Palo Santo
| Years & Years
Palo Santo
Palo Santo is the second studio album by the English trio Years & Years, released by Polydor Records on 6 July 2018. Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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Pitchfork
Palo Santo is a promising sophomore album because it evolves past the sound of the band’s debut.
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NME
Filthy, sexy, thoroughly debauched pop at its finest, ‘Palo Santo’ feels like a magical album
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Independent (UK)
Band transcend their earlier incarnation for something bolder... and gloriously unapologetic. Olly Alexander is a pop icon for this generation.
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Stereogum
This is big, bold, down-the-middle pop music, music that’s probably going to get a lot of play in gyms and boutiques.
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The Guardian
The electro-pop trio’s second album is in love with the 90s sound of Britney, but it’s singer Olly Alexander’s private life that’s front and centre
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SPIN
Three years after a debut of unusual density—a flowering plant with thorns—Years & Years feel confident enough to kick the blues away.
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Drowned In Sound
This is a record about love and sex and the dizzying myriad of emotions that circle around those two things; even the Palo Santo of the title track refers to a man rather than any futuristic setting.
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The Line of Best Fit
Olly Alexander takes charge on Years & Years’ gorgeous, commanding Palo Santo.
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The Irish Times
Some songs have a pristine 1980s pop inclination. The slick grooves and programmed strings of Karma, the best number on Palo Santo, channel the spirit of Michael Jackson.
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Standard (UK)
Catchy pop proves Olly Alexander is one to watch for years to come.
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The Musical Hype
Years & Years returns with a compelling sophomore album with ‘Palo Santo’ which masterfully incorporates social issues, sexuality, and spirituality.
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Redbrick
Palo Santo is diverse without falling apart as a collection of songs.
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DIY
An overwhelmingly intimate record that makes you wonder just what Years & Years could be capable of next.
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Hot Press
From stripped back professions of love to soon-to-be club favourites, the English group deliver an exquisite selection that will transport listeners into a musical timewarp.
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Metro Weekly
Palo Santo finds the British band more heavily preoccupied than ever with matters of spirituality, sexuality, and the many points of overlap between the two. This time, however, they ditch the subtlety.
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Modern Record
DANCEABLE AND INFECTIOUS
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The Odyssey
Years & Years couldn’t have done any better with this album and with it, they can only grow as a band.
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Medium
The sophomore effort of UK synthpop band Years & Years isn’t strikingly different from their debut. However, there is enough difference to show improvements in songwriting and production, making Palo Santo a much more enjoyable record.
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Wickedd Childd (AU)
Years & Years ascend to new heights with Palo Santo, each track appearing as a declaration of freedom and liberation.
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Music Connection
Years & Years’ Palo Santo is somewhat of a departure from the indie-pop of their first LP. Many of the new songs contain upbeat sounds redolent of the mainstream pop era of the late ‘90s.
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All Music
Years & Years' superb sophomore album, 2018's Palo Santo, is a dynamically realized production, rife with religious imagery and themes of sex, love, and devotion, all pulsing with a bright sense of dance club absolution.
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Under the Radar
Palo Santo is not a major reinvention of Years & Years' sound, so the influence of '80s synth-pop remains. However, it is a clear upgrade; one that is noticeably more ambitious and fully-realized than its predecessor.
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Exepose
Palo Santo certainly does not fail to deliver after a huge social media promotion which directly messaged fans via Facebook and simply put, the album is a must for the summer and so perfectly suited for the period it’s been released into.
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The Arts Desk
Second album from 2015's breakthrough pop stars shows no sign of quality slippage
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Immortal Reviews
Years & Years return with a new view on love in Palo Santo, showing a more pained side. The record doesn't quite have the same engagement as the first album, but all the same it is relatable in perhaps the most personal ways.
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Datebook
The project feels very much like a reinvention musically for Alexander and his bandmates, Mikey Goldsworthy and Emre Türkmen.
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The Thin Air
Despite the depth to the lyrics, and the cohesivity of themes, Years & Years don’t let any of this distract from simply making a good tune.
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Beat
'Palo Santo' explores rejection, heartbreak, sin, and sensuality, while keeping you dancing along the way.
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Falmouth Anchor (UK)
Palo Santo is catchy and has the typical Years and Years sound, while at the same time each song manages to sound fresh and new.
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Muse (UK)
Palo Santo really enjoyably dips into noughties R&B - 'Sanctify' and 'Karma' have really strong, rhythmic hooks.
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