Albums to watch

Ultimate Success Today

Protomartyr

Ultimate Success Today

Fifth studio album from the Detroit post-punk quartet produced by David Tolomei

ADM rating[?]

8.0

Label
Domino
UK Release date
17/07/2020
US Release date
17/07/2020
  1. 10.0 |   musicOMH

    The urgent, brash post-punk caterwaul of the debut has, over time, become their very own distinctive blend of densely-layered noise rock, ominous art rock and squalid punk
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  2. 9.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    Ultimate Success Today has the power of an exorcism, and even if it is not a cure for the sickness, it is somewhere to hide in these dark times
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  3. 9.0 |   God Is In The TV

    It is a masterclass in how to write a perfectly tight, inspiring rock album
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  4. 9.0 |   Spectrum Culture

    Protomartyr continues to be vital, passionate and adept at tapping into the particular vibe of this moment in history
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  5. 8.5 |   Under The Radar

    There is a brooding rumble that underpins the record, climaxing at the heartbreaking closer “Worm in Heaven,” Protomartyr’s most evocative effort to date proving sometimes, less is more
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  6. 8.4 |   Beats Per Minute

    On Ultimate Success Today, Protomartyr have made essential jams for a genre that’s been passed around dozens of times over
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  7. 8.0 |   PopMatters

    Post-punk's Protomartyr have honed their sound into something apocalyptic on their defiantly modernist Ultimate Success Today
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  8. 8.0 |   Sputnik Music (staff)

    It may not be the album some fans wanted, still, it is an important step forward in the band’s sonic journey and overall development
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  9. 8.0 |   The Music

    It’s full of life and life-affirming creative protest
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  10. 8.0 |   All Music

    Ultimate Success Today sounds timely in 2020, but this music would be a smart, compelling accompaniment for staring into the abyss as it begins to look back, no matter what the year
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  11. 8.0 |   Pitchfork

    On their fifth album, the Detroit post-punk band recruits a woodwind section for its most expansive statement yet
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  12. 8.0 |   Q

    Ultimate Success Today is convulsed by End Times thoughts of collapse and an American dream eating itself. Print edition only

  13. 8.0 |   DIY

    The doom may have arrived, but at least Protomartyr are back in our lives
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  14. 8.0 |   The Guardian

    With stadium rock riffs and saxophone over lyrics about riots and respirators, the Detroit post-punks are the soundtrack of an uncertain future
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  15. 8.0 |   Paste Magazine

    The Detroit post-punk veterans offer their harshest statement yet on fifth LP
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  16. 8.0 |   Loud And Quiet

    Ultimate Success Today is thought-provoking, distinctive and testament to the boldness of post-punk in the present day
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  17. 8.0 |   Slant Magazine

    The album fuses existentially oriented lyrics with ferocious guitars and frantic percussion that sustain a sense of anxiety
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  18. 8.0 |   Sungenre

    A dense, challenging and thrilling addition to the modern post-punk movement
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  19. 8.0 |   Upset

    A record that speaks of the end of all things just as much as it deals with issues of today
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  20. 7.0 |   Exclaim

    It feels like a small yet immensely rewarding pivot for a band that has been so wonderfully vitriolic since their inception
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  21. 7.0 |   Uncut

    Print edition only

  22. 7.0 |   Gigwise

    An emotional rollercoaster of a record, but one that is well and truly worth riding
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  23. 6.0 |   American Songwriter

    The demonic drive infused in songs such as “Bridge & Crown,” Michigan Hammers,” “Worms in Heaven” and the tellingly titled “Day Without End” lend an eerily unsettling presence that makes even Black Sabbath and Blue Oyster Cult seem benign by comparison
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