White Chalk

Pitchfork 6.8/10 On the right day, at the right time, the album's powerfully claustrophobic intimacy is more palatable; on the wrong day, at the wrong time, in the wrong frame of mind, White Chalk may be the longest half-hour in the world.

A.V. Club A- Harvey has one of the most forceful voices around, but here she relies on her silk-thin upper register to create a delicate album that skates across despair without ever quite sinking into it.

NME 3.5/5 Frustratingly, though, ‘White Chalk’ isn’t consistent enough to be a classic PJ album, and if you’re new to her music, this isn’t the ideal place to start.

Evening Standard 4/5 Beautiful and damned.

Rolling Stone 4/5 It's stronger and more assertive than 2004's Uh Huh Her.

DIY 4/5 'White Chalk' occasionally gives a glimpse into a grotesque nightmare, and the next moment it's breathlessly beautiful and then again sometimes simply too harrowing to listen to. But by the end you realise Polly has somehow effortlessly wriggled her way deep under your skin once again like you always suspected she would.

The Independent 3/5 For this follow-up to the prickly Uh Huh Her, Harvey returns to the chalky terrain of her Dorset upbringing, seemingly in order to exorcise various lingering issues from her childhood and adolescence.

All Music 4/5 It rivals Dance Hall at Louse Point for its willingness to challenge listeners, but it's far removed from Uh Huh Her, which was arguably more listenable but a lot less remarkable. In fact, this may be Harvey's most undiluted album yet.

The Observer 5/5 Nothing Harvey has done in the past ... can prepare you for her eighth album, White Chalk, whose cover is as singular as the tunes therein.

Slant 5/5 White Chalk, wholly self-contained and uncompromised, is a work of literary depth and complexity.

Pop Matters 7/10 White Chalk is as penetrating as the loudest, fiercest moments on previous albums, but less from moments of aggression than from a chilling atmosphere of restrained frenzy.

The Guardian 4/5 The austerity of Harvey's self-imposed constraints is uncompromising but rewarding; she forces herself out of her comfort zone, and takes the listener with her.

Uncut 8/10 An album of lonely beauty and piercing sorrow, ‘White Chalk’ is P.J. Harvey back at the peak of her considerable powers.