Daniel Avery Tremor
Released Oct 31, 2025 Domino Recording Co
Established consensus 5 professional reviews Updated Oct 1, 2026
Broadly positive consensus
Daniel Avery's Tremor pushes his club pedigree into darker, more cinematic terrain, trading pure techno for a shoegaze-club fusion that critics say is both menacing and melodic.
How ChoruScore worksCritics' Top Tracks
The songs critics returned to most
A Silent Shadow
5 critic mentions
“which bleeds into “A Silent Shadow,” featuring bdrmm—and they do, with a fierce clash of drums and electric riffs” — Pitchfork
Rapture in Blue
3 critic mentions
“flows seamlessly into “Rapture in Blue,” where singer Cecile Believe’s delicate vocals breathe air into slowed-down breakbeats” — Pitchfork
Greasy off the Racing Line
3 critic mentions
“Alison Mosshart of the Kills adds an extra snarl to the harsh and sinister "Greasy Off the Racing Line.” — AllMusic
Full critic consensus
Daniel Avery's Tremor pushes his club pedigree into darker, more cinematic terrain, trading pure techno for a shoegaze-club fusion that critics say is both menacing and melodic. Across five professional reviews the record earned a 77.8/100 consensus score, with reviewers repeatedly calling out its nocturnal atmosphere, guest vocalists, and a textured balance between industrial grit and dream-pop sheen.
Reviewers consistently praise specific songs as proof points: “A Silent Shadow”, “Rapture in Blue”, “Greasy off the Racing Line”, “Haze” and “In Keeping (Soon We’ll Be Dust)” are highlighted across multiple write-ups as the best tracks on Tremor. Critics note how collaborations (from sultry vocal turns to earnest rock delivery) reshape Avery's production - examples include Cecile Believe on “Rapture in Blue” and the muscular vocal features that give cuts like “Greasy off the Racing Line” and “Haze” a rock-forward thrust. Professional reviews emphasize the album's cinematic late-night atmosphere, industrial textures, and the melodic shift away from straight-ahead techno toward song-focused arrangements.
Not all assessments are uniformly effusive: some critics point to occasional drift from the record's rough pulse or idiosyncratic moments that interrupt flow, yet most agree the record rewards repeated listens. The critical consensus frames Tremor as an adventurous, genre-fluid statement in Avery's catalog - a nocturnal, often thrilling blend of shoegaze textures, club rhythms, and collaborative vocal dynamics that marks a striking stylistic pivot and offers several standout tracks worth seeking out.
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Neon Pulse
Rapture in Blue
Haze
A Silent Shadow
New Life
Greasy off the Racing Line
Until the Moon Starts Shaking
The Ghost of Her Smile
Disturb Me
In Keeping (Soon We'll Be Dust)
Tremor
A Memory Wrapped in Paper and Smoke
I Feel You
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What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 5 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
Daniel Avery's Tremor reads like a film score in miniature, absolutely cinematic and deeply atmospheric, and the best songs underline that. The outstanding Rapture in Blue, with Cecile Believe's floating vocal, and the highlight Disturb Me that toys with dream-pop expectations are the clearest examples of what makes the best tracks on Tremor so compelling. Elsewhere, idiosyncratic moments like Greasy Off the Racing Line and the punishing rework The Ghost of Her Smile show Avery balancing accessibility with daring sonic reinvention. Overall, the album's strongest songs are cinematic and textural, making clear why these are the best tracks on Tremor.
Key Points
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The best song, 'Rapture in Blue', is best because of its outstanding, cinematic vocal and slow breakbeat that exemplify the album's atmosphere.
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The album's core strengths are its cinematic atmosphere, genre fluidity, and daring collaborations that balance accessibility with idiosyncrasy.
Themes
Critic's Take
Daniel Avery's Tremor channels nocturnal, distortion-doused electronic rock with standout moments like New Life and Rapture in Blue. The reviewer's prose leans into vivid comparisons and concrete nods to '90s industrial and shoegaze, noting how collaborators shape each song's personality. Praise lands heaviest on the gorgeous, Amen-break-driven New Life, while Rapture in Blue and Haze are highlighted for mood and muscular production. Overall, the album is framed as a successful synthesis of club-rooted beats and atmospheric songcraft that rewards repeated listens.
Key Points
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The best song, "New Life," is singled out for its vocals, crashing Amen breaks, and lush synth vistas.
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The album's strengths are its fusion of industrial '90s textures with dreamy shoegaze and strong guest vocalists creating distinct personalities.
Themes
Ho
Critic's Take
Daniel Avery's Tremor reads like a late-night transmission, urgent and alive, and the best tracks are those that pair his claustrophobic instrumentals with commanding voices. “Haze” emerges as a standout for its heavy-rock propulsion, while “A Silent Shadow” pulls you into a pulsating vortex that typifies the record's tension. The distorted, atmospheric griminess of “Disturb Me” and “In Keeping (Soon We’ll Be Dust)” gives the album its character, balancing trip-hop echoes with drum-and-bass momentum. This is a strong, adventurous record that rewards repeated immersion.
Key Points
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“Haze” is best for its heavy-rock propulsion and absorbing performance.
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The album’s core strengths are its fusion of shoegaze and pulsating electronic textures, plus striking vocal collaborations.
Themes
Critic's Take
Daniel Avery’s Tremor finds him happily ensconced in darkness, and the best songs on Tremor prove why that suits him. Tracks like A Silent Shadow and The Ghost Of Her Smile are singled out - the former a menacing grumble and the latter softened by Julie Dawson’s vocals - making them the standout moments and the best tracks on Tremor. The record’s collaborators push Avery’s shoegaze-club fusion into a heavier register, so queries about the best songs on Tremor should start with those two cuts. Overall, it’s a thunderous sixth album that balances flickers of sunlight with long stretches of blackness, and those contrasts define the album’s strongest moments.
Key Points
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‘A Silent Shadow’ is best for its menacing, Massive Attack-like grumble and production heft.
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The album’s core strength is its confident immersion in darkness while punctuating with brief melodic light.
Themes
Critic's Take
On Tremor, Daniel Avery leans into collaboration, and the best songs - notably Greasy Off the Racing Line and In Keeping (Soon We'll Be Dust) - show how his acid-tinged production reshapes guest voices into something vividly new. The record’s melodic rock thrust lets Mosshart’s sultry delivery and Schreifels’ earnestness feel like focal points, even as Avery sometimes drifts away from the album’s rough pulse. When Tremor works, it is immersive and shoegaze-tinged, building to synth-heavy crescendos such as the closing I Feel You that lift the record out of the ordinary. Overall, the album rewards listeners searching for the best tracks on Tremor with standout vocal-led moments that make Avery’s stylistic pivot compelling.
Key Points
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The best song is Greasy Off the Racing Line because Mosshart’s vocals integrate with Avery’s production to create a vivid standout.
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The album’s core strengths are its collaborative vocal moments and textured, shoegaze-tinged production that reorients Avery toward melodic rock.