Reception
In a four-star review, Record Collector described the album as influenced by "issues that upset and bother his conscience" and "less directly furious" than its predecessor, noting the manner of Mould's "venting" on the album as "introspective", "more ambiguous" and "melancholic in nature". [23] Writing for Financial Times, Ludovic Hunter-Tilney commented that it lacks the "electric charge" of its predecessor but "finds comfort in the familiar contours" in Mould's musical style. [12]
It was described as an album of "self-reflection through his heartfelt rasp and intricate songwriting" by Mxdwn, [8] "a record of finding hope in relationships and loved ones" by Narc, [25] "a clear-eyed, but not despairing, song cycle" by PopMatters , [22] "an album that reflects the chaos of the culture that witnessed its creation" by AllMusic, [19] and "a throwback to Hüsker Dü, with just slightly less guitar distortion" by Clash. [20]
Assigning Here We Go Crazy four stars, Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone observed that the album is reflective of the "same landscape of tumultuous noise and roiling emotions he's been navigating" since 1979. [24] Sam Lambeth of Louder Than War referred to it as "a record that plays to Mould's musical strengths – taut, jagged melodies with shards of sweetness always threatening to poke through – without sounding tired or repetitive." [3] Daniel Dylan Wray, reviewing for Uncut, noted the similarity between the album and its predecessor as "striking, sharp, sub-three-minute bursts of intense pop-coated alternative rock that recalls the fizzy joy of the Buzzcocks." [13] God Is in the TV writer Loz Etheridge stated, it is "probably closer to" Copper Blue by Sugar "than anything else he's ever put out", calling it a "highly palatable record." [21]
Referring to the tone as "furiously loud" and the songs as "full of grit, sadness and darkness", John Murphy of MusicOMH opined that the album was unlikely to attract a new audience but sufficient to "satisfy" existing fans. [1] Spectrum Culture's Kevin Corber expressed that the album "doesn't quite reach for the same emotional bloodletting of a Copper Blue or even a Beauty & Ruin", noting "few can deliver this kind of punk-fueled angst into middle age while retaining a sense of credibility." [26] Josh Hurst of Flood called the album a "rip-roaring delight" that "offers a suitably disconsolate picture" reflecting "cultural gloom", citing "the unrest of early 2025" [27]
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