Kevin Korber: Honestly, Chromatics’ next album could be Kill For Love, Part 2 and I would still be solidly on board. Fortunately, Johnny Jewel is a smarter and better songwriter than that, and “Shadow” indicates one of those subtle reinventions that highlights aspects of his music that listeners hadn’t thought about before. Even if “Shadow” is a one-off, it’s one worth having on “repeat” for the next few weeks. [9/10]
Dustin Ragucos: There’s something artificial here, like Chromatics were listening to several karaoke sessions of dream pop songs and decided that sounding like a wispy version of Beach House mixed with the sweetness of Passion Pit was the best decision on their chalkboard. [5/10]
John Garratt: Subscribing to a dull non-song’s sense of “beauty” is more of a coping mechanism than a way to enjoy art — like searching for poetry at the tractor pull. [4/10]