Modern Fiction (album)

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Modern Fiction received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 84 out of 100 from 5 critic scores.^[2]

Editors at AllMusic rated this album 4 out of 5 stars, with critic Fred Thomas writing that this album is a "mission statement" that builds on a jangle pop but the band "injects their own perspectives—both lyrical and compositional—into Modern Fiction, giving the songs personal angles and emotional color that place them very much in the now".^[3] Exclaim!'s Alex Hudson rated this release a 9 out of 10, stating that the album's songs range from "very good" to "sublime" and that the duo have worked their sound into "a flawless science".^[1] Ben Lynch of The Line of Best Fit rated this release a 7 out of 10, calling it "an invigorating and intensely rewarding release" that mixes happy and sad emotions, with "a consistent, latent sense of melancholy".^[4] At No Ripcord, Juan Edgardo Rodriguez scored Modern Fiction an 8 out of 10, comparing the music to Georgie Best and exhorting listeners to "let their addictive mechanical drum beats and effervescent melodies shake off those bittersweet thoughts".^[5] Mike Goldsmith scored this work 3 out of 5 stars for Record Collector, calling it "more than the sum of its parts" for combining several decades-old points of reference with complex lyrics.^[6] Editors at Spill Magazine chose this as a pick and critic Ljubinko Zivkovic rated it 9 out of 10, summing up that "McGreevy and Lewis seem to have both the songwriting, singing, and instrumental touch to make such a sound really work", resulting in "excellent stuff.^[7]

All songs written by Evan Lewis and Tom McGreevy.

1. "How Lonely Are You?" – 2:58
2. "Old Times" – 2:29
3. "18 Cigarettes" – 3:13
4. "Under the Rolling Moon" – 3:26
5. "Fit to Burst" – 2:44
6. "Patience Wearing Thin" – 1:37
7. "Always There" – 3:00
8. "Sullen Leering Hope" – 3:32
9. "'Twere Ever Thus" – 2:55
10. "Grand Final Day" – 3:47

Ducks Ltd.

• Evan Lewis – instrumentation, vocals, artwork
• Tom McGreevey – instrumentation, vocals

Additional personnel

• The Beths – backing vocals on "How Lonely Are You?", "Under the Rolling Moon", and "Always There"
• James Cecil – mixing at Super Melody World, Kerrie, Vic
• Paul Elrichman – string arrangement
• Aaron Goldstein – pedal steel on "Patience Wearing Thin"
• Esther Henderson – violins on "Fit to Burst", "Always There", "Sullen Leering Hope", "'Twere Ever Thus", and "Grand Final Day"
• Joe Lambert – mastering
• Eliza Niemi – cello on "18 Cigarettes"
• Natasha Prewitt – cello on "Fit to Burst", "Always There", "Sullen Leering Hope", "'Twere Ever Thus", and "Grand Final Day"
• Linnea Siggelkow – backing vocals on "Old Times", "'Twere Ever Thus", and "Grand Final Day"
• Carrie Webster – violin and viola on "Fit to Burst", "Always There", "Sullen Leering Hope", "'Twere Ever Thus", and "Grand Final Day"