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- Summary: Morrissey's first full-length solo release in five years was produced by Joe Chiccarelli.
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- Record Label: Sire
- Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock
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Score distribution:
- Positive: 4 out of 13
- Mixed: 8 out of 13
- Negative: 1 out of 13
- MojoMar 3, 2026Yet if neurosis, despair and paranoia remain his materials, here he uses them well. In as impressive voice as ever been. [Apr 2026, p.84]
- Mar 9, 2026Make-Up Is a Lie is a love letter to Paris: schmaltzy, befuddling, arresting, but, most of all, Morrissey.
- Mar 5, 2026The first five songs suggest a great late-period work for the 66-year-old Morrissey, and although Side A stumbles into a second half that staggers a bit before its high-note finish, Make-Up Is a Lie is the intentional work of a man still striving for pop mana, ever true to who he is, for better or worse.
- Mar 3, 2026Mostly, he avoids dicey subject matter for solid autobiographical songwriting - see "Lester Bangs" - and, less happily, sullen self-pity. [Mar 2026, p.76]
- Mar 5, 2026Morrissey’s singular personality is on full display, and just as uncompromising as ever, but sitting through an entire album of his musings and moanings circa 2026 is less than fun.
- Mar 5, 2026Flashes of quality make the album all the more frustrating. If the lyrics came anywhere near his halcyon days, the shortcomings might matter less.
- Mar 3, 2026We expected something anodyne and forgettable, but what we received was far worse: an actively terrible album. Do not listen to it.