Matt Maltese Hers
Matt Maltese's Hers arrives as a finely observed, theatrically intimate collection that pairs wry humour with ache and cinematic pop textures. Across four professional reviews critics identify the record's strengths in its lush orchestration, self-deprecating wit and moments of blunt longing, and repeatedly point to standout tracks such as “Always Some MF”, “Buses Replace Trains” and “Arthouse Cinema” as the clearest examples of Maltese's marriage of comedy amid sadness.
The critical consensus, reflected in a 79.5/100 score across 4 professional reviews, praises Maltese's songwriting craft and the way strings, woodwinds and restrained arrangements amplify songs about love, sexuality and mental health. Reviewers consistently highlight “Tangled” and “Buses Replace Trains” for their ache and orchestral sweep, while “Always Some MF” and “Arthouse Cinema” are noted for turning awkwardness and domestic grief into slyly funny, cinematic moments. Critics agree the production leans toward lushness rather than minimalism, giving the record a timeless sheen even as lyrics trade schmaltzcore melodrama for plainspoken embarrassment.
While appraisal is broadly positive, some reviews temper praise with the observation that theatricality occasionally risks overstatement, so the album reads as a matured, sometimes indulgent evolution rather than a radical reinvention. For readers asking whether Hers is worth listening to, the consensus suggests it is a must-listen for those drawn to intelligent, bittersweet pop where heartbreak, comedy and craftsmanship sit side by side. Below, individual reviews unpack the record's best songs, film-like imagery and the moments where Maltese's wit most effectively breaks the melancholy.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
Happy Birthday
1 mention
"‘Happy Birthday’ - ostensibly a jealous admission of missing your ex - is afforded an almost James Bond theme-esque slink"— DIY Magazine
Buses Replace Trains
2 mentions
"‘Buses Replace Trains’ finds Matt Maltese on familiar ground, a gilded indie pop hymn"— Clash Music
Always Some MF
3 mentions
"‘Always Some MF’ might just be the prettiest song to ever employ the titular Anglo-Saxon curse"— Clash Music
‘Happy Birthday’ - ostensibly a jealous admission of missing your ex - is afforded an almost James Bond theme-esque slink
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Arthouse Cinema
Buses Replace Trains
Happy Birthday
Anytime, Anyplace, Anyhow
Always Some MF
Cure For Emptiness
Holiday From Yourself
Pined For You My Whole Life
Eternal Darkness Of The Spotted Mind
Tangled
Everybody's Just As Crazy As Me
What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 5 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
In a voice that delights in wit and feeling, Matt Maltese returns with Hers, where the best songs - notably “Always Some MF” and “Anytime, Anyplace, Anyhow” - stitch comedy into heartbreak with sly tenderness. The album’s strongest moments lean on his lovelorn croon and clever lyricism, with “Always Some MF” setting the tone and “Anytime, Anyplace, Anyhow” pushing the boundaries of sensual awkwardness into something almost sweet. For listeners asking "best tracks on Hers" or "best songs on Hers," those two tracks repeatedly surface as the record’s highlight, marrying schmaltzcore melodrama with genuinely funny, incisive lines. The pieces that work best balance theatrical arrangements with moments of plainspoken embarrassment, proving Maltese’s knack for making you laugh and ache in the same breath.
Key Points
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“Always Some MF” is best because it was the record’s first written song and sets the album’s wry, lovelorn tone.
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The album’s core strength is balancing comedy with genuine emotion, making sensual or awkward themes feel sensitive and funny.
Themes
Critic's Take
Matt Maltese's Hers is his most ambitious, artful and affecting record to date, and the best tracks - notably “Tangled” and “Buses Replace Trains” - crystallise that blend of aching lyric and lush arrangement in a way that stops you cold. The reviewer keeps a measured, slightly world-weary tone, praising how strings and woodwinds give songs a timeless sheen while humour and self-deprecation keep them human. He singles out “Tangled” for the line "God peaked making you" and “Buses Replace Trains” for its Douglas Sirk strings, making them clear best tracks on Hers. Overall the voice is admiring and precise, convinced the album fulfils Maltese's dream of sounding classic yet delivering lyrical jolts.
Key Points
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The best song is best because it pairs a striking lyric with lush, timeless arrangement that crystallises the album's emotional core.
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The album's core strengths are its yearning themes, masterful orchestration, and wit that balances melancholy with humour.
Themes
Critic's Take
In a pleasingly measured tone Daisy Carter finds the best tracks on Hers to be the ones that turn small domestic griefs into cinema: “Arthouse Cinema” becomes a smooth lounge-pop opener, while “Happy Birthday” skulks along like a James Bond-theme slink. Carter praises Matt Maltese for trading infatuation for maturation, and cites “Pined For You My Whole Life” as a moment of wry, self-aware yearning. The review reads as affectionate appraisal - admiring the album's lyrical nuance, woodwind flourishes, and high-drama arrangements as the standout ingredients that make these the best songs on Hers.
Key Points
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The best song is praised for its dramatic arrangements and Bond-like slink, making “Happy Birthday” the standout.
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The album's core strengths are mature songwriting, cinematic detail, and tasteful handling of racier lyrics.
Themes
Critic's Take
There is a pleasing intimacy to Matt Maltese’s Hers, where the best songs - “Arthouse Cinema”, “Buses Replace Trains” and “Everybody's Just As Crazy As Me” - wear their melancholy lightly. Murray’s eye for melody and lyric means the album’s best tracks fold sweetness around darkness, making the best songs on Hers feel both familiar and quietly strange. From the breathy clarinet of “Arthouse Cinema” to the rainy-day hymn of “Buses Replace Trains”, these moments crystallise why the record is at once airy and appreciably darker. The result is a record of restrained grandeur where the standout songs reveal Maltese’s focused songwriting and emotional clarity.
Key Points
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The best song is best because it pairs intimate, breathy arrangement with Maltese's conversational vocal and vivid lyricism.
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The album’s core strengths are focused songwriting, a restrained palette, and a blend of sweet melodies with darker lyrical undertones.