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- Top honors and the albums that missed the mark
- Indie and alternative records worth your time
- Pop and mainstream releases: big names, mixed results
- Rock and punk-adjacent acts evaluated
- Rap, hip-hop, and spoken-word releases
- Controversial or polarizing releases
- Notable electronic, dream pop, and left-field pop
- Short takes: single-paragraph verdicts and reviewers
- How these reviews were compiled
The fall issue of VICE’s “Be Quiet and Drive” brings a crowded record shelf into sharp focus. Critics weigh new releases, oddball experiments, and reissued curiosities. Some albums charm, others flop spectacularly, and a few provoke genuine argument. Below, you’ll find a fresh roundup of highlights, misfires, and the records that stopped reviewers in their tracks.
Top honors and the albums that missed the mark
- Best album of the issue: Ethel Cain — Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You (Daughters of Cain) — 9/10
- Worst album of the issue: Maroon 5 — Love Is Like (Interscope) — 1/10
- Best sleeve art: Hot Chip — Joy in Repetition (Domino)
- Worst sleeve art: Machine Gun Kelly — Lost Americana (Interscope)
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Indie and alternative records worth your time
A few releases here prove why underground and left-field artists still set the pace. These albums mix mood, atmosphere, and surprising craft.
Ethel Cain — Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You
Score: 9/10. This record landed as the clear favorite for several reviewers. Its dystopian romanticism and precise production made it stand out. Listeners who like cinematic sorrow will find a lot to return to.
Eiko Ishibashi & Jim O’Rourke — Pareidolia
Score: 9/10. Minimal, strange, and oddly satisfying, this collaborative project rewards patience. It’s not background music; it insists you listen closely.
Steve Gunn — Music For Writers
Score: 6/10. An instrumental record that aims at the quiet spaces writers crave. Its guitar lines and ambient textures suit late-night drafts and reflective mornings.
Dag och Natt — Years and Years
Score: 7/10. If you love jangly, Felt-adjacent guitar pop, this Stockholm quartet offers tidy, literate songs that nod to an older UK sound.
Pop and mainstream releases: big names, mixed results
Pop veterans and radio staples filled many pages this month. Some maintained craft; others felt like churned product.
- Hot Chip — Joy in Repetition (Domino) — 7/10. A singles-style compilation that reminds why the band clicks on certain classics.
- Sabrina Carpenter — Man’s Best Friend (Island) — 4/10. Polished and relentless, this record leans into pop machine logic.
- Reneé Rapp — Bite Me (Interscope) — 4/10. Glam tracks and sharp hooks, but reviewers found it repetitive.
- Jonas Brothers — Greetings from Your Hometown (Republic) — 1/10. Critics saw it as an overly safe product of pop PR cycles.
Rock and punk-adjacent acts evaluated
- Good Charlotte — Motel Du Cap (Atlantic) — 2/10. Reviewers dismissed it as nostalgic filler rather than reinvention.
- HLLLYH — URUBURU (Team Shi) — 6/10. Experimental and unpredictable, it carries the lineage of the band’s past incarnations.
Rap, hip-hop, and spoken-word releases
Hip-hop entries span the triumphant, the confused, and the highly anticipated. Spoken-word and poetic projects also made waves.
- Ghostface Killah — Supreme Clientele 2 (Mass Appeal) — 6/10. A long-awaited return with flashes of the classic style.
- Chance the Rapper — STAR LINE (self-released) — 6/10. The record wrestles with public persona and intimacy.
- Earl Sweatshirt — Live Laugh Love (Tan Cressida) — 7/10. Dark, clever, and dense with personality.
- For Those I Love — Carving the Stone (September Recordings) — 7/10. Spoken-word urgency meets contemporary political frustration.
Controversial or polarizing releases
Some albums sparked strong reactions because of their collaborators or concept choices.
- Machine Gun Kelly — Lost Americana (Interscope) — 3/10. Critics questioned the project’s ambitions and its vocal endorsements.
- Maroon 5 — Love Is Like (Interscope) — 1/10. Seen as emblematic of mainstream pop’s safe complacency.
Notable electronic, dream pop, and left-field pop
Several records offered polished production and smooth grooves aimed at the contemplative playlist.
- TOPS — Bury the Key (Ghostly International) — 5/10. Tasteful, reserved, and perhaps too distant to forge a deep connection.
- Hot Chip — Joy in Repetition (Domino) — highlighted again here for its archival value and artwork by Peter Blake.
Short takes: single-paragraph verdicts and reviewers
Below are concise reactions from contributors, with each album paired with a quick note and the reviewer’s byline.
- Hot Chip — Joy in Repetition: A tidy retrospective that proves the band’s highs still land. — Lee Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima
- TOPS — Bury the Key: Polished sophistipop that leaves questions about its intended audience. — Jay Bee
- Machine Gun Kelly — Lost Americana: A baffling, divisive turn that left some reviewers incredulous. — Judas G.O.A.T.
- Good Charlotte — Motel Du Cap: Criticized as an anodyne nostalgia trip. — Judd Dredge
- Ghostface Killah — Supreme Clientele 2: A veteran return that doesn’t always match its legacy. — Ol’ Devout Bastard
- Maroon 5 — Love Is Like: Viewed as a low point for a mass-market pop brand. — Deaf Nippard
- Chance the Rapper — STAR LINE: Personal themes mixed with public myth-making. — Daddish Gambino
- Sabrina Carpenter — Man’s Best Friend: Pop-channeling discipline shaped by celebrity training. — Hooyah Henry
- Earl Sweatshirt — Live Laugh Love: Dark humor and twisted tenderness. — MC Horrific Impending Divorce
- Ethel Cain — Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You: The issue’s most admired record. — The Most Electable Girl at the Waffle House
- For Those I Love — Carving the Stone: Spoken-word intensity with radical bent. — W. B. Vapes
- Steve Gunn — Music For Writers: Instrumental warmth for late-night work sessions. — Xtal Meth
- Reneé Rapp — Bite Me: Catchy but repetitive; reviewers advised caution. — Rager Robbit
- Jonas Brothers — Greetings from Your Hometown: A pop PR statement that divided critics. — Starvin’ Yarvin
- HLLLYH — URUBURU: Experimental textures that reward repeat listens. — Ship of Feces
- Eiko Ishibashi & Jim O’Rourke — Pareidolia: Quietly astonishing and wonderfully odd. — Thurston Less
How these reviews were compiled
The pieces here were written for VICE’s fall 2025 print issue titled THE BE QUIET AND DRIVE ISSUE. Multiple critics contributed short, opinion-driven takes. Scores range from enthusiastic to scathing, and the selection highlights both mainstream and underground releases.
