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Jan 21, 2022Few pop acts are making heartbreak so straightforwardly danceable at the moment. All hail to Years & Years for continuing to hit us with those laser beams.
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Jan 28, 2022Throughout, keys shimmer, the production is bright and sky-facing, with an emphasis on synthetic beats. It makes for an album that’s unsubtle and all the better for it.
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Jan 28, 2022The guest list is pretty starry and impressive. However, Alexander’s still the headliner on the album, and he has the charisma, charm, and talent that even with the incredible star power of Kylie and Sir Elton, the best moments are his own.
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Jan 24, 2022Alexander is better channelling any introspection into songs that reflect the morning after, with late album highlight Make It Out Alive giving Night Call a narrative arc via a post-big-night-out soother.
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Jan 21, 2022While Night Call builds nicely upon Years & Years' indie electronic roots, it primarily feels like a new beginning for Alexander as he boldly embraces his pop future.
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Jan 21, 2022[A] collection of well-crafted bangers, most of which are begging to be blasted out of a subwoofer as debauchery rages.
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Jan 21, 2022It never quite transgresses those influences, yet in terms of sheer charm and bravura it places Olly right up there with his idols.
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Jan 24, 2022While it’s not breaking any new ground or causing any philosophical contemplation, it’s highly doubtful that the album is trying to be more than what it exactly is: a collection of songs about dancing your way out of the complications and snares that so often accompany love.
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Jan 25, 2022The music is fun and easygoing, whether it’s the title track’s blissful 80s-style chords, or Make It Out Alive’s sparkling synth line, or the dizzying strings of Sweet Talker (a far better Galantis collaboration than Heartbreak Anthem with Little Mix). When the pace drops the results become more mixed, as Intimacy sports a clumsy riff under melodies that don’t gel while 20 Minutes is nice but forgettable.
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Jan 21, 2022The don’t-bore-us, get-to-the-chorus model followed by the top half of Night Call works fine when taken in pieces, or as the beat-driven soundtrack to a gym workout. But it frustrates and alienates in its album sequence. Yet, Night Call delivers in affirming Olly Alexander as an artist capable of connecting with a varied, multi-generational audience.
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UncutJan 21, 2022Too often, though, good-not-great tunes can't quite make up for generic song structures and performances that seem to have lost a certain charismatic shine during the downsizing operation. [Feb 2022, p.37]
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MojoJan 24, 2022In its Thatcher-ite commitment to pop perfection, it turns the art of the album into a sausage factory of hit making. Alexander's Years & Years sounds like a ragbag of contemporary influences rather than possessing a distinct sound of its own. [Mar 2022, p.85]
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Jan 21, 2022Unfortunately, Olly Alexander’s first solo outing as Years & Years doesn’t quite hit the mark, but even though they may be few and far between, there are still some glimmers of potential on Night Call.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 22 out of 30
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Mixed: 7 out of 30
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Negative: 1 out of 30
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Jan 25, 2022
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Jan 22, 2022
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Jan 21, 2022not a bad album, but still the previous albums were so so much better than this