The Dandy Warhols Pin Ups
The Dandy Warhols's Pin Ups repackages familiar favorites into a reverb-drenched, neo-psychedelic tribute that critics call both playful and uneven. Across seven professional reviews the record earned a 64.86/100 consensus score, and reviewers consistently point to moments where covers become reinventions rather than r
“What We All Want” is best for turning the post-punk original into a wiry, propulsive Dandy Warhols track.
The album's strengths are affectionate tributes, nostalgic selection, and band personality.
Best for listeners looking for covers as reinvention and neo-psychedelia, starting with What We All Want and Primary.
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Full consensus notes
The Dandy Warhols's Pin Ups repackages familiar favorites into a reverb-drenched, neo-psychedelic tribute that critics call both playful and uneven. Across seven professional reviews the record earned a 64.86/100 consensus score, and reviewers consistently point to moments where covers become reinventions rather than rote imitations. Standout tracks named repeatedly include “Primary”, “Goo Goo Muck” and the propulsive opener “What We All Want” as examples of the band translating influence into something unmistakably theirs.
Critics praise the album's loose, eclectic spirit and its flirtation with surf-guitar shimmer, woozy grooves and genre fluidity. XS Noize highlights “What We All Want” and a bold electronic reworking of “Love Song” as proof that the band refuses mimicry, while Under The Radar and Tinnitist single out “Primary”, “Goo Goo Muck” and “Cherry Bomb” for their energy and charm. Several reviews frame Pin Ups as part of a comeback for the covers album, an exercise in homage and friendship that foregrounds personality and nostalgia over radical transformation.
Yet critics remain split on scope and ambition: some praise the collection's warmth and the way Zia McCabe and Courtney inject character into selections like “Kiss Off”, while others note that a sprawling 17-track running order can feel indulgent. The consensus suggests Pin Ups is worth a listen for fans and anyone curious about covers as reinvention, offering standout moments even if the whole occasionally leans more charming than essential. Below, professional reviews unpack where the album succeeds and where it falters in the current covers-album resurgence.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
What We All Want
1 mention
"What We All Want”, originally by Gang Of Four, is retooled into something even more wiry and propulsive"— XS Noize
Primary
2 mentions
"Primary”, originally by The Cure, is stripped back and rebuilt with a woozy, hypnotic groove"— XS Noize
Goo Goo Muck
2 mentions
"The Cramps’ “Goo Goo Muck” gets surf-guitar treatment—one of the best interpretations"— Under The Radar
The single Kiss Off sees Zia standing in for Violent Femmes ' Gordan Gano , adding a bit of bratty flair
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Cherry Bomb
What We All Want
Primary
Kiss Off
Goo Goo Muck
Rain
Straight to Hell
Sister Golden Hair
Lay Lady Lay
Ripple
You Ain’t Going Nowhere
Blackbird
The Beautiful People
Love Song
Jetboy
She Sells Sanctuary
Inside the Outside
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What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 7 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
There’s a sly thrill to The Dandy Warhols reframing familiar songs on Pin Ups, and the best tracks on Pin Ups show why. Early standout “What We All Want” charges forward as a wiry, propulsive reinvention, while “Primary” is stripped back into a woozy, hypnotic groove that feels unmistakably Dandy Warhols. Zia McCabe’s playful turn on “Kiss Off” makes it one of the record’s most immediate highlights, and the reimagined “Love Song” is the boldest reinvention, turning punk into an electronic pulse. This is a covers collection that refuses mimicry, choosing instead to translate classics through the band’s hazy, neo-psychedelic lens.
Key Points
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“What We All Want” is best for turning the post-punk original into a wiry, propulsive Dandy Warhols track.
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The album’s strength is filtering covers through the band’s hazy, neo-psychedelic DNA rather than mimicking originals.
Themes
Critic's Take
The Dandy Warhols lean into their influences on Pin Ups, and the record’s best songs prove why this approach works. The reviewer's ear lingers on “Rain” and “Primary” as high points, noting that their version of The Cult’s “Rain” arguably surpasses the later “She Sells Sanctuary” and that “Primary” crackles with genuine energy. Zia McCabe’s lead on “Kiss Off” and the surf-guitar of “Goo Goo Muck” are singled out as standout interpretations. Though Seventeen tracks feels slightly indulgent, the best tracks on Pin Ups reveal The Dandy Warhols’ ability to transform influence into something vital.
Key Points
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The best song is likely the Dandy Warhols’ version of "Rain" because the reviewer says it arguably surpasses other covers.
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The album’s core strength is its transformative interpretations that reveal the band’s eclectic influences.
Themes
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Critic's Take
In a conversational, slightly wry tone Guy Oddy frames The Dandy Warhols Pin Ups as part of a modest comeback for the covers album, noting its lineage and the curious decision to borrow David Bowie’s title. He points to contemporaries such as the Damned and Willie Nelson to contextualise why listeners might care about the best tracks on Pin Ups. The reviewer’s eye is on the album as a cultural gesture more than a radical musical reinvention, implying the best songs are those that land the appropriation with charm rather than shock. The piece reads like an informed aside - measured, slightly sceptical, but ultimately receptive to the album’s harmless pleasures.
Key Points
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No specific tracks are discussed, so the best song cannot be identified from this review.
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The album is positioned as part of a modest covers-album resurgence and judged on cultural positioning rather than track-by-track innovation.
Themes
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Critic's Take
The Dandy Warhols have fashioned Pin Ups as a loose, affectionate homage, and the best songs — notably “Goo Goo Muck” and “Cherry Bomb” — catch that playful, surf-guitar and percolating pop energy the band wears like a badge. The record reads like a collection of favorites and curios, with “You Ain’t Going Nowhere” delivering a twangy backporch intimacy that feels earned. Courtney and Zia’s anecdotes pepper the album, making the best tracks feel like regained treasures rather than mere retreads. This is a fan-friendly, often charming set of covers that foregrounds the band’s personality more than radical reinvention.
Key Points
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Goo Goo Muck stands out for its surf-guitar flavor and energetic re-sketch.
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The album's strengths are affectionate tributes, nostalgic selection, and band personality.