nao Jupiter
Released Feb 21, 2025 RCA Records Label
Established consensus 7 professional reviews Updated Aug 25, 2026
Broadly positive consensus
nao's Jupiter announces a warm, optimistic return that balances nocturnal grooves with sunlit, anthemic uplift.
How ChoruScore worksCritics' Top Tracks
The songs critics returned to most
Elevate
2 critic mentions
“Elevate captures a rhapsodic episode of swimming through the cosmos” — The Skinny
Happy People
2 critic mentions
“Other uptempo numbers such as We All Win and Happy People lift into anthemic choruses” — The Observer (UK)
Wildflowers
2 critic mentions
“If you really love me, then say you love me” — The Skinny
Full critic consensus
nao's Jupiter announces a warm, optimistic return that balances nocturnal grooves with sunlit, anthemic uplift. Across professional reviews, critics praise the record's mix of intimate vulnerability and buoyant romance, noting how songs move from low-key slow-burners into moments of genuine ascension. With a 76.29/100 consensus score across 7 professional reviews, the critical reception skews positive and appreciative without glossing over nuance.
Reviewers consistently point to a handful of standout tracks as the album's emotional and musical fulcrums. “Elevate” emerges repeatedly as the centerpiece, its cosmic rhapsody and layered production singled out for capturing the album's sense of growth and ascension. Critics also highlight “Happy People” and “Wildflowers” for their anthemic choruses and sprightly bass respectively, while “Light Years” and “We All Win” are noted for sinking into nocturnal, slow-burning textures that reveal deeper vulnerability. Themes of romance, nostalgia, optimism and love thread the songs, so that the collection reads as both a personal return and a communal celebration.
While most reviews applaud nao's craft and emotional clarity, critics temper praise with measured observations about pace and cohesion, suggesting some moments favor atmosphere over risk. Still, the consensus suggests Jupiter is worth attention: it refines the artist's nocturnal soul-pop into brighter, more anthemic forms and delivers several of the best songs on Jupiter that critics repeatedly cite. Proceed to the full reviews below for track-by-track context and detailed takes on where the record lands in nao's catalog.
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Wildflowers
Elevate
Happy People
Light Years
We All Win
Poolside
30 Something
Just Dive
Jupiter
All Of Me
Better Days
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What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 7 critics who reviewed this album
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Critic's Take
nao’s Jupiter feels like a welcome, optimistic return, led by sprightly moments and nocturnal slow-burners. The review singles out “Wildflowers” for its sprightly bass and earworming melody, while uptempo cuts like “We All Win” and “Happy People” lift into anthemic choruses. Yet the reviewer insists it is the slower tracks - notably “Elevate” and “Light Years” - where Joshua truly shines, sinking into nocturnal grooves and erupting into emotive crescendos. Overall the tone is affectionate and measured, pitching these as the best tracks on Jupiter because they reveal both craft and feeling.
Key Points
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Light Years is best for its emotive crescendo and nocturnal intensity.
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The album’s strengths are polished songwriting, warm optimism, and a balance of sprightly uptempo tracks and slow grooves.
Themes
Critic's Take
nao arrives on Jupiter drenched in sincerity, and the best songs on Jupiter - notably “Elevate” and “Happy People” - shimmer with rhapsodic funk and layered gratitude in the way the reviewer describes. The voice here is dulcet and sensitive, high on love and open to change, and “Elevate” captures a swimming-through-the-cosmos rhapsody while “Happy People” folds vocal layering into meditative thankfulness. This is an album where vulnerable communion fuels moments that feel like ascension rather than mere popcraft, making those tracks the clearest standouts.
Key Points
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Elevate stands out for its rhapsodic, funk-tinged production and cosmic imagery.
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The album’s core strengths are sincere vocals, layered harmonies, and themes of love and growth.
Themes
