I've given it about 2 listenings...and while I enjoy many moments on it, I'm not sure about it overall, at least yet.
My initial impressions is it's very much like FEAR Part 2.
And while I do enjoy FEAR and found I liked it more overall than Sounds, I never grew addicted to FEAR sadly. Why when people were saying FEAR was their best record since Marbles or even Brave, I only followed that to a point.
But TIME often tells really how I feel about a record, and sadly, I haven't gone back to FEAR nearly as much as I would have expected. Maybe that's more a product of what I wish to listen to, and other things are more worth my time.
That all being said, I'm certainly going to give the band enough confidence to see if AHBID really clicks with me more.
The highlights for me for now are Be Hard on Yourself and Sierra Leone.
Care the closing piece has moments certainly...but I would say the same about Gaza or even El Dorado, which are at best as mood pieces I guess, to gradually get to the cool sections.
Another thing is just from memory, I recall 1 or 2 of the members talking in interviews how this record compared to FEAR was more upbeat or at least catchy/energetic. I'm not fully sure how that is. Maybe slightly more energetic I guess. But it seems pretty clear with this record and FEAR and even really since MARBLES, the band has leaned towards writing music with their WALL-OF-SOUND and not emphasizing the melodies as much. Especially much if anything really poppy, which maybe many fans don't care for, but personally, if you have a catchy melody or chorus to include in a song, I'm totally up for that.
But as far as reviews and reactions, rateyourmusic.com for example was giving AHBID heaps of praise. The average rating yesterday was 4.3 out of 5 stars which is massive. I hardly expect it to retain that, but I wonder where that number will be in like a week or 2 once more of the fans have heard it.