No Joy Bugland
No Joy's Bugland arrives as a jubilant collision of shoegaze textures and electronic precision, a record where nostalgia and playfulness drive its freshest moments. Critics point to opener “Garbage Dream House” and title track “Bugland” as immediate highlights, with The Quietus and Pitchfork both praising the album's knack for turning dense, layered production into exuberant, memorable hooks.
Across two professional reviews, Bugland earned an 81.5/100 consensus score, with writers consistently noting the album's maximalist production and careful electronic fusion. Reviewers praised Jasamine White-Gluz's lichen-cloaked vocals and the DAW-like, sentient production that makes songs such as “Save the Lobsters” and “Jelly Meadow Bright” feel simultaneously uncanny and organic. Critics agree the record leans into 90s alt-rock references while pushing a shoegaze revival through precise modern sound design.
While both reviews celebrate the album's adventurous textures and euphoric moments, they also frame its strengths in terms of composition - standout tracks are those that allow layered arrangements to erode into catharsis rather than clutter. The critical consensus suggests Bugland is a rewarding step in No Joy's evolution: a playful, production-forward collection that answers questions about whether the album is good by delivering consistently praised high points and a clear artistic direction. Read on for full reviews and track-by-track notes on the best songs on Bugland.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
Garbage Dream House
2 mentions
"About halfway through opener “Garbage Dream House,” lost among overlapping clouds of synth"— Pitchfork
Bugland
1 mention
"In the title track, she slaps riffs up on the wall like stickers on a locker"— Pitchfork
Jelly Meadow Bright
1 mention
"‘Jelly Meadow Bright’, the album’s closer, sees the meeting of both of these impulses"— The Quietus
About halfway through opener “Garbage Dream House,” lost among overlapping clouds of synth
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Garbage Dream House
Bugland
Bits
Save the Lobsters
My Crud Princess
Bather in the Bloodcells
I Hate that I Forget What You Look Like
Jelly Meadow Bright
What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 3 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
No Joy’s Bugland stakes its claim with electronica-forward pop moments where the best songs - “Garbage Dream House”, “Save the Lobsters” and “Jelly Meadow Bright” - fuse shoegaze memory and machine precision. Archie Forde writes with gleeful detail about how Fire-Toolz’s DAW-like sentience and Jasamine White-Gluz’s lichen-cloaked vocals make these tracks feel both uncanny and natural. If you’re asking what the best tracks on Bugland are, the opener and closer, plus the artful centerpiece, are singled out as the album’s clearest triumphs. The record sounds like a future-tinged rite of spring, and those songs explain why the project’s evolution remains thrilling rather than predictable.
Key Points
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The best song is the opener 'Garbage Dream House' because it combines Aphex-adjacent mania with precise, emotive production.
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The album’s core strengths are its fusion of shoegaze textures with granular electronic production and a persistent nature-versus-technology theme.
Themes
Critic's Take
No Joy’s Bugland reads like a memory made tangible, playfully rebuilt and drenched in textures; the standout moments - opener “Garbage Dream House” and the title track “Bugland” - show Jasamine White-Gluz pumping more ambience and chunky ’90s guitar into songs until they burst with joy. The reviewer’s relish for dense, sedimentary arrangements is constant, so best songs on Bugland are those that let layers erode into catharsis, as when “Garbage Dream House” blooms into something as big and cathartic as “Ray of Light.” This is an album that knows it’s living in memory and turns that knowing into pleasure, which is why the best tracks feel both nostalgic and thrilling.
Key Points
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The best song, “Garbage Dream House,” is best because its layered textures erupt into catharsis and encapsulate the album’s joyous maximalism.
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The album’s core strengths are its nostalgic, hyper-maximalist production and White-Gluz’s skillful arranging that turns memory into playful, emotional energy.