Efterklang Things We Have in Common
Efterklang's Things We Have in Common opens with a quiet lobby of piano and restraint that asks for patient listening, and across professional reviews the record earns praise for its intimate textures and communal warmth. Critics point to a critical consensus score of 71/100 across 2 professional reviews, suggesting a warmly received, if measured, follow-up that privileges subtlety over spectacle. The collection addresses themes of isolation vs togetherness, spirituality, belonging and healing through pared-back arrangements and a blend of organic and digital soundscapes.
Reviewers consistently singled out “Balancing Stones”, “Shelf Break” and “Sentiment” as standout tracks, with “Animated Heart” and “To a New Day” also noted for their moments of repair and release. The Line of Best Fit highlights the band’s patient craft and restraint, arguing that the album’s best moments trade grandeur for texture and lyric. Tinnitist frames the record as restorative and communal, praising Rune Mølgaard's wrenching sketches and arrangements that make the songs feel like acts of mutual consolation.
While one review offers a more measured view, critics agree that the record’s strengths lie in its emotional fragility, restrained minimalism and focus on human connection. For listeners seeking an understated, thematically cohesive work, Things We Have in Common presents rewarding, quietly powerful moments that position Efterklang as a band still honing communal intimacy rather than grand gestures. Read on for full reviews and track-level analysis.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
Balancing Stones
2 mentions
"the evocative harmonies of the opening track "Balancing Stones""— The Line of Best Fit
Shelf Break
2 mentions
"sometimes masked by effects of "Shelf Break""— The Line of Best Fit
Sentiment
2 mentions
"Calming and hypnotic "Sentiment," is built around shimmering piano and vocals"— The Line of Best Fit
the evocative harmonies of the opening track "Balancing Stones"
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Balancing Stones
Plant
Getting Reminders
Ambulance
Leave It All Behind
Animated Heart
Shelf Break
Sentiment
To a New Day
What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 2 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
From the opening piano of Things We Have in Common the record finds strength in small gestures, and it is on songs like “Balancing Stones” and “Plant” that Efterklang’s patient craft is most apparent. Efterklang lean into intimacy rather than spectacle, so the best tracks are those that trade grandeur for texture and lyric - listen for “Balancing Stones” and “Sentiment” as the album’s clearest exemplars of that restraint. The result is an understated success that rewards listeners who sit with its quiet revelations.
Key Points
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The best song, "Balancing Stones", is the standout for its delicate interplay of voice and ambient production that sets the album’s tone.
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The album’s core strength is its restraint: sparse, textured arrangements that favor intimacy and emotional subtlety over bombast.
Themes
Critic's Take
Efterklang arrive on Things We Have in Common with a generosity that feels almost restorative, where songs like “Shelf Break” and “Animated Heart” become the album's clearest gestures of repair and release. The record reads as a circle closing, intimate and tender, as the band leans into Rune Mølgaard's wrenching sketches and communal arrangements. These best tracks on Things We Have in Common trade grandiosity for warmth, offering the listener both enlightenment and relief in measured, humane doses.
Key Points
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Shelf Break is the best song because it directly channels Mølgaard’s crisis into a musical centerpiece of confession and release.
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The album’s core strengths are its communal warmth, thematic focus on belonging and spirituality, and a gentler harmonic language.