Modern Fiction is the debut full-length album by Canadian indie rock duo Ducks Ltd. The album received positive reviews from critics.
Reception
According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Modern Fiction received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 84 out of 100 from 5 critic scores.[2]
Editors at AllMusic rated this album 4 out of 5 stars, with critic Fred Thomas writing that this album is a "mission statement" that builds on a jangle pop but the band "injects their own perspectives—both lyrical and compositional—into Modern Fiction, giving the songs personal angles and emotional color that place them very much in the now".[3]Exclaim!'s Alex Hudson rated this release a 9 out of 10, stating that the album's songs range from "very good" to "sublime" and that the duo have worked their sound into "a flawless science".[1] Ben Lynch of The Line of Best Fit rated this release a 7 out of 10, calling it "an invigorating and intensely rewarding release" that mixes happy and sad emotions, with "a consistent, latent sense of melancholy".[4] At No Ripcord, Juan Edgardo Rodriguez scored Modern Fiction an 8 out of 10, comparing the music to Georgie Best and exhorting listeners to "let their addictive mechanical drum beats and effervescent melodies shake off those bittersweet thoughts".[5] Mike Goldsmith scored this work 3 out of 5 stars for Record Collector, calling it "more than the sum of its parts" for combining several decades-old points of reference with complex lyrics.[6] Editors at Spill Magazine chose this as a pick and critic Ljubinko Zivkovic rated it 9 out of 10, summing up that "McGreevy and Lewis seem to have both the songwriting, singing, and instrumental touch to make such a sound really work", resulting in "excellent stuff.[7]
Track listing
All songs written by Evan Lewis and Tom McGreevy.
"How Lonely Are You?" – 2:58
"Old Times" – 2:29
"18 Cigarettes" – 3:13
"Under the Rolling Moon" – 3:26
"Fit to Burst" – 2:44
"Patience Wearing Thin" – 1:37
"Always There" – 3:00
"Sullen Leering Hope" – 3:32
"'Twere Ever Thus" – 2:55
"Grand Final Day" – 3:47
Personnel
Ducks Ltd.
Evan Lewis – instrumentation, vocals, artwork
Tom McGreevey – instrumentation, vocals
Additional personnel
The Beths – backing vocals on "How Lonely Are You?", "Under the Rolling Moon", and "Always There"
James Cecil – mixing at Super Melody World, Kerrie, Vic
