Born to Die

I can see why this has its fans but it just doesn't connect with me the way their other work does. The songwriting feels less inspired and the production, while technically impressive, feels a bit sterile. A few standout moments keep it from being a total miss.

A confident, mature work. You can hear the growth from their earlier releases.

Perfectly serviceable album that I enjoy in the moment but forget about as soon as it's over. That's not necessarily a criticism — sometimes you just want something pleasant on in the background. It fills that role well.

Returned to this after a few years away and it hit even harder than I remembered. Some albums age poorly but this one has only gotten better with time. The themes feel more relevant now than ever and the sonics still sound fresh.