b'lieve i'm goin down...

Pitchfork 8.4/10 That he’s hitting his peak as an artist at a time when rock music of the type he practices is falling out of favor and is becoming just another genre instead of the center of the musical universe only adds to his appeal; this is not an artist concerned with being in step.

A.V. Club A- His sixth album, B’lieve I’m Goin Down…, finds Vile at his most loose and bleary-eyed, with a hazy, vertiginous feel on the darkest and most spontaneous collection of songs he’s released to date.

The Needle Drop 6/10 Philly singer-songwriter and folk rocker Kurt Vile comes through with a more skeletal, intimate album on B'lieve I'm Goin Down...

The Line of Best Fit 5/10 Throughout the album, Vile questions the world and himself, but, even as he reaches for the profound, the album’s trite lyrics and lack of melody undercut his ambition.

Rolling Stone 3.5/5 Kurt Vile's most introspective LP is the sound of a guitar hero plumbing existential doubt without wanting to wake the kids.

DIY 4/5 Delivering his most open, captivating work to date, Kurt Vile draws on the wisecracks of ‘Smoke Ring…’ and the fluidity of ‘Wakin’ to present further growth, thankfully unhindered by the influence of pressure.

The Independent 4/5 It’s alienation couched in the most genial manner; and along the way, he gets to muse over such matters as speech and silence, mysticism and medicine, relationships and reality, in a beautifully meandering song-cycle.

All Music 4/5 B'lieve I'm Goin Down... is an impeccably arranged album beneath its soothing, sleepy surface, with every element assisting in an illusion of deep, shimmering, and alluring melancholy.

The Skinny 4/5 That this familiar template still manages to sound so completely compelling is testament to both the malleable nature of his craft and the skill with which it's delivered.

Under The Radar 8.0/10 With b'lieve i'm goin down..., Kurt Vile finally has gotten down to the essence of what he's been searching for since the beginning.

Clash 7/10 His latest LP is an endearing collection of slow-burning, dreamy arrangements, which find the singer wistfully contemplating the shifting nature of identity.

Mojo 4/5 This darker edge lends substance to some of Vile's best songs to date.

Slant 3.5/5 Perhaps a bit too reticent for its own good, B’lieve I’m Goin Down still rewards close listening, steadily developing into an album that’s as multifaceted and profound as its mysterious creator.

Pop Matters 8/10 B’lieve I’m Goin’ Down is a quietly unexpected album. It feels very much like another Kurt Vile album, but close listening—or even not that close—will reveal some serious blues and some complicated dealing with it.

The Guardian 4/5 Vile has charm, character and imagination enough to elevate his fully reclined, dusty-haze style to something really special.

Spectrum Culture 70% There’s a nice mix of melancholy and silliness throughout the album, which contributes to the overall feeling of a classic record; it commits to nothing but perfectly crafted tracks that range in emotions, sound and composition.

Uncut 8/10 As the LP continues, you are progressively engrossed.