Fever Ray Radical Romantics
Released Mar 10, 2023 Mute
Consensus forming 3 professional reviews Updated Oct 6, 2026
Broadly positive consensus
Consensus is still forming across 3 professional reviews. Fever Ray's Radical Romantics stages desire and restraint across an uncluttered electro-pop canvas, and critics largely agree it lands as a compelling, if occasionally elusive, addition to Karin Dreijer's catalog.
How ChoruScore worksCritics' Top Tracks
The songs critics returned to most
Carbon Dioxide
3 critic mentions
“This sensuality is at its most potent on the magnetic bop "Carbon Dioxide” — The Line of Best Fit
Shiver
2 critic mentions
“I just wanna be touched / I just wanna shiver / can I trust you?” — The Line of Best Fit
North
2 critic mentions
“offset by more chilled efforts such as ‘Carbon Dioxide’ and ‘North” — Hot Press
Full critic consensus
Fever Ray's Radical Romantics stages desire and restraint across an uncluttered electro-pop canvas, and critics largely agree it lands as a compelling, if occasionally elusive, addition to Karin Dreijer's catalog. Across three professional reviews the record earned a 76.67/100 consensus score, with reviewers praising both club-ready immediacy and hushed, intimate passages. The quick verdict: critics say Radical Romantics is worth listening to for its standout songs and thoughtful contrasts.
Reviewers consistently flag “Carbon Dioxide”, “Shiver” and “North” as the album's best songs, while “Kandy” and “What They Call Us” emerge as memorable for manipulated vocals and hypnotic patience. Professional reviews note a tension between uptempo, seismic beats and chilled, atmospheric ambience - a play of late-night hookups and existential inquiry - that gives the collection both club-ready production and ritualistic intimacy. Critics praised Dreijer's lyrical focus on love, vulnerability and primitive feeling, with tracks like “Carbon Dioxide” reframing confession as a synth-pop torch song and “Shiver” converting tribal energy into magnetic pop.
While opinions vary on balance and polish, the critical consensus highlights Fever Ray's ability to pair hypnotic synths with emotional clarity. Some reviewers pointed to callbacks to The Knife and to ambient closers such as “Bottom Of The Ocean” for added depth, but most agree the record's pleasures lie in its contrasts and patient execution. For readers searching for a measured answer to "is Radical Romantics good," the aggregated reviews suggest a largely favorable, thoughtfully crafted release that both rewards repeated listens and stakes a distinct place in Dreijer's discography.
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
What They Call Us
Shiver
New Utensils
Kandy
Even It Out
Looking For A Ghost
Carbon Dioxide
North
Tapping Fingers
Bottom Of The Ocean
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What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 3 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
Fever Ray's Radical Romantics is a study in love, presented with Karin Dreijer’s usual unsettling clarity, and the best songs - notably “Shiver” and “Carbon Dioxide” - crystallise that focus. The record strips theatrics away and lets tracks like “Shiver” convert tribal girl-pop energy into something almost ritualistic, while “Carbon Dioxide” arrives as a candid harpsichord synth-pop love song. Elsewhere, “Bottom Of The Ocean” nods to The Knife’s world-building, giving the album depth beyond its pop immediacy. The result is an engrossing, sometimes eerie electro-pop collection that repeatedly turns back to the idea of love as a human imperative.
Key Points
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“Shiver” is best for converting tribal girl-pop into the album’s ritualistic centre.
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The album’s core strength is examining love’s many facets through eerie, inventive electro-pop.
Themes
Critic's Take
Fever Ray's Radical Romantics feels like a careful inward turn, where the best songs - “Carbon Dioxide” and “North” - trade bravado for intimacy and lingering sensation. The reviewer lingers on how Dreijer balances pleasure and pain, praising the magnetic bop of “Carbon Dioxide” and the breathy, yearning of “North” as standout moments. There is also appreciation for the buoyant synths of “Shiver” and the hypnotic patience of “Kandy”, which together map the album's exploration of desire and accountability. The narrative keeps the quieter, incisive Fever Ray flair intact while answering which are the best tracks on Radical Romantics in terms the reviewer values most.
Key Points
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The best song is "Carbon Dioxide" for its magnetic, intoxicating rush and emotional potency.
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The album's core strengths are its balancing of pleasure and pain, intimate vocals, and cohesive, feverish production.
Themes
Ho
Critic's Take
Fever Ray returns with Radical Romantics, a kooky, beautifully original record that thrives on hypnotic synths and seismic beats. The reviewer flags “What They Call Us” and “Kandy” as manipulated-voice standouts, while uptempo cuts like “Even It Out” and “New Utensils” power the album's club-ready thrust. More chilled moments such as “Carbon Dioxide” and “North” provide atmospheric counterpoints, and the closer “Bottom Of The Ocean” is praised for its ambient finish. This makes the best songs on Radical Romantics both its dancefloor weapons and its quieter, cinematic pieces.
Key Points
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The best song(s) are the manipulated-voice standouts “What They Call Us” and “Kandy” for their striking vocal effects.
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The album's core strengths are its hypnotic synths, seismic beats and the balance between uptempo club tracks and chilled, atmospheric pieces.