record than any release before it. It's a very good, solid collection of generally strong tracks (some more than others), but it's probably not gonna return Bloc Party to the lime light and I'd guess many "fans" will hate it as the band's deviated even further from Silent Alarm. However, if you're like me and you like when bands continually try to reinvent themselves you'll probably like it to some degree. It definitely suits their history from that perspective.… Expand
  7. WadeVS
    Jan 29, 2016
    8
    There is a definite loss of urgency here (noticeably the once frantic drumlines are now so simple they're uninteresting), but this just reflects life. You grow up, you mellow. It's real and it happens. & so this might be the most organic and natural the band has ever sounded. It's not overwrought or trying too hard, as they were maybe prone to do in the past.
  8. unholythoughts
    Jan 30, 2016
    10
    Have you guys even HEARD Paraíso? It's incredible. This LP may be more spacious and atmospheric than their previous work but it is by no means BLoc Party's worst. I think the track listing could have been shifted around a bit (replace TLW with Eden and The Good News with Paraiso on the non-deluxe version) for sure but Hymns is ethereal and genuine and well-paced and most importantly, unique.
  9. ArtRushmer
    Feb 1, 2016
    4
    There is saving grace in a handful of the tracks on Hymns, but ultimately it feels like the concept was too grand and the content too sparse. At its best, there are moments of familiarity, at its worst it becomes tedious.
    Best tracks: The Good News, My True Name, Virtue
  10. JoshGreen98
    Feb 15, 2016
    2
    A couple of weeks on from the release of Bloc Party’s fifth album, I have collected my thoughts on a career defining album following the changes in style due to a band reshuffle.

    First I must state, that for any fan of garage or the more ‘punk’ sound this is not the album for you. Bloc Party seem to have let go of thrashy street sound that has been a theme throughout their albums of    A couple of weeks on from the release of Bloc Party’s fifth album, I have collected my thoughts on a career defining album following the changes in style due to a band reshuffle.

    First I must state, that for any fan of garage or the more ‘punk’ sound this is not the album for you. Bloc Party seem to have let go of thrashy street sound that has been a theme throughout their albums of yesteryear. No longer will we hear the pure raging guitar sound of Bloc Party favourites such as ‘Helicopter’ or ‘We are not good people’. The departure of drummer Matt Tong has obviously had it’s repercussions on the sudden change of style employed by Okereke.

    There is a certain 'loss of urgency' in the new style, which won't please old school Bloc Party lovers. This is down to the much more downbeat lyrics used in the new album. Altogether their music has shifted down a couple of gears, and for me that is a huge shame.

    The opening track ‘The Love Within’ is a powerful opening track, stating their intents for the future. It is obvious from the start which band member has departed due to the lack of heavy bass. A much substantial influence from the dance/pop scene is used in this track, and for me, got the album off to a rocky start.
    Immediately when a early released track appears on my Spotify feed I usually jump for joy, but as ‘The Good News’ popped up a couple of weeks before the album release I held back. Knowing that a change in style was imminent I listened with little expectation. Despite not resembling anything produced before by the London group, it gave me a pleasant surprise. It doesn’t stand up to the popularity of previous records but offers a different sound. With a pinch of blues influenced mixed with a lethargic rhythm it is the only track of the album of jumps out at me.

    The final thing I will pick up on is the spiritual element of the album. Kele Okereke has denied these claims, although surely even the title justifies it. Aside from that, this is an album I wouldn’t recommend, it goes against all that Bloc Party have produced in the past 11 years, unless you able to accept the change, this album is a total disappointment,    … Expand
  11. Pbieliunas
    Jan 29, 2016
    9
    not best,but someone new.Can praise that isnt sitting on one ,virtue nice synth track someone like mando diao aelita . Certainly i miss matt thong drum.
  12. DankMeme
    May 19, 2017
    7
    The album is pretty conceptual, you see that Kele is writing from the deepest on his hearth, and lyrically the album is generally good. It's definitely worst then their past work, but I would give then a shot, there is potential here to then to grow in this different style.
  13. CosmotheSloth
    Mar 27, 2016
    8
    For full disclosure before I start this review, I am a huge Bloc Party fan and have loved everything they've done so far. However, upon reaching 'Hymns' I initially thought I'd reached an impasse with one of my all-time-favourite bands.

    'Hymns' is the epitome of the term 'a grower'. Upon hearing 'The Lover Within' I didn't feel anything less than physically ill (and still do mind). I    For full disclosure before I start this review, I am a huge Bloc Party fan and have loved everything they've done so far. However, upon reaching 'Hymns' I initially thought I'd reached an impasse with one of my all-time-favourite bands.

    'Hymns' is the epitome of the term 'a grower'. Upon hearing 'The Lover Within' I didn't feel anything less than physically ill (and still do mind). I still maintain this is one of the worst songs I've ever exposed my ears too and I've really tried to like it. However, after removing this from the equation, the album makes much more sense (minus 'The Good News'). The album is much more akin to a Kele solo album and once I treated it as such, I began to thoroughly enjoy it.

    'Only He Can Heal Me' is simply brilliant. The background vocals and lyrics are possible the high point of the album for me personally. 'Fortress' and 'Different Drugs' are also well-crafted songs with a decent dose of dark-edginess for good measure.

    Whilst 'The Good News' has been a significant point of criticism for the album, it's a song that's well written and one I find really catchy and enjoyable. The country-style slide guitar and easily follow-able chorus makes this one an easy target for a single, however I do agree that it does not fit in with the rest of this album in any shape or form.

    'Into the Earth' was a big weak point in the album for me. This where Kele's lyrics reach an all time low in my opinion, with cheap lines and bland guitar riffs really bottoming out the album's quality. However, perseverance pays off and the gem 'Exes' is a beautiful song to really pull the album back to the level it was at previously.

    I've seen a lot of comparisons between 'Ion Square' and 'Living Lux'. Whilst I appreciate the sentiment, 'Living Lux' doesn't come close to the greatest of 'Ion Square'. In a strange metaphor for the overall album, the song builds wonderfully but doesn't quite reach the heights and peaks of where you feel the songs should go. In other songs, this works in a strange melancholic way and makes you crave more, however, for a final song on the album, it leaves a bitter taste in the mouth and I always end up feeling slightly short-changed.

    All-in-all, 'Hymns' is not a Bloc Party album in the classic sense. It's reserved, dark, and vulnerable in a way that can definitely be unappealing to the masses. Whilst many constantly crave a new 'Silent Alarm', I've always appreciated Bloc Party's boldness to go in a new direction with every era, and I can confirm that this is the case once again. They didn't half make it hard but I've really come to love the album and if you have the time to commit to this album, I'm sure you'll appreciate it as much as I do.    … Expand
  14. Lobbyist3
    Apr 19, 2018
    1
    This album is so unremarkably boring. None of its tracks are memorable other than "Into The Earth", for one line in its first verse is extremely telling of Okereke's direction on this album. "...rock and roll has got so old" is the mantra of this record. I agree with the sentiment of user Ricko in that Hymns is all Okereke and no Bloc Party. I ponder what the other members of the band wereThis album is so unremarkably boring. None of its tracks are memorable other than "Into The Earth", for one line in its first verse is extremely telling of Okereke's direction on this album. "...rock and roll has got so old" is the mantra of this record. I agree with the sentiment of user Ricko in that Hymns is all Okereke and no Bloc Party. I ponder what the other members of the band were doing during production, or if they even showed up to the studio at all. Bloc Party has completely strayed from any semblance of its roots, and is now producing scattered pseudo-trance lullabies.… Expand
  15. alxmsn
    Jul 16, 2020
    3
    I've given up on Bloc Party. Their debut album was so promising, full of rage, passion, energy, kickass tunes... What happened??
  16. NightVisions
    Jan 31, 2023
    3
    Kele sounds likes he's trying to steal the show from the instruments with the most unenthusiastic singing yet. The music is completely fine. Other bands made Hymns already and they done it better.
    I respect them for trying something new but it seems like they were winging it to much and were not playing into their individual strengths.
    Into the Earth is catchy at least. Only He Can    Kele sounds likes he's trying to steal the show from the instruments with the most unenthusiastic singing yet. The music is completely fine. Other bands made Hymns already and they done it better.
    I respect them for trying something new but it seems like they were winging it to much and were not playing into their individual strengths.

    Into the Earth is catchy at least. Only He Can Heal Me is a song that I respect but get bored halfway through, but I can see someone enjoying this album just not for me.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

62
#62 Most Discussed Album of 2016

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
55

Mixed or average reviews - based on 29 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 21 out of 29
  3. Negative: 2 out of 29
  1. Austin Chronicle
    Mar 17, 2016
    40
    Lacking the band's prior specificity, too much of the album languishes in uncommitted sprawl.
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  2. No Ripcord
    Feb 16, 2016
    40
    The problem with Hymns is that it chugs along with a series of stilted niceties that lack any kind of rhythm or emotion.
    Read full review
  3. Punknews.org (Staff)
    Feb 8, 2016
    20
    It's such a musically bare record. "Into The Earth" is the only song that feels like a rock song and it's also very soft and drab. So many songs riff off the same synth beats that HYMNS end up being a contemplative session that puts you to sleep as opposed to prodding at your mind.
    Read full review
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