Yungblud Idols
Yungblud's Idols opens with a bold statement of intent, staking a claim for arena-scale ambition while probing the costs of fame and identity. Across five professional reviews the record earns a 69.2/100 consensus score, and critics consistently point to theatrical highs and nostalgic nods as the album's defining features. The nine-minute opener “Hello Heaven, Hello” is universally flagged as a showpiece, and tracks like “Idols Pt. I”, “Ghosts” and “Change” recur as standout songs on Idols.
Professional reviews praise the album's spectacle and catharsis even as they debate its substance. Reviewers note genre pastiche and 90s revivalism throughout, with references to U2, Oasis and Bowie shaping the record's palette; where some critics hear ambitious homage and soaring, string-led moments they call essential, others hear overwrought production that sometimes slips into derivative pastiche. Critics consistently celebrate the record's theatrical moments - the piano-bared interlude of “Idols Pt. II” and the string-filled climaxes - as proof of Yungblud's appetite for big feelings and arena-sized drama.
The balance of opinion is mixed but clear: Idols is at its best when it pares back and leans into genuine catharsis, and less convincing when influence tips into imitation. Across five reviews the consensus suggests Idols is worth listening to for its high points - notably “Hello Heaven, Hello”, “Idols Pt. I” and “Ghosts” - even if its reach occasionally exceeds its grasp. Below, detailed reviews unpack where those reaches succeed and where they falter in Yungblud's most theatrical collection to date.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
Change
2 mentions
"Change is another big number among the big numbers, a piano-led and yearning thing"— Louder Than War
Hello Heaven, Hello
5 mentions
"Opening with a nine-minute rock odyssey is certainly one way to say, "I am not fucking about""— Kerrang!
Idols Pt. II
2 mentions
"Idols Pt 2 is a bare confessional, just Yungblud and a Bowie-adjacent piano"— Louder Than War
Change is another big number among the big numbers, a piano-led and yearning thing
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Hello Heaven, Hello
Idols Pt. I
Lovesick Lullaby
Zombie
The Greatest Parade
Change
Monday Murder
Ghosts
Fire
War
Idols Pt. II
Supermoon
What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 6 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
MK Bennett writes with grand, authoritative conviction that Yungblud’s Idols is his bid for arena-scale relevance, where the best songs - “Hello Heaven, Hello” and “Idols Pt. I” - stake the claim. The opener is called a "nine-minute gem", ambitious and extravagant, a U2-circa-Zooropa declaration, while “Idols Pt. I” is praised as excellent modern pop, string-led and self-aware. Bennett keeps returning to theatricality and influence, celebrating moments like the string-filled third act and the piano bareness of “Idols Pt. II” as proof the record is both heartfelt and deliberately constructed. The result reads as a confident, living artefact - big, emotional and often glorious - an album that makes clear why fans will call these the best tracks on Idols.
Key Points
-
The best song is the opener "Hello Heaven, Hello" for its ambition, nine-minute scope and stadium-ready grandeur.
-
The album’s core strengths are theatrical, influence-rich songwriting and large-scale, heartfelt production that suits Yungblud’s personality.
Themes
Critic's Take
Yungblud arrives on Idols sounding expansive and unapologetic, the best songs staking out his ambitions with theatrical force. The nine-minute opener “Hello Heaven, Hello” reintroduces him with bravado and humility, while “Lovesick Lullaby” channels Nineties power-alt-pop into something raucous and hooky. “Ghosts” and “The Greatest Parade” show his knack for stadium-scale grandeur and downcast, world-weary melodies, which together explain why listeners ask which are the best tracks on Idols. The record’s strongest moments trade in catharsis rather than subtlety, and those moments make clear what the best songs on Idols deliver: big feelings and bigger sounds.
Key Points
-
The best song is the opener “Hello Heaven, Hello” because it dramatizes Yungblud’s renewed ambition across multiple movements.
-
The album’s core strengths are theatrical scale, cathartic vocals, and a willingness to blend 90s alt-rock textures with orchestral grandeur.
Themes
Critic's Take
In this review I argue that Yungblud's Idols wastes its best ideas, though a few tracks still sing loud. The nine-minute opener “Hello Heaven, Hello” is deliciously bombastic and the album's most audacious gamble, while the title track “Idols Pt. I” is particularly lovely with a wonderful chorus and sweeping strings. Beyond those high points, much of Idols collapses into tired pastiche - songs like “Lovesick Lullaby” and “Zombie” feel derivative and forgettable. Ultimately, the record's arena-size ambitions are undermined by generic writing and an absence of the playful energy that used to define Harrison's work.
Key Points
-
“Hello Heaven, Hello” is the best track for its audacious, bombastic nine-minute structure and arena-ready ambition.
-
The album’s strengths are grand ambition and 90s-influenced production, but its core weaknesses are tired pastiche and generic songwriting.
Themes
Ke
Critic's Take
Yungblud's Idols makes a brash claim for its best songs from the off, and the nine-minute opener “Hello Heaven, Hello” immediately stakes that territory with expansive, dreamy grandeur. The reviewist revels in the album's ambition, singling out “Lovesick Lullaby” for its Britpop swagger and charm, which helps answer the question of the best tracks on Idols. If you want the best songs on Idols, listen for the sprawling opener and the jaunty, nostalgic cut that wears its influences like a badge of honour.
Key Points
-
The nine-minute opener “Hello Heaven, Hello” is the album's most ambitious, setting an expansive, dreamy tone.
-
The album's core strengths are its bold ambition, nostalgic nods to '80s/'90s rock, and successful genre pastiche.
Themes
Critic's Take
Yungblud approaches Idols as a celebration, unabashedly wearing his influences on his sleeve while crafting memorable moments like “Zombie” and “Ghosts”. The reviewer's voice delights in the album's fearless nods to Bowie, Oasis and U2, and insists these callbacks become something new rather than pastiche. He praises the immediacy of “Change” and the Robert Smith-tinged “Monday Murder” as proof that the best tracks on Idols turn reverence into present-day urgency. By the time you reach “War” the comparisons fall away and the record reveals a matured artist staking his claim.
Key Points
-
The best song, "War," is where Yungblud stops sounding derivative and reveals a matured artistic voice.
-
The album's core strengths are its bold homage to British rock icons and its ability to make those influences feel immediate and youthful.