Tony Njoku All Our Knives Are Always Sharp
Released Jul 11, 2025 Studio Njoku
Consensus forming 3 professional reviews Updated Nov 23, 2025
Mostly positive consensus
Consensus is still forming across 3 professional reviews. Tony Njoku's All Our Knives Are Always Sharp arrives as a cinematic, often theatrical statement that balances downtempo murk with moments of startling clarity, and critics generally view it as a bold step in Njoku's progression.
How ChoruScore worksCritics' Top Tracks
The songs critics returned to most
WEAPON
3 critic mentions
“Weapon’ has circular piano motifs, flurried horns in reverse, panning falsetto vocals, and choruses that tremor like detonations” — The Quietus
All Our Knives Are Always Sharp
1 critic mention
“features Coby Sey and feels like a hopeful graduation speech” — Beats Per Minute
Safety
2 critic mentions
“Safety, featuring Labi Junior, is a poetic song with haunting vocals and instruments” — Beats Per Minute
Full critic consensus
Tony Njoku's All Our Knives Are Always Sharp arrives as a cinematic, often theatrical statement that balances downtempo murk with moments of startling clarity, and critics generally view it as a bold step in Njoku's progression. Across three professional reviews the record earned a 73.67/100 consensus score, with reviewers consistently naming “WEAPON”, “CATATONIA” and the title track “All Our Knives Are Always Sharp” among its most striking moments.
Reviewers praise Njoku's fusion of Western classical arrangements and Nigerian idioms, noting how classical and electronic fusion underpins themes of self-actualization, spirituality and resistance. “WEAPON” emerges as the album's furious centerpiece, driven by circular piano motifs, detonating choruses and a digitally assisted falsetto that critics found both dramatic and regenerative. “CATATONIA” and collaborations such as the Tricky-featured “DEPLETED” are singled out for political urgency and textural invention, while the title track and “Safety” provide moments of hopeful, healing clarity amid the record's anxious atmospherics.
While admiration runs through the professional reviews, critics qualify their praise with notes about occasional over-solemnity and dense theatricality. The consensus suggests this collection will reward repeated listening for those interested in Afrofuturism, textured vocal-led atmospheres and a composer willing to blend classical form with psychedelic production. Below, detailed reviews unpack why the best songs on All Our Knives Are Always Sharp - led by “WEAPON” and supported by “CATATONIA” and “Safety” - are the record's most transformative moments.
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
ALL OUR KNIVES ARE ALWAYS SHARP
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What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 3 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
The record's features - from Tricky to Space Afrika - are described as cohort-like, brought in to shape rather than merely appear, which helps explain why these songs feel like the best tracks on All Our Knives Are Always Sharp. Overall, the album is praised for its intricate compositions that avoid melodrama while staking Njoku's claim as composer, singer, and producer.
Key Points
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The album’s core strengths are its fusion of classical piano and electronic production, cohesive features, and intricate compositions that avoid melodrama.
Themes
Critic's Take
Overall, Chiney presents the best songs on All Our Knives Are Always Sharp as those that marry emotional clarity with bold, genre-blending production.
Key Points
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The album’s strengths are its genre fusion, cinematic production, strong guest contributions, and spiritual-political themes.
Themes
Key Points
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The album’s core strengths are its textural abstraction balanced with ornate, theatrical arrangements and notable guest contributions.