Critics give Tomboy a B-Side Breakdown of 75 (C), from 10 reviews at outlets we track. Scores run 60 to 91.
The verdict on Tomboy
6 of 10 critics liked it. A mixed reception.
- Highest 91 The A.V. Club
- Lowest 60 Slant, Q and Mojo
- Career #3 of Panda Bear's 5 albums with a Breakdown
| The gist | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The A.V. Club via Wikipediaby Jacob Oller | A- | 91 | 2022 | “The A.V. Club digs deep into film, TV, music, games, books and more.” |
| Entertainment Weekly via Wikipediaby Mikael Wood | B+ | 88 | 2011 | |
| Pitchfork via Wikipediaby Jess Harvell | 8.5/10 | 85 | 2011 | “Four years on from the landmark Person Pitch, Panda Bear returns with a record that embraces both summer fun and hushed spirituality.” |
| The Guardian via Wikipediaby Maddy Costa | 4/5 | 80 | 2011 | “Maddy Costa couldn't help but be hopelessly absorbed in Panda Bear's hypnotic new album” |
| AllMusic via Wikipediaby Heather Phares | 4/5 | 80 | ||
| Los Angeles Times via Wikipediaby August Brown | 3/4 | 75 | 2011 | “This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links.” |
| Rolling Stone via Wikipediaby Will Hermes | 3.5/5 | 70 | 2011 | “Check out our album review of Artist's Tomboy on Rolling Stone.com.” |
| Slant via Wikipediaby Kevin Liedel | 6/10 | 60 | 2011 | “While Person Pitch rippled with punctuated sound, Tomboy is a cyclic plateau.” |
| Q via Wikipedia | 3/5 | 60 | 2010 | |
| Mojo via Wikipedia | 6/10 | 60 | 2010 |
Every Sunday: the week's new albums, scored by the critics. Plus our own reviews when we post them. Free, and one click to leave.
Tomboy in Panda Bear's catalog
How these critics usually treat Panda Bear
- Slant Harsher than usual17 points below the other critics here. Usually 1 point above on Panda Bear's other albums (3).
- The Guardian Kinder than usual6 points above the other critics here. Usually 7 points below on Panda Bear's other albums (3).
- Pitchfork Kinder than usual11 points above the other critics here. Usually 3 points above on Panda Bear's other albums (4).
- AllMusic About usual for them6 points above the other critics here. Usually 8 points above on Panda Bear's other albums (3).
More from Panda Bear
← Earlier Person Pitch (2007)Later → Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper (2015)
More Indie & Alternative from around 2011
Would you spin it again?
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How the Breakdown works
Every outlet’s score is converted to 0–100 (2/5 is 40, 5.9/10 is 59, a B+ is 88) and averaged. Grades follow the B-Side scale: A is 90–100, B 80–89, C 70–79, D 60–69, F below 60. Approval is the share of critics who scored it 75 or higher; the Breakdown shows green at 75 and up, red below. Divisiveness asks a different question: not how many critics liked it, but how close their scores are to each other. Five critics who all give it 50 are Unanimous, even though none of them liked it. The labels run Unanimous, Broad agreement, Some debate, Divided, and Contentious. Replay rate comes from listeners, not critics: yes counts fully, a few tracks counts half, no counts zero. The gist quotes each outlet’s own summary of its review. Published is the date on the review itself, read from the outlet’s page, so you can see whether an album’s reputation came at release or years later. Scores marked est. come from reviews that publish no number. Scores marked via Wikipedia are archive ratings, mostly for older albums, taken from the “Professional ratings” box on the album’s Wikipedia page (published openly through Wikidata); each links to the original review when we can find it online, and to that Wikipedia entry when we can’t. When an outlet reviewed an album twice, years apart (often for a reissue), both scores count, each labeled with its year.
A-Side marks the critics’ top tier. An album earns it automatically, from its numbers alone: a Breakdown of 90 or higher, from at least 5 reviews, with at least 75% approval. Nobody hands it out and nobody can buy it; if new reviews pull an album below the line, it loses the badge.







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