Searows Death In The Business Of Whaling
Consensus is still forming across 3 professional reviews. Searows's Death In The Business Of Whaling arrives as a thorny, wide-angled collection that trades tidy folk sentiment for atmospheric heft and theatrical intensity. Across professional reviews, critics point to moments of genuine payoff - especially “Dearly Missed” and “Junie” - as proof that Duckart can shift from in
The best song is "Dearly Missed" because it breaks Duckart’s formula, builds mounting tension, and features his first belting moments.
Searows's Death In The Business Of Whaling arrives as a thorny, wide-angled collection that trades tidy folk sentiment for atmospheric heft and theatrical intensity. Across profess
Best for listeners looking for existential discomfort and damaged characters, starting with Dearly Missed and Junie.
Full consensus notes
Searows's Death In The Business Of Whaling arrives as a thorny, wide-angled collection that trades tidy folk sentiment for atmospheric heft and theatrical intensity. Across professional reviews, critics point to moments of genuine payoff - especially “Dearly Missed” and “Junie” - as proof that Duckart can shift from intimate troubadour to a more assured, widescreen voice.
The critical consensus is divided: the record earned a 56/100 consensus score from three professional reviews, with praise for its expanded textures and a few standout tracks balanced against reservations about consistency. Pitchfork highlights the epic release valve of “Dearly Missed” and the complex portrait in “Junie,” noting atmospheric slowcore leanings on songs like “Hunter” and “Dirt.” Far Out Magazine similarly praises the louder dynamics and big drums that give certain cuts rare gravity, framing those moments as a boost of confidence. One outlet offered only brief, fan-focused context rather than track-by-track judgments, which helps explain the spread of opinions across reviews.
Taken together, reviewers consistently cite themes of existential discomfort, damaged characters, and Pacific Northwest landscape filtered through indie-folk to rock textures and atmospheric folk production. For listeners asking whether Death In The Business Of Whaling is worth a listen, critics agree the album contains compelling high points - notably “Dearly Missed” and “Junie” - even if its ambitions outpace uniform execution. Scroll down for full reviews and detailed takes on the record's quieter and larger moments.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
Dearly Missed
2 mentions
"the album’s epic centerpiece, he shows he’s capable of throwing away that formula altogether"— Pitchfork
Junie
1 mention
"On "Junie," the narrator—possibly a younger Duckart—admits to a high school guidance counselor he feels beyond repair"— Pitchfork
Dirt
1 mention
"It’s delusion, but it’s peaceful/That this body is not your own," he sings on "Dirt."— Pitchfork
the album’s epic centerpiece, he shows he’s capable of throwing away that formula altogether
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Belly of the Whale
Kill What You Eat
Photograph of a Cyclone
Hunter
Dirt
Dearly Missed
Junie
In Violet
Geese
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What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 2 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
Searows advances a singular melancholy on Death in the Business of Whaling, and the best songs — notably “Dearly Missed” and “Junie” — show why. Hannah Jocelyn leans into Duckart’s theatrical control and tense harmonies, praising the epic centerpiece “Dearly Missed” for finally letting him belt, and she highlights “Junie” as a complex portrait of a damaged narrator. The review points to subtle production shifts that cast songs like “Hunter” and “Dirt” in a slowcore, atmospheric light, which helps explain queries about the best tracks on Death in the Business of Whaling. Overall, the critic positions those standout moments as evidence that Duckart can break free of the oversaturated yearning-folk pack.
Key Points
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The best song is "Dearly Missed" because it breaks Duckart’s formula, builds mounting tension, and features his first belting moments.
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The album’s core strengths are its atmospheric slowcore production, theatrical vocal control, and complex, damaged-character songwriting.
Themes
Fa
Critic's Take
Searows sounds emboldened on Death in the Business of Whaling, turning earlier tenderness into widescreen assurance while keeping his intimacy intact. Lucy Harbron praises the record's new textures and louder moments, arguing that the best tracks - notably “Dearly Missed” - show the boost of confidence that makes the best songs on Death in the Business of Whaling hit harder. The album feels vast yet intimate, with big drums and thick guitars giving standout songs a rare gravity. Harbron frames this as the freedom a label can give an artist, and it is those fortified tracks that emerge as the clear highlights.
Key Points
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The best song is “Dearly Missed” because it exemplifies the album’s new confidence with thick guitars and big drums.
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The album’s core strengths are its expanded textures and a newfound boldness that turns intimacy into widescreen moments.