Hatchie Liquorice
Liquorice by Hatchie arrives as a quietly potent statement, trading previous pop fizz for a dream-pop album steeped in yearning and shoegaze textures. Across seven professional reviews, critics point to tracks such as "Lose It Again," "Stuck," "Only One Laughing," "Carousel," and "Wonder" as the record's clearest moments, where Pilbeam's hushed vocals and lush production convert infatuation and romantic devastation into something hypnotic and immediate. The critical consensus score of 77.14 across seven reviews frames Liquorice as a largely successful, emotionally precise step forward.
Music critics praise the album's balance of restraint and melodic payoff, noting how songs like "Lose It Again" and "Carousel" marry big, anthemic hooks with scuffed-up guitars and warm, reverb-drenched sonics. Several reviews single out "Only One Laughing" for its Cocteau Twins-tinged shimmer and elastic vocal lines, while "Stuck" is repeatedly named the emotional centerpiece for its swooning surrender. Recurring themes in the coverage include hypnotic, ethereal production, nostalgia-tinged longing, and a shift toward shoegaze-influenced alt-pop that favors texture over stadium polish.
Not all critics are unanimous; some voices highlight moments that feel undercooked or too muted, flagging the title track and a few quieter passages as lapses in immediacy. Even so, the prevailing narrative among music critics positions Liquorice as Hatchie's most balanced and nuanced record to date, one whose best tracks shine with infectious melodies and melancholic warmth. For readers seeking a focused primer or critics' overview, the reviews below map why those standout songs anchor Liquorice's emotional and sonic identity.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
Lose It Again
7 mentions
"later, on the rippling "Lose It Again," she calls out a lover's "convoluted poetry""— AllMusic
Stuck
6 mentions
"the sugar rush of "Stuck" is irresistible"— AllMusic
Only One Laughing
6 mentions
"her passion... is just as strong on "Only One Laughing," a kissing cousin to Cocteau Twins' silvery lilt"— AllMusic
later, on the rippling "Lose It Again," she calls out a lover's "convoluted poetry"
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Anemoia
Only One Laughing
Liquorice
Carousel
Sage
Someone Else's News
Wonder
Lose It Again
Anchor
Part That Bleeds
Stuck
What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 7 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
Pilbeam's Liquorice finds its best songs in intimate, wistful moments: the irresistible sugar rush of "Stuck" and the swooning surrender of "Carousel" read like the album's emotional centerpieces. The record turns away from stadium ambition toward scuffed-up production and massive guitars, which makes the best tracks — especially "Stuck" and "Carousel" — feel lived-in rather than overproduced. For listeners asking 'best tracks on Liquorice' the album answers with those two songs, plus the Cocteau Twins-tinged shimmer of "Only One Laughing," as highlights that balance nostalgia and immediacy.
Key Points
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"Stuck" is the best song for its irresistible, sugar-rush immediacy and production that scuffs rather than polishes.
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The album's core strengths are intimate nostalgia, well-judged scuffed-up production, and balancing dream-pop shimmer with grounded songwriting.
Themes
Critic's Take
Zoë White finds Liquorice trading Hatchie’s previous fizz for a looser, shoegaze-tinged mood, and flags the best songs accordingly: Only One Laughing and Lose It Again emerge as principal high points, while closer Stuck is singled out as the record’s most endearing moment. White leans on comparisons — Cocteau Twins, The Sundays, The Cure — to explain why Only One Laughing’s elastic vocals and Lose It Again’s euphoric melody stand out among the album’s lush liquidity. The review’s tone stays measured but affectionate, recommending these as the best tracks on Liquorice because they balance melody with the album’s newfound unease.
Key Points
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Lose It Again is the best song for its euphoric, infectious melody and lead-single impact.
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The album’s core strengths are lush shoegaze textures, evocative vocals, and memorable melodies.
Themes
Critic's Take
Dom Lepore finds Liquorice to be Hatchie’s most balanced record, where songs like "Carousel" and "Part That Bleeds" crystallize her knack for shimmering, bittersweet pop. He writes in admiration of Pilbeam’s ability to marry reverb-drenched guitars with pop immediacy, calling tracks such as "Only One Laughing" and opener "Anemoia" fresh additions that expand her palette. The review emphasizes the album’s emotional push-and-pull — new love’s high and the comedown — which makes these the best songs on Liquorice for their texture and honesty.
Key Points
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“Part That Bleeds” is the best song for its warm, nostalgic synths, pronounced bass and big, affecting choruses.
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The album’s core strengths are its balance between reverb-drenched maximalism and spacious pop clarity, and its emotional immediacy about love and loss.
Themes
Critic's Take
Von Pip writes with a fond, literate relish, picking out the best tracks on Liquorice with affectionate precision: the sublime “Only One Laughing” and the sparkling “Carousel” are crowned as the album’s high points, while “Lose It Again” supplies an anthemic chorus that lifts the record. He notes the title track ‘Liquorice’ as the lone misstep—feeling undercooked and overthought—yet returns repeatedly to Hatchie’s gift for making melancholy sound strangely uplifting. The review frames the best songs on Liquorice as shimmering, cinematic dream-pop that trade neon for a warmer optimism, and it’s in those moments the album truly sings.
Key Points
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Only One Laughing stands out for its sublimity and placement as an album high point.
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Liquorice’s core strengths are its shimmering dream-pop production, warm nostalgia, and Hatchie’s knack for making melancholy feel uplifting.
Themes
Critic's Take
Michael Sun finds the best songs on Liquorice where Hatchie sharpens her edges: the propulsive Hurt of Lose It Again and the cruel relish of Wonder show Pilbeam’s bite, but it’s the closer Stuck that truly emblematises why Stuck is the best song on Liquorice — its catapulting guitars and diaphanous vocals make the record land. Sun argues Liquorice trades some of the fairyfloss hooks of earlier work for a moodier, more restrained shoegaze palette, so when tracks like Lose It Again and Wonder sting, they stand out. The review frames the album’s strengths around emotional specificity and moments of depravity that lance earnest desire, making clear which are the best tracks on Liquorice.
Key Points
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Stuck is the best song because it combines emotional embarrassment with thrilling, propulsive instrumentation.
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The album’s core strengths are emotional specificity and moments of cruel clarity amid restrained shoegaze production.
Themes
Critic's Take
Bella Martin finds the best songs on Liquorice in the record’s more immediate moments: the melancholy jangle of “Wonder” and the singalong-ready “Lose It Again” stand out amid a record often turned down too low. She writes that tracks like “Only One Laughing” and “Anemoia” drift into barely-there territory, while “Anchor” and closer “Stuck” frustrate by withholding power. In short, the best tracks on Liquorice are those that marry wistful vocals with a decisive hook, notably Wonder and Lose It Again, even as the album overall feels like a mixed bag.
Key Points
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Wonder is best for its melancholy jangle and almost-snarl that delivers immediacy.
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The album’s core strengths are wistful vocals and occasional strong hooks amid a generally restrained sound.
Themes
Critic's Take
On Liquorice the best songs — notably the title track “Liquorice” and opener “Anemoia” — crystallise Hatchie’s dream-pop mastery, those shimmering productions turning helplessness into cathartic release. Zahra Hanif’s review emphasises how lush vocals and otherworldly synths pull the listener into an ethereal soundscape, making the best tracks on Liquorice feel utterly hypnotic. The record’s brighter, confident evolution means the standout moments are both poignant and anthemic, which is why listeners searching for the best songs on Liquorice will find themselves returning to those shining cuts.
Key Points
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The title track Liquorice is the album’s pinnacle, turning helplessness into shimmering anthemic release.
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The album’s core strengths are lush vocals, otherworldly synths and confident, hypnotic production.