Holden & Zimpel The Universe Will Take Care Of You
Holden & Zimpel's The Universe Will Take Care Of You unfolds as a sunlit exploration of trance, improvisation and textured timbre, and across professional reviews it earns praise for turning repetition into ecstatic momentum. Critics note an optimistic, playful spirit throughout the record, and the consensus suggests the album largely succeeds at marrying electronic utopianism with pastoral, organic colors.
Across five professional reviews that produced an 80/100 consensus score, reviewers consistently point to standout tracks when answering what are the best songs on The Universe Will Take Care Of You. “You Are Gods”, praised in nearly every review, emerges as the album's clearest exemplar of controlled improvisation and joyful polyrhythms. “Incredible Bliss” and “Sunbeam Path” are frequently cited for their raga-inflected shimmer and krautrock momentum, while “Time Ring Rattles” and the ten-minute title piece “The Universe Will Take Of You” are singled out for trance-building repetition and euphoric climaxes.
Critics agree on the record's balance of structure and playful surprise: disciplined layering and rhythmic shifts keep the pieces coherent even as improvisation and textural experiment multiply. Some reviewers flag a slight stumble in the closer's final stretch, but most celebrate the album's warmth, technological-meets-natural imagery and moments of widescreen beauty. Taken together, the reviews present The Universe Will Take Care Of You as a cohesive, often transcendent collection that rewards repeated listens and will satisfy anyone searching for the best songs on the record or curious about the critical consensus.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
The Universe Will Take Of You
1 mention
"‘The Universe Will Take Care Of You’ opens with dense drones; snatched vocals; squawky clarinet."— Clash Music
You Are Gods
5 mentions
"“You Are Gods” is eight-and-a-half minutes of shimmering, rippling synthesizers and odd digital burbles"— PopMatters
Incredible Bliss
4 mentions
"“Incredible Bliss” is a forest meditation for shakuhachi and strobing synth"— PopMatters
‘The Universe Will Take Care Of You’ opens with dense drones; snatched vocals; squawky clarinet.
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
You Are Gods
Sunbeam Path
Time Ring Rattles
Sparkles, Crystals, Miracles
Incredible Bliss
The Universe Will Take Care Of You
What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 5 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
There is a lucid, utopian joy running through The Universe Will Take Care Of You, written with the same breathless wonder J. Simpson uses in the review. Holden & Zimpel conjure vivid sound-paintings where “You Are Gods” shimmers like liquid crystals and “Sunbeam Path” reads as an afternoon raga from Saturn - these are the best tracks on The Universe Will Take Care Of You, the ones that most clearly fulfill the album's promise. The closer “The Universe Will Take Care of You” falters slightly, yet the record's imaginative sweep and serene final image keep the album feeling like a fulfilled technological utopia. Overall, the album's strongest moments are those that let electronics and clarinet breathe together into pastoral, hypnotic landscapes.
Key Points
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“You Are Gods” is best because it opens with vivid, shimmering synths that embody the album’s utopian electronic vision.
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The album’s core strengths are its imaginative fusion of electronics and clarinet and its consistently pastoral, trance-like imagery.
Themes
Critic's Take
Holden & Zimpel take a playful, joyous approach on The Universe Will Take Care Of You, and the review makes clear which best tracks shine brightest: “Time Ring Rattles” is called the album’s most thrilling track, and the ten-minute title track “The Universe Will Take Care Of You” is where repetition achieves its trance. The reviewer praises how moments like “Incredible Bliss” and “You Are Gods” balance dazzling arpeggios and ecstatic flute with a lightness that keeps the music buoyant. Overall the best songs on The Universe Will Take Care Of You are those that marry playful discovery with hypnotic repetition, producing sustained moments of wonder.
Key Points
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“Time Ring Rattles” is the standout for its thrilling, polyrhythmic percussion and sense of discovery.
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The album’s core strength is playful, textural interplay that uses repetition to conjure trance and joyful surprise.
Themes
Critic's Take
Holden & Zimpel deliver an unexpectedly sunny record on The Universe Will Take Care Of You, where the best songs - notably “You Are Gods” and the self-titled “The Universe Will Take Care Of You” - marry warped synths and clarinet into joyful, cohesive pieces. The reviewer’s voice revels in the way textures multiply but the fun never diminishes, praising improvisation that somehow yields fully formed tracks. The title track is held up as the standout for its dense drones, euphoric final third and hypnotic closing, making it the album’s emotional centre. The narrative repeatedly returns to the album’s warmth and optimism, positioning it as the perfect pick-me-up and a soundtrack for carefree gatherings.
Key Points
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The self-titled closer is best for its dense drones, euphoric final third and hypnotic emotional payoff.
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The album’s core strength is its joyful, cohesive blend of organic clarinet and wonky electronics that remains fun even as textures multiply.
Themes
Critic's Take
Holden & Zimpel's The Universe Will Take Care Of You is praised for disciplined fusion and structural clarity, and the review singles out “You Are Gods” and “Incredible Bliss” as exemplars of that control. The critic relishes the album's agile rhythmic shifts and careful layering, arguing that “You Are Gods” demonstrates controlled experimentation while “Incredible Bliss” shows thrilling timing and krautrock-inflected momentum. The analysis also highlights “Sunbeam Path” and “Time Ring Rattles” for thoughtful incorporation of raga and Reich-like pulse, respectively, making clear why listeners seeking the best tracks on The Universe Will Take Care Of You will find much to admire.
Key Points
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The best song, "You Are Gods", is best because it balances controlled experimentation with clear rhythmic structure and layered sonics.
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The album's core strengths are disciplined fusion, rhythmic agility, and careful integration of disparate musical traditions.
Themes
Critic's Take
Holden & Zimpel make a record that chases the ego death and luxuriates in weightless trance on The Universe Will Take Care Of You. The review revels in tracks like “You Are Gods” and “Incredible Bliss”, describing shimmer, glimmer and a cosmic goat rave banger that explains why those are the best songs on the album. It praises the album's improvisational immediacy and nature metaphors, noting moments of mania on “Time Ring Rattles” and widescreen beauty on “Sparkles, Crystals, Miracles”. The tone stays celebratory and curious, making clear the best tracks are those that most fully realise the record's transcendental impulse.
Key Points
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The best song is "Incredible Bliss" because it crystallises the album's ecstatic, transcendent energy into a joyous, climactic moment.
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The album's core strengths are its focused improvisation, evocative sonic imagery, and the trance-like, nature-inflected atmospheres.