Mamalarky Hex Key
Mamalarky's Hex Key arrives as a deliberately eccentric, often bewildering collection that rewards patience and close listening. Across four professional reviews, critics note the album's tug between tension and ease, its lo-fi intimacy and studio craftsmanship, and moments of confident songcraft that elevate the record above its more tentative stretches. The critical consensus lands on a cautiously positive note: Hex Key earned a 66.75/100 consensus score from four professional reviews, signaling an album with vivid highs and uneven stretches.
Reviewers consistently praise standout tracks for crystallizing Mamalarky's strengths. “#1 Best of All Time” repeatedly emerges as a jittery highlight, its BPM-driven delirium cited by multiple critics, while “Take Me”, “Nothing Lasts Forever”, and the title cut “Hex Key” are singled out for their mix of eerie synth sting, sticky hooks, and rhythmic ruptures. Critics note recurring themes of urban suburbia and alienation threaded through playful vocals, quirky instrumentation, and psych-pop textures. Praise centers on the band's adventurous hooks and dynamic shifts; while songs like “The Quiet” and a few others are described as stalling, the album's eccentricity versus accessibility debate is what makes it interesting.
Taken together, the reviews suggest Hex Key is worth listening to for those drawn to trippy art-rock and idiosyncratic indie pop. Professional reviews agree the collection contains must-listen moments and confident musicianship even as it sometimes sacrifices momentum, placing the record as a promising, if imperfect, chapter in Mamalarky's catalog and a compelling stop for anyone searching for the best songs on Hex Key.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
Nothing Lasts Forever
3 mentions
"turns enamoured on "Nothing Lasts Forever", a dreamy pop tune"— The Line of Best Fit
Take Me
3 mentions
"She then pleads on the spacey "Take Me""— The Line of Best Fit
#1 Best of All Time
4 mentions
""#1 Best of All Time" finds Bennett as an offbeat chanteuse"— The Line of Best Fit
turns enamoured on "Nothing Lasts Forever", a dreamy pop tune
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Broken Bones
Won't Give Up
The Quiet
Hex Key
Anhedonia
#1 Best of All Time
Take Me
MF
Blow Up
Blush
Nothing Lasts Forever
Feels So Wrong
Here's Everything
What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 5 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
Mamalarky lean into a tactful self-assurance on Hex Key, and the best songs - notably “#1 Best of All Time” and “Here’s Everything” - show why. The record revels in adventurous hooks and art-rock structures that surprise, with “#1 Best of All Time” supplying BPM-goading delirium and the closer “Here’s Everything” rewarding patience with a synth payoff. Lesser moments like “The Quiet” and the title track stall, but the album’s wins are vivid and oddly charming, proving Mamalarky have rarely sounded more at home.
Key Points
-
“#1 Best of All Time” is the best song because its BPM-goading delirium and frantic drum tracking make it an irresistible standout.
-
The album’s core strengths are confident, adventurous hooks, idiosyncratic instrumentation, and art-rock structures that defy expectations.
Themes
Critic's Take
At once languid and prickly, Mamalarky's Hex Key finds its best tracks by setting a dreamlike groove and then rupturing it - notably on “#1 Best Of All Time” and the title track. The record thrives when the rhythm section upends the chill, so listeners searching for the best songs on Hex Key should start with “#1 Best Of All Time” for its jittery propulsion and “Hex Key” for that unnerving, rewarding synth sting. Those moments, more than anything else here, show how the band balances easygoing indie pop with meticulous musicianship.
Key Points
-
The best song, '#1 Best Of All Time', is the most exciting for its jittery rhythm and pressured, off-key vocal turns.
-
Hex Key's core strength is balancing dreamy indie-pop vibes with sudden dynamic shifts and meticulous arrangements.
Themes
Fa
Critic's Take
Mamalarky’s Hex Key often feels like a band peering out of a window, catching moments rather than committing to them, which makes the best songs - “Hex Key”, “Take Me” and “Blow Up” - stand out by actually taking a small plunge. The review voice stays impatient and wry, noting how the record teases kaleidoscopic ambition yet mostly skates on arid arrangements, while these tracks supply the needed tactile synths, stuttering shuffle, and effortless hooks. There is a clear sense that the album’s intimacy and discipline rescue many moments, but the overall impression is of promise not fully realised.
Key Points
-
The best song, "Hex Key", is best because its tactile synths and ethereal groove give the record real momentum.
-
The album’s core strength is intimate interplay and focused discipline under the loose psych-pop surface.
Themes
Critic's Take
The album Hex Key continually rewards close listening, with Mamalarky turning oddball touches into unexpected delights. Mamalarky find pop sweetness in “Take Me” and “Nothing Lasts Forever”, two of the best tracks on Hex Key that balance catchy choruses with lyrical doubt. The record thrives on contrast - hard-rock grooves like “Broken Bones” sit beside eerie synth pieces such as “The Quiet” - and that restless variety is precisely its appeal. If you are searching for the best songs on Hex Key, start with “Take Me” and “Nothing Lasts Forever” and let the album’s inventive oddities reveal themselves.
Key Points
-
‘‘Take Me’’ is the best because its catchy chorus and spacey pleading crystallize Mamalarky’s balance of oddness and popcraft.
-
The album’s core strength is its inventive songcraft and fearless variety, blending quirky instrumentation with emotionally resonant lyrics.