2hollis star
2hollis's star opens with glossy, festival-ready bravado and recurring flashes of character that make a persuasive case for his pop ambitions. Across four professional reviews the critical consensus lands on a pragmatic note: star contains vivid high points but too often substitutes style and production polish for memorable songwriting. The record earned a 64/100 consensus score across 4 professional reviews, a signal that critics praise the craft while questioning long-term staying power.
Reviewers consistently point to a cluster of standout tracks that define the album's appeal. Critics praised “girl” and “tell me” repeatedly for blending theatricality with vulnerability, while “destroy me” and “flash” register as the record's floor-fillers and energetic peaks. Comments from Pitchfork and NME emphasize how pulsing bass and cinematic details turn those best songs on star into immediate, dance-ready moments; Slant and The Needle Drop likewise acknowledge production competence even as they fault several mid-album cuts for forgettable hooks.
Thematically, reviewers note a tension between mythmaking and emotional exposure - a cultivated persona of stardom, performative indifference, and festival hedonism that occasionally yields genuine vulnerability. Some critics applaud the album's genre-blending of EDM, hip-hop, and pop chart instincts; others argue those same choices produce a sheen that obscures a clearer identity. For readers asking whether star is worth a listen, the consensus suggests selective enthusiasm: seek out “girl”, “tell me”, “destroy me” and “flash” for the record's most compelling moments, while recognizing the album's uneven songwriting keeps it from claiming essential status in 2hollis's catalog.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
tell me
4 mentions
"‘Tell Me’ rattles with paranoia, 2hollis going from nonchalant flexing to ragged yells, demanding “ just tell me, are they looking at me ”."— New Musical Express (NME)
beginning
2 mentions
"“ You’re now witness to something great ,” he intones, cult leader-like, on the introduction."— New Musical Express (NME)
girl
4 mentions
"The funereal seduction ‘Girl’ is an album standout, church bells tolling as 2hollis breathlessly marvels"— New Musical Express (NME)
‘Tell Me’ rattles with paranoia, 2hollis going from nonchalant flexing to ragged yells, demanding “ just tell me, are they looking at me ”.
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
beginning
flash
cope
you
tell me
destroy me
burn
girl
dream rain sports
nice
nerve
ego
sidekick
eldest child
safe
What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 5 critics who reviewed this album
Th
Critic's Take
Hi, everyone. In assessing 2hollis's star, the review makes clear the best tracks are front-loaded - notably “Flash” and the sharper moments like “Flash” rather than the forgettable mid-album cuts. The critic praises the record's production competence and tight transition into “Flash”, but repeatedly faults songs like “Girl” and “Eldest Child” for flimsy songwriting that fails to stick. Overall the album reads as a savvy, trendy calling card that lacks the distinct fingerprints or memorable songwriting to elevate it into lasting best tracks on star.
Key Points
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The best song moments are early, with "Flash" singled out for its tight transition and crisp production.
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The album's strengths are production competence and genre variety, but it lacks memorable songwriting and a distinct artistic fingerprint.
Themes
Th
Critic's Take
2hollis stakes out a cooler, more cinematic terrain on star, where the best tracks - notably “Tell Me” and “Girl” - serve as charged vignettes of fame and desire. The reviewer’s voice relishes the album’s chrome-plated details, praising how “Tell Me” rattles with paranoia and how the funereal seduction of “Girl” makes it an album standout. There is also warmth in quieter moments like “Eldest Child”, which peels back the curtain to reveal genuine emotion. Overall, the best songs on star balance theatricality and vulnerability, making the album feel earned rather than merely flashy.
Key Points
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“Girl” is the album standout for its funereal seduction and vivid imagery.
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The album’s core strengths are its cinematic production and the balance of theatricality with genuine vulnerability.
Themes
Critic's Take
2hollis returns with star, a wired-up, festival-ready set that casts him as a reluctant cult leader while still crafting love songs. The review prizes the center-section high-energy “Destroy Me” and the taut, nervous catharsis of “Tell Me” as the record's best tracks, both marrying pulsing bass with candid vulnerability. Elsewhere, club-focused heaters like “nice” and “nerve” prove the album's floor-filling instincts, even as quieter attempts such as “cope” and “eldest child” undercut momentum. Overall, the album's clean textures and lean arrangements make its best songs stick - they translate the mythos into ecstatic, readable pop.
Key Points
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“Destroy Me” is the album’s centerpiece for its sweaty electro-pop urgency and thematic pivot into cult-leader persona.
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star’s core strength is translating internet mythos into lean, festival-ready dance-pop that balances vulnerability with stadium-sized production.
Themes
Critic's Take
2hollis keeps polishing his pop craft on star, and the best songs here are the ones that marry propulsion with character, notably “Girl” and “Cope”. Paul Attard’s voice admires how “Girl” pairs a spasmodic flow with fidgety bells while praising the minimalist charm of “Cope”, which proves Hollis can still land memorable melodies even when he strips things back. The record aims squarely for the pop charts, favoring short, hook-driven blasts like “Destroy Me” and “Nice” that hit with artillery-like precision. Yet the review also flags a central problem, that four albums in we still know little about the person beneath the persona, which keeps the praise measured rather than unequivocal.
Key Points
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The best song, "Girl", stands out for its propulsive beat and perfectly matched rap flow with Yeat-esque bells.
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The album's core strengths are short, hook-driven pop songs and a blend of EDM and hip-hop production, though personal depth is lacking.