-
10.0
110919
10.0 |
The Skinny
Designer is a record entirely in the image of its creator – Harding remains as lyrically oblique as ever, and the idiosyncrasies in her voice remain her calling card – and yet one that strongly recalls Julia Holter’s Have You in My Wilderness or Angel Olsen’s Burn Your Fire for No Witness in how calmly it oozes confidence
Read Review
-
10.0
110925
10.0 |
Q
Highly eccentric and blisteringly beautiful - a record destined to worm its way deep under the skin. Print edition only
-
10.0
110926
10.0 |
The Independent
At an age where the pressure is on to have everything worked out, Harding sounds delightfully free
Read Review
-
10.0
111042
10.0 |
God Is In The TV
Brilliant collection of mystical, magical stories from one of New Zealand’s most curious and inspiring songwriters
Read Review
-
9.0
110921
9.0 |
Spectrum Culture
Designer is an album of elegant contemplation, of confidence, doubt and longing
Read Review
-
9.0
110938
9.0 |
The Line Of Best Fit
Designer could be considered to be the second consecutive modern classic that Harding has released. Designer is disciplined despite its speedy gestation, thoughtful and reserved
Read Review
-
9.0
110957
9.0 |
All Music
A singular talent, Harding seems to have hit her stride on album number three, and while the darkness of previous efforts is still pervasive, Designer feels like a summer record, though it's probably best suited for dusk
Read Review
-
8.1
111057
8.1 |
Earbuddy
As if by design, Aldous Harding's third album is her best
Read Review
-
8.0
111065
8.0 |
The Quietus
It's with one eye staring into the past and the other firmly fixed on the future that Aldous Harding presents this mysterious, complex and intelligent work – a third essential in as many albums
Read Review
-
8.0
110952
8.0 |
NME
A breath of fresh air in a time dense with noise and algorithmic hiss, this is an open-hearted deep dive into Aldous Harding’s colourful imagination
Read Review
-
8.0
111056
8.0 |
Exclaim
Harding continues to keep listeners on their toes with Designer which, overall, is a unique, luminous record that's about whatever you need it to be about
Read Review
-
8.0
110990
8.0 |
Evening Standard
Harding’s voice has the Germanic sincerity of Sibylle Baier combined with the dreamy archness of Broadcast’s Trish Keenan, plus something of Kate Bush’s theatricality
Read Review
-
8.0
111005
8.0 |
DIY
A real triumph
Read Review
-
8.0
111021
8.0 |
Under The Radar
The magic of her work is how she becomes more human by recognizing the alien lurking in our loves and lives
Read Review
-
8.0
111035
8.0 |
Clash
It perhaps lacks a little of the indefinable magic that made 2017’s ‘Party’ such a gripping experience, but in its ability to conjure bold, riveting songwriting it underlines Aldous Harding’s position as a truly remarkable artist
Read Review
-
8.0
110940
8.0 |
Rolling Stone
On her third LP, the New Zealand singer pivots artfully from folk eccentric to pop eccentric
Read Review
-
8.0
110923
8.0 |
Mojo
A record you don't want to turn your back on in any way. Print edition only
-
8.0
110924
8.0 |
Uncut
Harding lays bare the pain and discomfort felt in her previous work, though the road to it is far more dynamic and winding. Print edition only
-
8.0
110928
8.0 |
The Guardian
Her lyrics are inscrutable and her vocal and visual stylings eccentric, but Harding’s third album is a thing of beauty
Read Review
-
8.0
110931
8.0 |
Pitchfork
The third album from the impressionistic New Zealand singer-songwriter eludes easy classification, which makes her delicately built and beautifully rendered songs all the more alluring
Read Review
-
7.9
111054
7.9 |
Northern Transmissions
Overall, Designer, is a heavenly listen that will certainly hold up in years to come, unburdened by the time-stamped pop production that defines so many modern releases
Read Review
-
7.0
111395
7.0 |
No Ripcord
There's a marked inconsistency in her voice — something lilting, sometimes guttural — navigating her usual distress with a presence that is as hammy as it is heartfelt
Read Review
-
7.0
110922
7.0 |
The Music
A record that will surely appear on the year’s best albums lists
Read Review
-
7.0
110920
7.0 |
Loud And Quiet
The ambition of the release is more subdued than its predecessor – which encompassed folk, jazz and chanteuse – but its move towards a more fulsome sound is married to a newfound ease in her diction
Read Review
-
6.0
110947
6.0 |
The 405
Suffers from overly polished production, obscuring the emotional heft of her lyricism
Read Review
-