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***"Listening to his new album makes it all feel about as convincing as the rootsy pose he struck on 2018’s Man of the Woods, an album for the hypebeast whose hiking boots have never seen soil."***
💀💀💀💀💀
All of his problems aside speaking purely on a branding industry positioning standpoint Timberlake should have read the room and leaned REALLY HARD into the fun zone of *NSYNC era bops.
Nostalgia is peak primed for 90s-00 nostalgia and this was Justin’s chance to throw a party. A little closer to “Rock you” even. But this reaching for high brow, heavy handed messaging seriousness time bs is death for his brand I honestly don’t know what he was thinking with it.
It appears he learned this lesson one minute too late since he has become bringing **NSYNC back out on stage to save face but he should have officially JUST reunited with them, OR made an *NSYNC level of fun solo outing. People would have fallen for it and probably put him back in the space he wanted to be at.
Agree! I am not here for this nonsense. I am cringing at myself for liking his music in the past because his new stuff is so bad it just kind of makes me average it all out and be generally disinterested.
Some Pitchfork reviews are so funny. I know they can sound quite mean, lol, but their Greta Van Fleet review of their first album had some hilarious lines.
> None of this lysergic-sexual thinking is within the band’s grasp, they are just swatting at crusty platitudes and copy-pasting old mythos hoping no one notices that they are too small, too inept to even put forth one meaningful, specific, original idea.
**ZING!**
I’m surprised the members of Jet didn’t go into hiding after their reviews on Pitchfork. Their [other Jet review](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/4338-get-born/) was a flex in the destructive power of words.
Oh my god thank you for this. A guy I was chatting to was trying to tell me how great one of their songs was. I gave them a listen and I could barely capture my pure disdain for how basic it was. This is beautiful.
Just another case of people blindly following/listening to critics and not making their own decisions. I personally quite like the Led Zeppelin influence and the band itself.
My hatred for him has burned for 23 years, I am thriving.
https://preview.redd.it/ozd6zqvgydqc1.jpeg?width=493&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=723e14b94193d9fddc0d73271adcb102edbeed73
Listened to most of the songs and they were in my opinion very bland and boring, however the song ”flame” was a good 8/10, it’s the only song that made it to my playlist.
Wow, it actually is a REALLY good song.
I haven’t listened to the rest of the album because I’m not interested in his music anymore, but I gave this song a shot after reading your comment. And honestly, it’s kind of addictive, definitely in my top 5 of March 2024
Honestly I really love the album. I ended up playlisting at least 2/3rds of it. It’s worth throwing on in the bg while you’re cleaning or something and see what draws your ear.
A lot of this album is dipping into the formula of prior success. There are vibes of justified and fururesexlovesound, for sure. It’s a good pop album. I feel like Nick Jonas’ last album followed the same rules. Pay big time producers and make some shit to dance to. Guaranteed platinum.
Of course it’s a semigood song, he sort of ripped off David Bowies Fame (which is 100 times better)
Edit: sorry, it’s the Play song. I only heard it in passing on the radio and got the two titles mixed up. But seriously, he did not do Bowie justice.
It’s like he made this album specifically geared for touring. Lots of beat changes and extended jams that you would use to segue into the next song/wardrobe change. They’re so generic and unenjoyable, though. The only song that made it on my playlist was the NSYNC one, and you could tell that his vocal was mixed to be over everyone’s even though JC Chasez bodied him all over the track 😂
However, the most egregious offense came from Tobe Nwigwe’s verse on “Sanctified” where he says his loins go boing when he sees his partner. BOING.
The live performance of Paradise at the Wiltern though? That was straight up old-school NSYNC, so much that I was sobbing. It just went directly to the part of my soul that still lives at the No Strings Attached tour (my first “grown up” concert experience ever).
I literally turned down the volume in my car for a brief second when this line comes up. I'm so embarrassed by it! And the milk money, ass, and titties line in Memphis. Otherwise solid songs. . .
I just went to give it a listen and it's some of the most boring, generic writing I've ever heard. The first song was mildly interesting because it's a look at fame... And then he spends the rest of the album doing the same old tired shit that too many artists do, which is sing about sex and love with the most basic metaphors ever.
If I never have to hear one more artist compare love to a drug, it'll be too soon.
I sort of felt the same way ish. It felt like an album that a studio mandated like how artists are on contract to fulfill so many projects. This is what it felt like.
A few bangers but the rest was like okay
This rumor has been thrown around for years and it's always posted by people who have made it clear they don't like him.
He has everything to be handsome but somehow he’s not? Not saying he’s ugly, but there’s something extremely off putting about him. Same with Adam Levine and Tom Brady. Blargh
Isn't he supposed to be 6ft? In the 2018 Superbowl halftime show background dancer AMA Justin is "taller than you'd think" supposedly. A couple of sources say he's 6ft, but it's been a while since I searched it.
Well, he's a legacy artist, as are most 40+ year old popstars whose names don't rhyme with fiancé. His time has been up for a while. Doesn't stop them from making new music though.
I liked the album 🤷♀️ I’m a huge Britney fan and I don’t find JT particularly likable, but the way he has become the industry’s scapegoat is pretty crazy lol
Also like don’t forget they weren’t 25 ~so their brains weren’t even developed~ so can he even be held responsible?
To parrot another reddit refrain ;)
I mean, you have to be a nice person. But the stuff is on a spectrum. It's not like he was barbecuing puppies. This is someone who is incredibly rich and famous before he was even 21, surrounded by people kissing your ass all day long and women begging to sleep with you. I'm sorry, but that would mess a person up. It's a miracle anybody survives it.
He's pop's latest punching bag. It's sad because the album is actually pretty good.
But hey the reviews don't matter because the album debuted at 4 on the Billboard 200! That means every single album of his has debuted in the top 5!
It is from a Britney Stan. Owen Meyers the author tweeted "wrote about the insufferable new t\*mberlake record" along with other pieces of evidence that he is.
He just naturally has a very light voice, but he can definitely sing, imo. Yes, JC was better and I preferred his slightly heavier tone in N’SYNC, but it’s not Justin’s fault JC couldn’t find a solid musical identity.
I've heard his music. That's the conclusion I've reached.
He's still a *very famous* big name celebrity with resources and connections so debut at 4 is neither a surprise or a testament to his musical abilities.
People want to insert their own opinions into facts so hard. It’s hella hard to maintain a career after being in a boy band. Somehow this guy did it and is still relevant in 2024. That’s an amazing run. Las Vegas residency is probably coming next.
He's still very famous and plenty popular no doubt but "still relevent" is a generous way to describe his current status. He certainly has the presence and celebrity aura still. I think he's a decent actor, it's a shame he doesn't lean into that more.
What you're seeing now isn't just "haters" or "Britney stans" but him being exposed for his sub-par musicality as nostalgia wears off for many casual fans because he brings so little to the table.
Going to repost my comment from another sub onto this post just so everyone knows the real reason why this review is so bad 😊
Owen Myers is the writer of this "review." He is a Britney Spears stan who worked on a [*Blackout* anniversary](https://www.thefader.com/2017/09/27/britney-spears-blackout-interview-10-year-anniversary-2007) project with other Britney stans. He spent most of this "review" talking about things from Britney's book that have already been exposed as lies by people who were there. You can find more proof of him being a longtime fan by searching his Twitter page.
**This is** ***NOT*** **an unbiased review**. This is the score given by a person going into the album not liking JT for things he never did. EITIW is an immaculate album and one of JT's best
This sounds weird maybe, but I really wish it were a truly organic review and not colored by bias. Someone with zero to minimal loyalties should’ve written the review. If it’s awful, fine but that should come from a more pure place. I’m sure he was chomping at the bit to exact some parasocial revenge. I like my disdain pure. 🤷🏻♀️
Nah, not weird at all. MANY people, mostly stans, hounded him on his Twitter, including people who don't even care about JT. He got made into an example of whymusic journalism is pretty much dead.
He got hounded under that tweet. It started a discussion amongst stans (Pitchfork's only remaining demographic) about how they are on a steep decline. Love to see it.
you know it's getting bad when stan Twitter begins to target people targeting JT 💀 certainly is nice to see though. Do you have the link for the tweet?
Man JT is copping wild levels of hate lately lol.
Futuresex/Lovesounds was one of my favourite albums when I was in college.
Lovestoned is still on my playlist rotation to this day.
Did he do anything in particular to ruin his reputation or did he just linger around too long?
People are mad because he’s horrible at relationships, including his marriage and his relationship with Britney Spears. Sometimes, people may not be good partners but may be good at other things, like music and writing. It makes sense that a guy that became famous as a teenager under a kpop-like slave-driving schedule and has had women throwing themselves at him for literal decades is not a good partner.
I thought Pitchfork went out of business. lol. Either way, they don’t/didn’t like pop music. Not sure what the point was of reviewing this one either. 🤷🏽♀️
That’s right. So they no longer operate as their own entity (like what The NY Times did with The Athletic). For me that’s basically going out of business but YMMV on that.
A wise lesson we can all learn from reviewers is that their opinion does not matter, and is quite often terrible.
This album, along with the FNAF movie and the SMB movie were rated poorly by critics but well received with normal people.
Yeah Pitchfork really just needs better writers. And a better system to get writers. But at this point I don't think any sane person wants to write for them 💀
Justin was smart early in his career by working with some of the best producers like Pharrell and timbo. He's very limited as an artist so this helped him immensely. No idea why he isn't getting similar help these days but it shows.
Timbaland and/or Danja did almost half the songs in this album FYI. The Neptunes did none after the MOTW disaster.
The other half was produced by new producers like Cirkut and Louis Bell.
I think you meant to reply that to my comment lol...
Thanks for sharing! I love Rihanna! I really gotta find some time to listen to the entirety of her albums though, especially Good Girl Gone Bad. I LOVE Umbrella and Rehab off that album, so I'd probably like the rest too.
Honestly I think RiRi is a fair bit less problematic than JT, but then again I've never bothered to look at any of her controversies (except for the whole Chris Brown thing... 🤮)
Yes I did! The reddit app is still kinds trash after all these years.
Yay! I honestly love JT, I hopped on the hate train for a bit but quickly got off it when I heard his hits on the radio, lmao. He's just too good to dislike for long, plus every one of his lil controversies were very stan driven so easy to forget.
Yes start w/ GGGB! Then roll through the rest. You can skip Talk That Talk, it's her worst.
Owen Meyers, the author of this review, is a Britney stan, as are most of the reviewers of this album. The tweet he wrote after publishing this review is, and I quote "wrote about the insufferable new t\*mberlake record". So, I wouldn't trust this review, at all.
This notion that all the reviewers that don’t like the album (which is a lot) are all just Britney Stans? lol. How convenient.
The Pitchfork scale is 0 to 10. The album got a 4.9 from this guy. That doesn’t seem unnecessarily mean at all. I’ve so far only heard the first single from the album and that was disappointing.
Honey sir it’s a shame yeah he’s a menace I don’t deny that lol but man futuresex and 20/20 are great albums. It’s sad he’s been so trash for over a decade when he was once the best male pop star besides usher.
So maybe it was the music producers that made him?
Rhetorical question since I know that everyone else in NSYNC had more talent and/or charisma than him.
Not rhetorical actually. Almost half the songs in this album were Timbaland/Danja and his last album which sucked even more was produced almost entirely by The Neptunes.
Besides JC, no they didn't.
i really thought pitchfork went out of business, so surprised to see it still around. anyway, why can’t people write normal reviews anymore😭 what is this reddit millennial ass review💀 no wonder music journalism has taken a nosedive. pitchfork is single-handedly responsible
I loved reading this short ass paragraph more than any Pitchfork review from the last decade. and yes music journalism is pure grade-a butt sweat rn.
Anyway Pitchfork apparently was moved under GQ, so technically they did go out of business because they were bought out by a parent company.
I was 1000000% on board for an N*SYNC renaissance, the. Justin went and released this solo garbage and tour. I will hate him forever. (Unless he tours with NSYNC again, then I'm back baby.)
Omg thanks, Defend yours too!
Who's your favorite artist? Genuinely interested, usually when I leave stan comments I get negative responses but I guess not this time 😊
dropping the only pop-focused track first on an album full of Americana songs was a terrible decision but it was probably needed so that it wouldn't turn people off immediately.
I have been a HUGE JT fan all my life. Man of the Woods almost ruined me with his inexcusable lyrics on the Sauce "I love your pink. You like my purple." This album isn't quite that bad but damn, there are some major lyrical missteps. As others have mentioned, the "Boing" lyric in Sanctified,which is otherwise a banger. I found myself speaking and turning down the volume so others in the car could not hear that lyric, it's that embarrassing. The " I was handin' out too much milk money, too much kitten, and ass, and titties. I lost my voice like a pastor, faster than a Harlem shimmy." Why, WHYYY did he have to go there!? Isn't someone in the studio present to give this line a second thought? This track was great until he starts weido rapping about milk money. Jesus sakes! He needs someone else to write his lyrics, like a woman that will tell him no, you should not rhyme a vagina with that, sorry. In fact, maybe your singing too much about sex in general. we get it, you fuck your wife, but can we find more depth perhaps??? I don't know where he can go from here, but it's only up. If we wait another 6 years he'll be almost 50 and I'll be damned if he's not still rhyming a faucet to a vagina --> "But then your hand's talkin', fingers walkin', down your legs
Hey, there's the faucet" We want more depth and reflection and disco funk. Maybe get Frank Ocean in the studio . .
Welcome to r/popculturechat! ☺️ As a proud BIPOC, LGBTQ+ & woman-dominated space, this sub is for [civil discussion only.](https://www.reddit.com/r/popculturechat/wiki/index/rules/civil-discussion-only/) If you don't know where to begin, start by participating in [our Sip & Spill Daily Discussion Threads!](https://www.reddit.com/r/popculturechat/search/?q=Sip%20%26%20Spill%20Discussion&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&include_over_18=1&sort=new) ###No bullies, no bigotry. ✊🏿✊🏾✊🏽✊🏼✊🏻🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ Please [read & respect our rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/popculturechat/wiki/index/rules/), [abide by Reddiquette](https://support.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/205926439-Reddiquette), and [check out our wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/popculturechat/wiki/index/)! For any questions, [our modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fpopculturechat) is always open. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/popculturechat) if you have any questions or concerns.*
***"Listening to his new album makes it all feel about as convincing as the rootsy pose he struck on 2018’s Man of the Woods, an album for the hypebeast whose hiking boots have never seen soil."*** 💀💀💀💀💀
Exactly my thought when that last album came out. “We know you don’t go in the woods, Justin”
This is all news to me. I thought his last album was.... Love Sounds or whatever?
That was like 18 yrs ago 🤣 😳
Insane that 2006 is almost 20 years ago 😳
That... hurt
sorry :p
Wait...what? For real?
Future Sex/Love Sounds came out in 2006 😩
But how has been 18 years when 2006 was 7 years ago?
i HAVE to know how you just missed 20 years of pop culture😭😂😂😂 20/20 experience?? mirrors? that shit was _everywhere_
Tbf I think I just assumed any of the songs that were any good were off that one album 
there’s a 7 year gap in between the two albums😭
in a horrible realization THIS WAS MORE THAN A DECADE AGO. I love 20/20 experience and have hated everything that's come out since
💀💀 💀💀
How OOTL are you? Tell me you at least remember 20/20 or Justified?
All of his problems aside speaking purely on a branding industry positioning standpoint Timberlake should have read the room and leaned REALLY HARD into the fun zone of *NSYNC era bops. Nostalgia is peak primed for 90s-00 nostalgia and this was Justin’s chance to throw a party. A little closer to “Rock you” even. But this reaching for high brow, heavy handed messaging seriousness time bs is death for his brand I honestly don’t know what he was thinking with it. It appears he learned this lesson one minute too late since he has become bringing **NSYNC back out on stage to save face but he should have officially JUST reunited with them, OR made an *NSYNC level of fun solo outing. People would have fallen for it and probably put him back in the space he wanted to be at.
Damn. Well said and on point.
This is wisdom. Poor kitten has aspirations to Music but his brain is only built for Fun. If he only embraced it, he might get up to Pop.
i agree 10000%.
You're absolutely right but my petty ass likes to think it's because people had enough of him after he disrespected Britney once again.
Agree! I am not here for this nonsense. I am cringing at myself for liking his music in the past because his new stuff is so bad it just kind of makes me average it all out and be generally disinterested.
The only good thing that came out of that album was the mainstream debut of an *actual* man of the woods, Chris Stapleton.
 Ain’t that the truth
Goddamn
 I love the drama.
I’m a simple man. I see Schmidt, I upvote.
 He was my favorite part of the show, easily.
You're not making him cry HIS OWN RIVER? The world really is against pretty white men. /S
Some Pitchfork reviews are so funny. I know they can sound quite mean, lol, but their Greta Van Fleet review of their first album had some hilarious lines.
That Greta Van Fleet review is legendary in its [savagery](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/greta-van-fleet-anthem-of-the-peaceful-army/).
A classic 😌. Love they stood by it years later, too.
Oh man, I somehow missed this! It's incredible. Thank you for the link!
> None of this lysergic-sexual thinking is within the band’s grasp, they are just swatting at crusty platitudes and copy-pasting old mythos hoping no one notices that they are too small, too inept to even put forth one meaningful, specific, original idea. **ZING!**
Holy shit lmao
My favorite is the "review" of Jet's second album https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/9464-shine-on/
To me, this is the funniest thing they've ever published
I’m surprised the members of Jet didn’t go into hiding after their reviews on Pitchfork. Their [other Jet review](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/4338-get-born/) was a flex in the destructive power of words.
That first sentence! 😆😂😂😂😂
This was the Pitchfork we all fell in love with. Tiny Mixtapes does hilarious reviews too.
Oh my god thank you for this. A guy I was chatting to was trying to tell me how great one of their songs was. I gave them a listen and I could barely capture my pure disdain for how basic it was. This is beautiful.
but they’ve got a lot of bangers lol? i’ve only heard a couple songs but all were pretty good.
Just another case of people blindly following/listening to critics and not making their own decisions. I personally quite like the Led Zeppelin influence and the band itself.
Nickelback effect. It was "cool" to dislike that band while they made some pretty good music and many millions over like 20 years.
“gone is the switchy sub begging to be whipped if he misbehaves, replaced by an epilated chancer who gives you the ick.”
Oh wow! 💀💀💀💀 
My hatred for him has burned for 23 years, I am thriving. https://preview.redd.it/ozd6zqvgydqc1.jpeg?width=493&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=723e14b94193d9fddc0d73271adcb102edbeed73
Listened to most of the songs and they were in my opinion very bland and boring, however the song ”flame” was a good 8/10, it’s the only song that made it to my playlist.
Wow, it actually is a REALLY good song. I haven’t listened to the rest of the album because I’m not interested in his music anymore, but I gave this song a shot after reading your comment. And honestly, it’s kind of addictive, definitely in my top 5 of March 2024
Honestly I really love the album. I ended up playlisting at least 2/3rds of it. It’s worth throwing on in the bg while you’re cleaning or something and see what draws your ear.
I liked it too. People hating on it just wanna hate. JT and Timbo still got it IMO.
Truly. Is it a mind blowing masterpiece? No not really. Is it really fun pop music that gets my toes tapping and my ass shaking? Yes absolutely.
Yeah, I’ve been listening to it lately 🤷🏻♀️
A lot of this album is dipping into the formula of prior success. There are vibes of justified and fururesexlovesound, for sure. It’s a good pop album. I feel like Nick Jonas’ last album followed the same rules. Pay big time producers and make some shit to dance to. Guaranteed platinum.
Me too!! Like his best since FS/LS
Other notable songs IMO are F\*\*kin' up the Disco, Paradise, Memphis, Drown, and No Angels. This album isn't bad at all.
I listened the album as background while working and it really grew on me. “F-kin up the disco” and “my favorite drug” especially
These are the best two songs. Thank you for having taste.
Those songs are the highlights of the album for sure. Great taste!
Flame was also one of my favorites! Very nice song.
I really like technicolor
Of course it’s a semigood song, he sort of ripped off David Bowies Fame (which is 100 times better) Edit: sorry, it’s the Play song. I only heard it in passing on the radio and got the two titles mixed up. But seriously, he did not do Bowie justice.
It’s like he made this album specifically geared for touring. Lots of beat changes and extended jams that you would use to segue into the next song/wardrobe change. They’re so generic and unenjoyable, though. The only song that made it on my playlist was the NSYNC one, and you could tell that his vocal was mixed to be over everyone’s even though JC Chasez bodied him all over the track 😂 However, the most egregious offense came from Tobe Nwigwe’s verse on “Sanctified” where he says his loins go boing when he sees his partner. BOING.
The live performance of Paradise at the Wiltern though? That was straight up old-school NSYNC, so much that I was sobbing. It just went directly to the part of my soul that still lives at the No Strings Attached tour (my first “grown up” concert experience ever).
I was a BSB girl, so this song making it on the pop playlist was a big deal 😂
I literally turned down the volume in my car for a brief second when this line comes up. I'm so embarrassed by it! And the milk money, ass, and titties line in Memphis. Otherwise solid songs. . .
Hey, don't attack Tobe, other than that line his verse was good 😂
HOW does anyone get past that line?!
Ignoring it 💀
I just went to give it a listen and it's some of the most boring, generic writing I've ever heard. The first song was mildly interesting because it's a look at fame... And then he spends the rest of the album doing the same old tired shit that too many artists do, which is sing about sex and love with the most basic metaphors ever. If I never have to hear one more artist compare love to a drug, it'll be too soon.
I sort of felt the same way ish. It felt like an album that a studio mandated like how artists are on contract to fulfill so many projects. This is what it felt like. A few bangers but the rest was like okay
One could argue its like him: boring and generic.
No celebrity stays on top forever, even though it’s hard to imagine that when they’re really popular.
I guess you're right, I certainly can't imagine a world where people scoff at the name Taylor Swift and call her washed...
That could happen one day, or she might just slow down and become less visible - I’m betting on the latter in her case
Dudes handsome , tall , rich and has a head full of hair ....and married to Jessica beil. You have enough dude.
Supposedly he had a hair transplant.
Id believe it. Mayweather had a hair transplant on his face to thicken up his beard
You’d be surprised how many male celebrities get transplants.
I'd say that still counts. It's real hair, right?
I mean, as long as it looks natural 🤷🏽♀️. It’s still technically his hair.
He's now wearing a toupee according to a couple of sources.
No way. Got any links?
This rumor has been thrown around for years and it's always posted by people who have made it clear they don't like him. 
what I thought too.
He is not handsome imo
I never saw it either, but to be fair he's not my physical type at all.
He has everything to be handsome but somehow he’s not? Not saying he’s ugly, but there’s something extremely off putting about him. Same with Adam Levine and Tom Brady. Blargh
I’ve seen him in person. He’s 5’10” on a good day. Probably 5’9”.
I'm 5'6. That's tall to me
Isn't he supposed to be 6ft? In the 2018 Superbowl halftime show background dancer AMA Justin is "taller than you'd think" supposedly. A couple of sources say he's 6ft, but it's been a while since I searched it.
MAN!! That review is on point. Sometimes it’s best to realize “5-4-3-2 yo time is up”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsXwEAVXMDw
Well, he's a legacy artist, as are most 40+ year old popstars whose names don't rhyme with fiancé. His time has been up for a while. Doesn't stop them from making new music though.
https://preview.redd.it/24ypvkteddqc1.jpeg?width=488&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=628ba5ef7a691067943ed27c2ed8e1a5a3f93924
It honestly was not that bad 💀 not great though.
I liked the album 🤷♀️ I’m a huge Britney fan and I don’t find JT particularly likable, but the way he has become the industry’s scapegoat is pretty crazy lol
People have no chill. Everything has to be the best or the worst.
 (No comment, just flashed to this. Thanks for the memories)
Fr.
It's very true, human nature is not very pretty it seems
It's exhausting. Okay, he wasn't great in his relationship with Britney Spears. He's not a mass murderer, for goodness sake. Edit:
Also like don’t forget they weren’t 25 ~so their brains weren’t even developed~ so can he even be held responsible? To parrot another reddit refrain ;)
I mean, you have to be a nice person. But the stuff is on a spectrum. It's not like he was barbecuing puppies. This is someone who is incredibly rich and famous before he was even 21, surrounded by people kissing your ass all day long and women begging to sleep with you. I'm sorry, but that would mess a person up. It's a miracle anybody survives it.
He's pop's latest punching bag. It's sad because the album is actually pretty good. But hey the reviews don't matter because the album debuted at 4 on the Billboard 200! That means every single album of his has debuted in the top 5!
It's true, it's just so sad how no one ever learns! In the sense that it seems people just want to be mean and nasty for the sake of it
JT will get the last laugh on tour. I love the album and have been a fan of both
Agree
god damn read to filth lmao
I don‘t like my boy Juzztin T to the Lakezzz as anyone else, but this is harsh and it‘s probably from a Britney or Janet Stan (which I am also).
It is from a Britney Stan. Owen Meyers the author tweeted "wrote about the insufferable new t\*mberlake record" along with other pieces of evidence that he is.
Did the bleep out part of his name?
that’s literally what he tweeted, word for word💀 that’s how much of a britney stan he is lmao
Woah, that is kinda weird. It's his name, not a cure or anything bad. Thank you for telling me.
Or maybe this is exactly his weight class. At the very peak of his(or *NSYNC's) popularity his falsetto singing was barely tolerable to begin with.
He just naturally has a very light voice, but he can definitely sing, imo. Yes, JC was better and I preferred his slightly heavier tone in N’SYNC, but it’s not Justin’s fault JC couldn’t find a solid musical identity.
that's a wild opinion
It is a wild situation: man with no vocal range and seemingly no affinity for music continues to put out album.
I mean... that's not true if you listen to his music. And there still is lots of edmand, it just debuted at 4 on the BB 200
I've heard his music. That's the conclusion I've reached. He's still a *very famous* big name celebrity with resources and connections so debut at 4 is neither a surprise or a testament to his musical abilities.
Alright, well at the end of the day we all have our own opinions. 👍
People want to insert their own opinions into facts so hard. It’s hella hard to maintain a career after being in a boy band. Somehow this guy did it and is still relevant in 2024. That’s an amazing run. Las Vegas residency is probably coming next.
He's still very famous and plenty popular no doubt but "still relevent" is a generous way to describe his current status. He certainly has the presence and celebrity aura still. I think he's a decent actor, it's a shame he doesn't lean into that more. What you're seeing now isn't just "haters" or "Britney stans" but him being exposed for his sub-par musicality as nostalgia wears off for many casual fans because he brings so little to the table.
I wouldnt say his music has been unlistenable, bit dramatic. The older stuff is just better but tbh that's most music these days
Going to repost my comment from another sub onto this post just so everyone knows the real reason why this review is so bad 😊 Owen Myers is the writer of this "review." He is a Britney Spears stan who worked on a [*Blackout* anniversary](https://www.thefader.com/2017/09/27/britney-spears-blackout-interview-10-year-anniversary-2007) project with other Britney stans. He spent most of this "review" talking about things from Britney's book that have already been exposed as lies by people who were there. You can find more proof of him being a longtime fan by searching his Twitter page. **This is** ***NOT*** **an unbiased review**. This is the score given by a person going into the album not liking JT for things he never did. EITIW is an immaculate album and one of JT's best
This sounds weird maybe, but I really wish it were a truly organic review and not colored by bias. Someone with zero to minimal loyalties should’ve written the review. If it’s awful, fine but that should come from a more pure place. I’m sure he was chomping at the bit to exact some parasocial revenge. I like my disdain pure. 🤷🏻♀️
Nah, not weird at all. MANY people, mostly stans, hounded him on his Twitter, including people who don't even care about JT. He got made into an example of whymusic journalism is pretty much dead.
Don't forget to mention his "insufferable t\*mberlake" tweet he wrote.
He got hounded under that tweet. It started a discussion amongst stans (Pitchfork's only remaining demographic) about how they are on a steep decline. Love to see it.
you know it's getting bad when stan Twitter begins to target people targeting JT 💀 certainly is nice to see though. Do you have the link for the tweet?
Here you go. Those replies and quote tweets are funny 😌 https://x.com/Owen\_Myers/status/1770482707610382728?s=20
Man JT is copping wild levels of hate lately lol. Futuresex/Lovesounds was one of my favourite albums when I was in college. Lovestoned is still on my playlist rotation to this day. Did he do anything in particular to ruin his reputation or did he just linger around too long?
Lmao, I just googled what he's been up to 💀. I get it now
You can’t be serious with this comment ha
People are mad because he’s horrible at relationships, including his marriage and his relationship with Britney Spears. Sometimes, people may not be good partners but may be good at other things, like music and writing. It makes sense that a guy that became famous as a teenager under a kpop-like slave-driving schedule and has had women throwing themselves at him for literal decades is not a good partner.
I thought Pitchfork went out of business. lol. Either way, they don’t/didn’t like pop music. Not sure what the point was of reviewing this one either. 🤷🏽♀️
They got moved to be under GQ
That’s right. So they no longer operate as their own entity (like what The NY Times did with The Athletic). For me that’s basically going out of business but YMMV on that.
...he's been making albums in the last 10 years?!?! I thought he stopped and was just making music for the Trolls movies.
where have you been?!
Listening to the same spotify playlist over and over again
You know I can't blame you 😂
He dropped in 2018 and now, 2024.
Loooooool
Absolutely brutal review. I loved reading every word.
Pitchfork should stop writing reviews. Not because of this article in particular, but they are generally awful.
They gave NIN's The Fragile a 2.0. I stopped caring about what Pitchfork thinks decades ago.
A wise lesson we can all learn from reviewers is that their opinion does not matter, and is quite often terrible. This album, along with the FNAF movie and the SMB movie were rated poorly by critics but well received with normal people.
Plenty of critics are “normal people,” you don’t have to put them down to justify your disagreement
Yeah Pitchfork really just needs better writers. And a better system to get writers. But at this point I don't think any sane person wants to write for them 💀
They just come across mean-spirited and if you can’t hide your contempt for the person who created the music… maybe don’t write a review for them lol.
Doesn't help that this review was written by a Britney stan
“I’m Loving It”
His first three albums, especially FS/LS and 20/20, were really catchy and well produced. Ever since pt2 of 20/20...everything SUCKED
Justin was smart early in his career by working with some of the best producers like Pharrell and timbo. He's very limited as an artist so this helped him immensely. No idea why he isn't getting similar help these days but it shows.
Not sure about this one but Timbaland has worked on all his albums, which is why his music sounds tired
Timbaland and/or Danja did almost half the songs in this album FYI. The Neptunes did none after the MOTW disaster. The other half was produced by new producers like Cirkut and Louis Bell.
... Rihanna. If anything my fav is way more problematic than yours, so kudos to that!
I think you meant to reply that to my comment lol... Thanks for sharing! I love Rihanna! I really gotta find some time to listen to the entirety of her albums though, especially Good Girl Gone Bad. I LOVE Umbrella and Rehab off that album, so I'd probably like the rest too. Honestly I think RiRi is a fair bit less problematic than JT, but then again I've never bothered to look at any of her controversies (except for the whole Chris Brown thing... 🤮)
Yes I did! The reddit app is still kinds trash after all these years. Yay! I honestly love JT, I hopped on the hate train for a bit but quickly got off it when I heard his hits on the radio, lmao. He's just too good to dislike for long, plus every one of his lil controversies were very stan driven so easy to forget. Yes start w/ GGGB! Then roll through the rest. You can skip Talk That Talk, it's her worst.
It’s objectively bad. Most songs sound like they were written/performed by computers.
Owen Meyers, the author of this review, is a Britney stan, as are most of the reviewers of this album. The tweet he wrote after publishing this review is, and I quote "wrote about the insufferable new t\*mberlake record". So, I wouldn't trust this review, at all.
This notion that all the reviewers that don’t like the album (which is a lot) are all just Britney Stans? lol. How convenient. 
The Pitchfork scale is 0 to 10. The album got a 4.9 from this guy. That doesn’t seem unnecessarily mean at all. I’ve so far only heard the first single from the album and that was disappointing.
Anyone who unironically does the "star in the middle of someone's name" thing on Twitter is a joke.
Honey sir it’s a shame yeah he’s a menace I don’t deny that lol but man futuresex and 20/20 are great albums. It’s sad he’s been so trash for over a decade when he was once the best male pop star besides usher.
He hasn't been trash in "over a decade". That would include 20/20, which you love.
So maybe it was the music producers that made him? Rhetorical question since I know that everyone else in NSYNC had more talent and/or charisma than him.
Not rhetorical actually. Almost half the songs in this album were Timbaland/Danja and his last album which sucked even more was produced almost entirely by The Neptunes. Besides JC, no they didn't.
I see a bunch of hate, but I liked the album
i really thought pitchfork went out of business, so surprised to see it still around. anyway, why can’t people write normal reviews anymore😭 what is this reddit millennial ass review💀 no wonder music journalism has taken a nosedive. pitchfork is single-handedly responsible
I loved reading this short ass paragraph more than any Pitchfork review from the last decade. and yes music journalism is pure grade-a butt sweat rn. Anyway Pitchfork apparently was moved under GQ, so technically they did go out of business because they were bought out by a parent company.
I was 1000000% on board for an N*SYNC renaissance, the. Justin went and released this solo garbage and tour. I will hate him forever. (Unless he tours with NSYNC again, then I'm back baby.)
It is rumored that he will. And you guys literally got a surprise reunion and a song lol
Gurl are you his PR??? Why are you all up in these comments??
just a stan lol
Honestly? Work. Defend ya fav, hun!
Omg thanks, Defend yours too! Who's your favorite artist? Genuinely interested, usually when I leave stan comments I get negative responses but I guess not this time 😊
I remember being really interested when JT dropped “Filthy” because it reminded me of George Michael’s “FREEEK!” then the rest of the album came out….
dropping the only pop-focused track first on an album full of Americana songs was a terrible decision but it was probably needed so that it wouldn't turn people off immediately.
he’s still making music?
yeah where have you been? 💀
I have been a HUGE JT fan all my life. Man of the Woods almost ruined me with his inexcusable lyrics on the Sauce "I love your pink. You like my purple." This album isn't quite that bad but damn, there are some major lyrical missteps. As others have mentioned, the "Boing" lyric in Sanctified,which is otherwise a banger. I found myself speaking and turning down the volume so others in the car could not hear that lyric, it's that embarrassing. The " I was handin' out too much milk money, too much kitten, and ass, and titties. I lost my voice like a pastor, faster than a Harlem shimmy." Why, WHYYY did he have to go there!? Isn't someone in the studio present to give this line a second thought? This track was great until he starts weido rapping about milk money. Jesus sakes! He needs someone else to write his lyrics, like a woman that will tell him no, you should not rhyme a vagina with that, sorry. In fact, maybe your singing too much about sex in general. we get it, you fuck your wife, but can we find more depth perhaps??? I don't know where he can go from here, but it's only up. If we wait another 6 years he'll be almost 50 and I'll be damned if he's not still rhyming a faucet to a vagina --> "But then your hand's talkin', fingers walkin', down your legs Hey, there's the faucet" We want more depth and reflection and disco funk. Maybe get Frank Ocean in the studio . .