The Pretenders - Hate for Sale

The Guardian 80

(BMG)
Chrissie Hynde and co make it sound oh-so easy on the band’s 11th studio album

Blessed with an evergreen voice and an unimpeachable melodic ear, Chrissie Hynde – the keeper of one of the finer catalogues in rock – has been churning out consistently rewarding records of late. A solo album of jazz-inclined covers, 2019’s Valve Bone Woe, followed a 2016 Akron summit – Alone – with a fellow Ohioan, producer Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys.

Hate for Sale was written in tandem with the Pretenders’ touring lineup. There is chemistry here, making for tight songs that prance insouciantly from genre to genre, scattering wisdom and swagger in their wake.

Pitchfork 67

Chrissie Hynde brings back some old bandmates for a brisk record that acknowledges The Pretenders are best when they’re direct and unadorned.