Flow Critical Lucidity

In February 2023, Moore released a single entitled "Hypnogram" alongside the announcement of a new album.^[6] The following month, Moore released another song, "Isadora", on Bandcamp with an accompanying music video starring Sky Ferreira, directed by Radieux Radio.^[12] Radio is an alias for Thurston Moore's wife Eva Marie Moore^[13] who has often written lyrics for him as early as The Best Day (2014).^[14] Although the song was marketed as a track from the forthcoming album,^[15] it was ultimately left off the standard track listing.^[8]

In October, Moore's book Sonic Life: A Memoir was published.^[16] He would have to cancel the book tour due to atrial fibrillation, a health issue that he said he suffered from "for a number of years",^[17] and Moore would ultimately not release more music from Flow Critical Lucidity until Earth Day of the following year with the single "Rewilding".^[7] On June 20, 2024, the title, artwork, and release date were revealed with the single "Sans Limites", a song featuring Lætitia Sadier of Stereolab on backing vocals.^[8] He would release two more singles prior to the album, "New in Town" and "The Diver", the former of which coincided with his 66th birthday.^[9][10]

Flow Critical Lucidity peaked on the UK Independent and Scottish album charts at no. 12 and 46, respectively.^[11] Limited editions included a flexi disc containing "Isadora (Bedazzled Mix)".^[9]

The artwork is derived from the 1988 painting Samurai Walkman by Jamie Nares.^[13] which is featured on the back cover of the album.^[18]

More information Aggregate scores, Source ...

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	83/100[19]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
Christgau's Consumer Guide	[20]
Clash	7/10[3]
Classic Rock	8/10[2]
Mojo	[5]
PopMatters	8/10[1]
Record Collector	[21]
Spectrum Culture	79%[22]
Uncut	8/10[23]

Close

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Flow Critical Lucidity received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 83 out of 100 from seven critic scores.^[19]

Jon Buckland of The Quietus wrote "The whole record feels hauled from a dream space where you’re laid on your back letting the sky sink down to you."^[13] Reviewing for AllMusic, Fred Thomas said that while "Moore doesn't do much to change his established sound ... the substantial contributions from both [Radieux] Radio and his band allow for the entire crew to go deeper and linger longer in both moments of no wave clatter and the heavy, transcendent bliss that Moore has made his calling card."^[4] Christopher J. Lee of PopMatters believed that although it "may not supersede Thurston Moore’s past career peaks", the album demonstrates "the unbounded possibilities of transformation available to [him]".^[1]

Both Uncut Magazine and Will Pinfold of Spectrum Culture said that Flow Critical Lucidity ranks highly in Moore's solo discography.^[23][22] Grayson Haver Currin of Mojo went further, considering it to be his best album since Sonic Youth's The Eternal (2009) and saying "this is the closest he's been to tapping back into the feeling in a long time. ... Moore sounds interested in his future again".^[5]

Credits are adapted from the CD liner notes.^[18]

• Thurston Moore – guitars, vocals
• Deb Googe – bass
• James Sedwards – guitars, organ, piano, glockenspiel
• Jem Doulton – percussion
• Jon Leidecker – electronics
• Lætitia Sadier – backing vocals on "Sans Limites"

Technical and design

• Thurston Moore, Eva Marie Moore – production
• Kristian Craig Robinson – recording
• Margo Broom – mixing
• Christian Killer Corless – design
• Jamie Nares – artwork (Samurai Walkman)