José González Against The Dying of The Light
Released Mar 27, 2026 Mute
Established consensus 5 professional reviews Updated Mar 27, 2026
Broadly positive consensus
José González's Against The Dying of The Light opens as a quietly urgent statement that blends intimate fingerpicking with pointed moral concern, and across professional reviews it earns a mostly favorable consensus.
How ChoruScore worksCritics' Top Tracks
The songs critics returned to most
Against The Dying Of The Light
2 critic mentions
“Nodding to Dylan Thomas' eternal verse, "Against the Dying of the Light" is a hymn for humanity's salvation” — AllMusic
You & We
1 critic mention
“penultimate track 'You & We' is a heavenly, cascading stream of beautiful guitars, vocals and words.” — Far Out Magazine
A Perfect Storm
2 critic mentions
“Opener "A Perfect Storm" is a flashing red light of urgency” — AllMusic
Full critic consensus
José González's Against The Dying of The Light opens as a quietly urgent statement that blends intimate fingerpicking with pointed moral concern, and across professional reviews it earns a mostly favorable consensus. Critics note a tension between minimalism and message: songs like “A Perfect Storm” and the title track “Against The Dying Of The Light” deliver the record's clearest political register, while gentler pieces such as “Pajarito” and “You & We” showcase González's gift for warmth and multilingual expression.
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
A Perfect Storm
Etyd
Against The Dying Of The Light
For Every Dusk
Sheet
Pajarito
Losing Game (Sick)
Ay Querida
U / Rawls Slöja
Gymnasten
Just A Rock
You & We
Joy (Can't Help But Sing)
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What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 5 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
In his quietly urgent mode, José González makes Against The Dying of The Light feel like a protest record that still believes in remedies. The opener “A Perfect Storm” acts as a flashing red light with propulsive guitar, while the hushed “Etyd” and the sly “Sheet” show how admonishment and hope coexist on the best songs on Against The Dying of The Light. González's tenor and deft fingerpicking make these best tracks land without grandstanding, turning political attention into intimate exhortation.
Key Points
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The best song is the opener “A Perfect Storm” because its urgency and propulsive guitar make the album's protest stance immediate.
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The album's core strengths are intimate minimalism paired with pointed sociopolitical commentary, balanced by a persistent thread of hope.
Themes
Critic's Take
José González returns on Against The Dying of The Light with a humane, gently admonishing voice that makes the best tracks feel like private sermons. The title track “Against The Dying Of The Light” is built around a lilting guitar riff that settles into a mantra, and it stands out as one of the album's best songs for its quiet moral clarity. Likewise “A Perfect Storm” and “Losing Game (Sick)” are flagged by González's warnings about AI and technology, making them among the best tracks on Against The Dying of The Light for their topical urgency. Elsewhere, the Spanish “Pajarito” provides joyous simplicity, proof that his softer pieces can also be among the album's most affecting songs.
Key Points
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The title track is the best song because its lilting riff and mantra-like delivery crystallize the album’s plea to value life.
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The album's strengths are intimate, polished guitar work and a humanist theme pushing back against technological dehumanization.
Themes
Fa
Critic's Take
José González continues in familiar territory on Against The Dying of The Light, the record leaning into the hypnotic hush and repetitive guitar patterns he does so well. The review insists the best songs are clustered late in the running order, spotlighting “Just A Rock” and “You & We” as the album's emotional peaks. The reviewer praises the Spanish “Ay Querida” and the Swedish “U / Rawls Slöja” for offering welcome detours from the sameness, but cautions that much of the album risks blurring into one another. Ultimately the take is measured: comforting and meditative rather than revelatory, with the strongest tracks arriving in the second half.
Key Points
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The best song is "You & We" for its "heavenly, cascading" guitars and vocals which make it the album's standout.
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The album's core strengths are its hypnotic, meditative atmosphere and late-album moments of dynamic and melodic variation.