Mogwai The Bad Fire
Released Jan 24, 2025 Temporary Residence Ltd.
Established consensus 16 professional reviews Updated Oct 2, 2026
Broadly positive consensus
Mogwai's The Bad Fire arrives as a bruised-yet-resolute statement that frames grief and recovery through the band's signature instrumental sweep.
How ChoruScore worksCritics' Top Tracks
The songs critics returned to most
Hammer Room
4 critic mentions
“then you hear a song like late album highlight “Hammer Room”, which centers on a bouncy keyboard figure” — PopMatters
If You Find This World Bad, You Should See Some Of The Others
3 critic mentions
“begins with a handful of lonely guitar notes being gradually and beautifully adorned into an exhilarating, impassioned and fierce call to arms” — Hot Press
Lion Rumpus
3 critic mentions
“the sparky ‘Hammer Room’ and wonderfully stirring ‘Lion Rumpus’ double down on.” — Hot Press
Full critic consensus
Mogwai's The Bad Fire arrives as a bruised-yet-resolute statement that frames grief and recovery through the band's signature instrumental sweep. Across 16 professional reviews the record earned a 79.38/100 consensus score, and critics consistently point to a set of standout tracks that balance celestial beauty with apocalyptic imagery and quiet resilience.
Reviewers agree that the album's best songs include “If You Find This World Bad, You Should See Some Of The Others”, “Hammer Room”, “Lion Rumpus” and “18 Volcanoes”. The Observer praises “Pale Vegan Hip Pain” and “Hammer Room” for how tenderness now wins out over roar, while Hot Press celebrates the opener “God Gets You Back” and lauds “If You Find This World Bad, You Should See Some Of The Others” as an impassioned centerpiece. The Skinny highlights the album's textural shifts and Braithwaite's exposed vocals on “18 Volcanoes”, calling the closing track “Fact Boy” a cosmic, healing coda. Critics note repeated themes of healing through music, personal turmoil and an evolution within an established sound, with production collaboration and vocal experimentation marking subtle departures from Mogwai's past.
Not without reservations, some reviewers flag occasional distractions from vocals and a sense that the band is still negotiating newer directions, but the overall critical consensus leans positive: professional reviews frame The Bad Fire as a resilient, often soothing record that refines Mogwai's textures while retaining their emotional core. For readers searching for a focused The Bad Fire review or wondering what the best songs on the record are, the collection of critics consistently points to the tracks above as highlights and places the album as a notable chapter in the band's late-career evolution.
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
God Gets You Back
Hi Chaos
What Kind Of Mix Is This?
Fanzine Made Of Flesh
Pale Vegan Hip Pain
If You Find This World Bad, You Should See Some Of The Others
18 Volcanoes
Hammer Room
Lion Rumpus
Fact Boy
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What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 16 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
In his measured, celebratory tone Adam Turner-Heffer notes that Mogwai's The Bad Fire finds the band at a crossroads yet still triumphant, with opener “God Gets You Back” building "layer-upon-layer" to set the scene. He highlights brighter stompers such as “Fanzine Made Of Flesh” and “Lion Rumpus” as examples of a poppier Mogwai, while placing the album's emotional core squarely in the middle with “Pale Vegan Hip Pain” and “18 Volcanoes”. The reviewer praises Braithwaite's vocals on “18 Volcanoes” as the most exposed since earlier work, and notes how closing track “Fact Boy” elevates listeners onto a cosmic, healing plane. Concise and authoritative, the review frames these as the best tracks on The Bad Fire because they balance the band's history, textural mastery and newfound accessibility.
Key Points
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18 Volcanoes is the emotional centre and best track for its exposed vocal performance and evocative fuzz textures.
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The album's strengths are its balance of light and dark, textural layering, and ability to feel both veteran and freshly accessible.
Themes
Ho
Critic's Take
Mogwai's The Bad Fire feels like another near-perfect entry in their catalogue, and the review makes clear which are the best songs on the album. The opener “God Gets You Back” sets a doom-laden tone, while “If You Find This World Bad, You Should See Some Of The Others” is praised as an exhilarating, impassioned call to arms. The gentle optimism of “18 Volcanoes” and the sparky “Hammer Room” plus the wonderfully stirring “Lion Rumpus” are all named as standout tracks that double down on the record's vibe. The reviewer’s voice is admiring and celebratory, noting how celestial beauty triumphs over darkness across these best tracks on The Bad Fire.
Key Points
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The emotionally charged build and call to arms make "If You Find This World Bad, You Should See Some Of The Others" the album's standout.
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The Bad Fire's core strengths are its celestial beauty and ability to transcend personal gloom with uplifting, anthemic instrumentals.
Themes
Th
Critic's Take
Mogwai’s The Bad Fire is a record of bruised resilience, where tenderness often wins out over the band’s old roar. Phil Mongredien singles out “Pale Vegan Hip Pain” and “Hammer Room” as sublime, constantly questing tracks that show how Mogwai now soothe rather than storm. He also flags “If You Find This World Bad, You Should See Some of the Others” as a masterclass in dynamics, and reserves a wilder nod for “Lion Rumpus”. The review reads like a summary of recovery and craft, answering plainly which are the best songs on The Bad Fire while staying true to the band’s late-career strengths.
Key Points
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The best song is "Pale Vegan Hip Pain" because the reviewer calls it 'sublime' and emblematic of Mogwai’s soothing expansion.
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The album’s core strengths are controlled dynamics, textured motifs, and emotional resilience after personal hardship.
Themes
Ke
Critic's Take
Mogwai sound unmistakably themselves on The Bad Fire, but Brice Ezell writes with a clear-eyed balance of praise and reservation. He singles out “God Gets You Back” for its ecstatic synth that sets the record up marvelously, and names “Hammer Room” a late-album highlight that reminds the listener why the band matters in instrumental rock. Ezell notes that vocals on tracks like “Fanzine Made of Flesh” and “18 Volcanoes” sometimes distract, even as inventive moments scatter across the album. The result, he suggests, is not a masterpiece but a portrait of a band still finding the new in the familiar.
Key Points
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“God Gets You Back” is best for its ecstatic synth that sets the record up marvelously.
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The album’s core strengths are instrumental inventiveness and varied sonic textures amid restrained vocal experiments.
Themes
