Lykke Li The Afterparty
Lykke Li's The Afterparty channels the messy glamour of late-night aftermath, condensing nights of longing, shame and disco revival into a compact nine-song sequence that critics call at once intoxicating and uneven. Across professional reviews, the record earned a 68.83/100 consensus score from six reviews, with many
Lucky Again is the album standout because its sorrowful lyrics are balanced by joyous disco production.
The album’s core strength is its honest depiction of a night’s cycle, rendered with vivid textures but hampered by brevity.
Best for listeners looking for dancefloor angst and disco revival, starting with Not Gon Cry and Knife In The Heart.
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Full consensus notes
Lykke Li's The Afterparty channels the messy glamour of late-night aftermath, condensing nights of longing, shame and disco revival into a compact nine-song sequence that critics call at once intoxicating and uneven. Across professional reviews, the record earned a 68.83/100 consensus score from six reviews, with many commentators praising how cinematic strings, dancefloor angst and a restless undercurrent turn heartbreak into hooky, neon-lit vignettes.
Reviewers consistently singled out several standout tracks as the album's emotional and sonic anchors. “Knife In The Heart” emerges repeatedly as a highlight for its percussion-forward swagger and encore-ready drama, while “So Happy I Could Die” and “Lucky Again” are often cited for their sunrise-aftermath poignancy and bittersweet disco sheen. Critics also name “Happy Now” and “Not Gon Cry” among the best songs on The Afterparty, noting moments where pop gloss meets alt-folk soul to striking effect.
Critical perspectives are mixed rather than uniformly celebratory. Some reviewers celebrate Lykke Li's unrestrained vocal intensity and the record's vivid, noirish mood, praising how revenge, romantic longing and comedown despair are rendered with immediacy. Other critics argue the album's brevity and light hooks leave several tracks feeling slight, so while the consensus endorses bold moments and memorable singles, it stops short of calling the record a full return to form. For readers wondering if The Afterparty is worth listening to, professional reviews suggest its best tracks make it a must-hear for fans of late-night pop and disco-tinged heartbreak, even if the whole collection feels intentionally fleeting.
Below, the full reviews unpack where the record succeeds and where its compressed, cinematic approach occasionally falters.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
Not Gon Cry
2 mentions
"she immediately sets the scene on opener and ode... 'Not Gon Cry"— New Musical Express (NME)
Knife In The Heart
3 mentions
"Sick Of Love” and “Knife In The Heart” feel slightly heavier, like the night is finally catching up with her"— The Line of Best Fit
Lucky Again
3 mentions
"Happy Now” and “Lucky Again” both lean into the pop dance floor with bright arrangements"— The Line of Best Fit
Sick Of Love” and “Knife In The Heart” feel slightly heavier, like the night is finally catching up with her
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Not Gon Cry
Happy Now
Lucky Again
Famous Last Words
Future Fear
So Happy I Could Die
Sick Of Love
Knife In The Heart
Euphoria
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What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 6 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
Lykke Li sounds unrestrained and incandescent on The Afterparty, and the reviewer's giddy enthusiasm singles out “Lucky Again”, “Sick Of Love” and “Knife In The Heart” as the best tracks. The writing frames “Lucky Again” as the album standout, its hand-wringing lyrics sitting against outward disco joy, while “Sick Of Love” supplies the cathartic howls that make the dancefloor feel human. “Knife In The Heart” is praised for its maxi-percussive confidence, and the closer “Euphoria” provides a raw, string-laced coda that cements why these are the best songs on The Afterparty.
Key Points
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Lucky Again is the album standout because its sorrowful lyrics are balanced by joyous disco production.
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The album’s core strength is marrying dancefloor immediacy with cinematic, angsty themes and lush strings.
Themes
Critic's Take
Lykke Li paints a messy, 4am world on The Afterparty, and the best tracks are the ones that stick in that dim light - “Not Gon Cry” opens with alleyway noir and instant mood, “Knife In The Heart” is the album highlight and certain encore-starter, and “So Happy I Could Die” is the sunrise gem whose lines linger. Trendell writes with a wry, vivid cadence, noting how the songs blend alt-folk soul with disco flashes and streetwise strut, so the best songs on The Afterparty feel both raw and irresistibly pop. The record condenses late-night consequences into nine songs, and these standouts carry its emotional weight while still making you want to dance through the hangover.
Key Points
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‘Knife In The Heart’ is the standout, dubbed the album highlight and an entrancing, encore-ready bop.
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The album's core strength is condensing late-night emotion and cinematic pop into nine concise, vivid songs.
Themes
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Critic's Take
Lykke Li’s The Afterparty is a compact, restless set where the best songs - “Happy Now” and “Lucky Again” - lean into pop gloss while never quite landing emotionally, the review finds. The writer notes how strings swell and choruses open into classic pop, but time feels compressed and hooks scarcely take hold. Mid-album cuts like “Future Fear” and “So Happy I Could Die” are singled out for woozy, jittery textures and fleeting intensity, making them among the more memorable tracks. Ultimately the critic argues the songs are honest and occasionally touching, yet too slight to sustain long-term resonance.
Key Points
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“Happy Now” is the best song because its bright, dance-floor production most clearly registers despite emotional distance.
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The album’s core strength is its honest depiction of a night’s cycle, rendered with vivid textures but hampered by brevity.
Themes
