Laugh Track

Reception[edit]

Editors at AnyDecentMusic? characterized Laugh Track as a 7.5 out of 10, based on seven reviews.^[18] According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Laugh Track received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 77 out of 100 from 11 critic scores.^[19]


Editors at AllMusic rated this album 3.5 out of 5 stars, with critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine writing that the music is at "a precisely modulated temperature, bringing the songs to warmth slowly and steadily".^[20] Spencer Kornhaber of The Atlantic called this work "hopeful music about everything getting worse", with "bleak" lyrics paired with "music [that] still has the light-seeking quality of Frankenstein".^[21] Editors at BrooklynVegan shortlisted this as a notable release of the week and critic Andrew Sacher wrote that this music has "the same passion and attention to detail that they’ve had for two decades straight".^[22] At Clash Music, Sahar Ghadirian gave this release a 9 out of 10, writing that it speaks "to the duality of human emotion" with a playful title accompanied by emotional lyrics and highlights several tracks for their atmospherics.^[3] Mary Siroky of Consequence called this album "a fine but forgettable companion" to their previous release, continuing that the music is "at its best when things get full and rich" and it "serves as a gentle reminder that there’s a difference between tenderness and boredom; long, meditative music is fine and good, but often more interesting when there’s a destination in mind".^[23] In Exclaim!, Alex Hudson rated Laugh Track an 8 out of 10, calling it stronger than its predecessor: "where the earlier album sounded meek, the follow-up finds the National easily sinking into what they do best".^[24] In Evening Standard, David Smyth wrote that this "has a greater number of diversions from the set sound" for the band and "it sounds like they’re starting to come back to life"; he scored it 4 out of 5 stars.^[25]


Shaad D'Souza of The Guardian rated this work 4 out of 5 stars, stating that it "feels like a fresh start" for the band and that it adopts "a more grownup take on the existential conundrums of earlier National records".^[26] In Hot Press, Edwin McFee gave this work a 7 out of 10, concluding that "There is an unmistakable flavour of “B-Side Material” off some tracks, especially on the aimless ‘Dreaming’, and you have to wonder what might have been if they combined the very best cuts from both LPs".^[27] The Independent's Helen Brown also gave Laugh Track 4 out of 5 stars, calling this a "loose, upbeat album" that has a "lower-slung" guitar sound.^[28] In The Irish Examiner, Ed Power gave this album 4 out of 5 stars, calling it "a refinement of the themes and textures of its predecessor".^[29] Irish Independent editors declared this album of the week and critic praising the lyric's exploration of romantic relationships and "artfully constructed" arrangements featuring live drumming.^[30] Tony Clayton-Lea of The Irish Times stating that this music "uses a similar sonic template" to their last, but also mixes different styles to show that the band "are as good at stillness as they are at movement"; he scored Laugh Track a 4 out of 5.^[31] At musicOMH, John Murphy gave this album 4 out of 5 stars, writing that "it’s musically not such a close cousin of First Two Pages, but more its identical twin – the same brooding atmosphere, that bottled up tension that seems to have become Matt Berninger’s vocal trademark – yet over a few plays, it seems to slowly take a life of its own".^[32]


In The New Zealand Herald, Graham Reid called Laugh Track "the wallowing of a troubled soul" with "alluring songs" that serve as "are beautifully played, atmospheric" therapy.^[33] Thomas Smith of NME rated Laugh Track 4 out of 5 stars, characterizing it as "a surprise companion record that’s louder, more immediate and rawer than its predecessor" and in comparison to First Two Pages of Frankenstein, this album has "the looser structures and [the] decision to allow the songs room to grow, melodically and lyrically pays off".^[34] Editors at Paste chose this as Album of the Week, with critic Matt Mitchell scoring it a 9.0 out of 10, calling it one of the band's best "and maybe their single greatest feat since Sleep Well Beast";^[35] the editors also included it among the best albums of September 2023.^[36] Writing for Pitchfork, Evan Rytlewski scored this release a 6.8 out of 10, writing that it "extends its predecessor's subdued mood and reclusive purview" and that both "albums over-relied on programmed drums", but this release has more of a "blissful, easy groove" than First Two Pages of Frankenstein.^[37] Rolling Stone UK published a 4-out-of-5 star review from Will Richards that calls this release "an impulsive, fearless sister record" that is "the freest they’ve ever sounded" and the songs "flow with unfiltered energy and spontaneity".^[38] At Sputnikmusic, JohnnyoftheWell rated this album a 2.7 out of 5, stating that the band "have seemed less and less like a band firing on all cylinders, and increasingly franchise-esque" in recent years and continuing that with this work, "there is little here that substantively rectifies the underlying issues with the National’s ongoing phase".^[39] Ryan Leas of Stereogum wrote that the band feel "looser—more alive—than they did on its predecessor" and continues to "travel that “ultimate National” path" from their prior release, with this one being "overall more dynamic and vibrant".^[40] At Uproxx, critic Steven Hyden created the mixtape Frankenstein Laughs made of tracks from The National's two 2023 albums^[41] and included this compilation among his favorite music of September.^[42]


At musicOMH, this album was rated 39th best of 2023.^[43] Editors at NME ranked this the 32nd best album of 2023.^[44] John Meagher of Irish Independent chose "Smoke Detector" as the third best foreign song of 2023, describing it as "a gnarlier, brighter companion record that was rapidly completed once their mojo had been reignited".^[45] Paste included this among the 30 best rock albums of 2023.^[46] At Under the Radar, this was rated the 61st best album of 2023.^[47]