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10.0
49923
10.0 |
Art Rocker
While not the trendiest sounding thing on the planet, will be another brick in The Joy Formidable’s house of success
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9.1
49968
9.1 |
A.V. Club
The songs on this album are echoing, but not distant; they connect on a personal level, and then pull the listener along in a mighty heave
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9.0
49811
9.0 |
The Line Of Best Fit
Where The Big Roar was aggressively intimate and destined for sweaty dives, second effort Wolf’s Law is expansive, elaborate and fuelled by the great outdoors
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8.0
49838
8.0 |
DIY
A record of dazzling scope, in vision and execution, this is the testament of a band who are seething with primal energy and also have the cojones to be leaders of the pack
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8.0
49849
8.0 |
The Guardian
This is one for speakers, not headphones, a great dense whoosh of music
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8.0
49881
8.0 |
BBC
Having stadium-sized ambitions doesn’t have to neuter your originality
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8.0
49886
8.0 |
Evening Standard
Wolf’s Law is the focused, ferocious record that could mean they become Britain’s next big guitar band
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8.0
50021
8.0 |
Blurt
A near-perfect follow-up record: it moves the band forward while staying true to what made it appealing and exciting in the first place
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8.0
50132
8.0 |
All Music
The Welsh trio building upon its already gargantuan sound with remarkable aplomb
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7.2
50049
7.2 |
Pitchfork
No matter the occasional excesses, the Joy Formidable's saving grace is its songwriting
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7.0
50989
7.0 |
Beats Per Minute
You can’t help but admire their ambition, but their tendency to overreach is inhibiting them from becoming the band they want and deserve to be
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7.0
50046
7.0 |
No Ripcord
Despite rarely achieving all of what it goes for, it’s hard to deny the sheer pleasure of getting the enormous hooks and noise that are constantly on display here
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7.0
49965
7.0 |
PopMatters
While it would be on the mark to characterize Wolf’s Law as an album brimming with arena-ready anthems, that only makes it seem like a post-grunge modern-rock record that somehow got lost in the cut-out bin of history, rather than the vital, totally current effort that it is
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7.0
49973
7.0 |
Rolling Stone
At times, it feels like they're glue-gunning hot ideas rather than writing fully realized songs, but they've come up with some fine Frankensteins nonetheless
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7.0
49825
7.0 |
Uncut
They continue to keep British rock sexily sturdy. Print edition only
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7.0
49812
7.0 |
The Digital Fix
Wolf’s Law still lacks the concise, indie-disco floorfiller that might make them household names
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7.0
49815
7.0 |
The Fly
Despite the album’s much-welcomed experimentation you still feel the best is yet to come from this riveting trio
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6.7
49890
6.7 |
Pretty Much Amazing
The Joy Formidable demonstrate that they know how to make a solid rock record. However, the band is still brimming with potential, and one can’t shake the feeling that the best is yet to come
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6.0
49902
6.0 |
Slant Magazine
The ingenuity displayed in patches on Wolf's Law raises the question of what the trio could achieve if only they displayed the ambition to match their obvious talent
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6.0
49985
6.0 |
Consequence Of Sound
Stuffed with aerodynamic, fuel-efficient, eco-friendly pop-rock songs
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6.0
50020
6.0 |
Paste Magazine
It’s a near frustration that The Joy Formidable seem content with the radio-ready, studio craftiness that the band has practically perfected. At this, young rock fans could do much worse, but that’s not something to get excited about
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6.0
49816
6.0 |
The Skinny
It’s not subtle, inventive or particularly varied, but Wolf’s Law makes for some damn good fun
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6.0
49826
6.0 |
NME
A great record to listen to while teetering on the edge of a cliff in a thunderstorm, but on an iPhone on public transport it can feel a touch over-egged. Print edition only
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6.0
49854
6.0 |
The Irish Times
Smooth, sleek but intense, with strong notions of its own identity and purpose
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6.0
50297
6.0 |
Entertainment.ie
Think Coldplay at their most anthemic and you have got the picture
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6.0
50632
6.0 |
musicOMH
It’s a confused collection of songs, but there are enough gems here to suggest that they’ll come good soon enough
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6.0
49810
6.0 |
Drowned In Sound
This is basically the sound of 1995/96; a time when indie-rock bands eschewed trashiness in favour of string sections playing glissando, keyboards that mimicked much the same sound, and the occasional sensitive acoustic ballad
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5.5
50311
5.5 |
Under The Radar
Halfway through Wolf's Law, The Joy Formidable veers off its beaten path ... these songs [break] the aural monotony and finding the band taking a much-needed left turn
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5.0
50323
5.0 |
The 405
A full on, no holds barred, rock album. Huge guitars, thundering drums and obscenely extravagant crescendos fill the album
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4.0
49823
4.0 |
Q
The songs themselves never quite stop you dead in your tracks. Print edition only
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