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8.5
32234
8.5 |
The Line Of Best Fit
One perfectly formed track after another, sure it’s predictable, but it’s clap happily contagious and utterly addictive
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8.0
32961
8.0 |
Blurt
Male Bonding showcase some serious growth spurts as a creative entity
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8.0
31944
8.0 |
AU Review
A hint less aggression lets the almost casual melodies shine through more and makes Male Bonding more slacker than punk at this stage
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8.0
30349
8.0 |
Q
Experimenting with dynamics, texture and song structure, without losing any of their trademark fizz. Print edition only
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8.0
30583
8.0 |
Spin
Battering drums and youthful, melodic confusion
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8.0
31203
8.0 |
State
While their debut was full of ramshackle charm, Male Bonding seem to have progressed in a way that doesn’t compromise how they stuck out from the crowd in the first place
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8.0
31231
8.0 |
The Observer
Highly recommended
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8.0
31282
8.0 |
Pitchfork
The phrase "pop-punk" has been thrown around with these guys, and with good reason
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7.8
31356
7.8 |
Bowlegs
The tunes remain as excellent and enjoyable as ever, but immediately it’s clear things have changed
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7.5
31727
7.5 |
Prefix
More of a joy than you might expect from your typical group of flannel boys wearing guitars
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7.0
34847
7.0 |
FasterLouder
While the songs themselves are every bit as strong as those on Nothing Hurts and the sound itself represents a clear maturation, one cannot help but feel that with the loss of a large part of the band’s free-spirited youthfulness
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7.0
32040
7.0 |
Rave Magazine
On the surface it’s noisy and detached guitar rock, but just scrape below this and you’ll find them exploring new boundaries
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7.0
32097
7.0 |
NME
Elevates the aesthetic established on their debut to greater heights
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7.0
31283
7.0 |
PopMatters
A super-catchy and volatile set of noisy rock songs
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7.0
31176
7.0 |
The Digital Fix
They've never sounded sharper but on the whole, Endless Now feels like it could have been compiled from an overflow of tracks from Nothing Hurts
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7.0
31271
7.0 |
DIY
Sees the group advancing further towards the potential that was palpable on the first album, but it's still tentative baby steps that they're taking
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7.0
30347
7.0 |
musicOMH
Their grungy American guitar sound is still indebted to bands such as Sebadoh, Hüsker Dü and The Descendents, although here it has been translated into a more overtly energised form of power pop
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7.0
30952
7.0 |
Clash
Fans looking for a haphazard exercise in DIY should revisit the band’s earlier effort, but will nonetheless be greatly rewarded by this deftly crafted slacker opus
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7.0
31017
7.0 |
Drowned In Sound
This album is a reminder of the healing power of three dweebs, or how much fun it would be to watch Brian Wilson getting caught in a triangle of punk
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6.7
31299
6.7 |
A.V. Club
The sound of Male Bonding growing into its shoes. Sadly, those shoes are still stuck in mud
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6.0
31162
6.0 |
Consequence Of Sound
Their blandly likable college rock retreads just don’t seem to cut the mustard they themselves set out
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6.0
30906
6.0 |
Mojo
It's cleaner, but still killer. Print edition only
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6.0
30351
6.0 |
Uncut
A slightly sweeter, cleaner record than their occasionally thrashy debut. Print edition only
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6.0
32216
6.0 |
The Irish Times
Ragged and jagged at the edges but, to be honest, that’s really no bad thing
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5.0
31651
5.0 |
The Quietus
They sound like a depressingly jaded version of the band responsible for that impressive debut
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5.0
30833
5.0 |
BBC
The ineffable charm that the band possesses does elevate them above similar nostalgia-loving sorts, like their much-feted yet enormously underwhelming contemporaries Yuck, but it can't save them from the sheer monotony of the ditties here
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4.0
31368
4.0 |
Under The Radar
A mediocre, re-warming of Nothing Hurts
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4.0
31498
4.0 |
The Guardian
Not really tuneful enough to be pop-punk, nor imaginative enough to be meaningfully leftfield
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4.0
31241
4.0 |
Tiny Mix Tapes
Where Nothing Hurts was a brief explosion of raucous, rambunctious energy with an emphasis on the punk in post-punk, Endless Now seems to lack focus
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