Cavalcade

Pitchfork 8.0/10 The UK band stakes out even more ground on their glorious second album. The chord changes are more elaborate, the rhythms more twisted, the pretty parts prettier, the heavy parts heavier.

The Needle Drop 8/10 Cavalcade finds black midi remaining one of the most exciting acts in modern rock while going avant-prog.

The Line of Best Fit 9/10 Cavalcade is a record that delights in its own darkness, and will not compromise any of its sickening, theatrical excess. It’s a triumph of the UK underground and a singular vision of a band completely detached from their listeners expectations.

NME 4/5 Simply going down the rabbit hole with these deeply weird, brilliant musicians will never be less than exhilarating.

Evening Standard 4/5 They definitely haven’t gone pop – but there is a new musical maturity on display here that in time, might yet make them genuinely popular.

Rolling Stone 3.5/5 You can always feel the humanity behind Black Midi’s mad scientist experiments.

DIY 3.5/5 Building from a sound already so idiosyncratic and unpredictable, they end up in some head-scratching corners. It's still thrillingly entertaining nonetheless.

The Independent 3/5 As is customary for experimental bands of their kind, on Cavalcade, black midi feast on a smorgasbord of influences but the result at times can leave their sound meandering aimlessly.

The Forty Five 3.5/5 The noisy London band traverse plenty of new ground on their second album, but the journey remains as jolting as ever.

All Music 3.5/5 Cavalcade is a disorienting listening experience. Black Midi's sound on these eight songs is defined by their eagerness to challenge themselves and their audience.

Gigwise 9/10 On Cavalcade, they’ve come back stronger, with bolder experimentation, dynamic production and, surprisingly, an ensemble cast of unconventional characters. It's really all that we could ask for.

Under The Radar 9.0/10 The confidence and style with which black midi has taken these risks has led to every gamble paying off. It’s hard to imagine any rock album this year beating Cavalcade in pure genius.

Clash 9/10 ‘Cavalcade’ shows that black midi is a band constantly trying to push themselves, as much as they’re trying to push us. They are not happy to sit on their laurels and release the same album again.

Mojo 4/5 Certainly not easy listening ... Cavalcade harbours considerable thrills for those up to its challenges.

Loud and Quiet 9/10 A masterful album – one which unsurprisingly surprises at every turn. Cavalcade proves Black Midi are incapable of resting on their laurels.

Slant 3/5 No matter how maddening and challenging Cavalcade can be, the songwriting and musicianship on display is impressive.

Pop Matters 7/10 Throughout Cavalcade, Black Midi display superlative skills, fierce chemistry, and avant-garde vision, offering spellbinding performances while also, and perhaps inevitably, falling prey to sonic tautologies and circuitousness.

The Guardian 4/5 There’s a impressive maelstrom of moods on the Mercury nominees’ new album, building to a fantastical, absurdist whole.

Spectrum Culture 80% Doubling down on the dense, avant-garde clamor of their debut, black midi further asserts themselves as one of the boldest new voices in rock.

Beats Per Minute 90% Cavalcade is an experience album, one that lingers long after it’s over. It calls to you from the basement.

The Irish Times 4/5 The beauty of Cavalcade is that for all its surreal strangeness, this is a remarkably focused and coherent album. It should hopefully illuminate the gradual dawn of our brave new post-pandemic world.

Uncut 9/10 There’s not a single predictable second to be found on Cavalcade.