Reuniting with original producer Ed Buller after recording 2018s The Blue Hour with Alan Moulder, Suede dont return to a comfort zone on 2022s Autofiction. While there are certainly recognizable thematic elements that tie the record back to the hyper-gothic fantasias of Dog Man Star, Suede swap their inclinations for cinematic sweep for a rushing cavalcade of guitars, resulting in their loudest, noisiest album since Coming Up. Where that record celebrated the trashy transience of youth, Autofiction is decidedly the work of men of a certain age: the opener "She Still Leads Me On" isnt a testament to a lover, its an ode to a deceased mother. That sense of mortality is an undercurrent on Autofiction, intertwining with desires to recapture lost youth and a frank acceptance of midlife limitations. Its a mature work, but its delivered by a veteran band who know how to wield their power: the guitars and synths create lacerating, invigorating sheets of sound, accentuating and refuting the romanticism of vocalist Brett Anderson. The last time Suede sounded this muscular and urgent they were still in the process of discovering themselves. Here, the quintet know how to deploy not just their strengths but their distinctive blend of nervy post-punk, overheated glam, and yearning poetry to make an album that sounds full, complete, and utterly alive. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Rovi