We just can’t pull ourselves away…

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[6.62]

Scott Mildenhall: Probably not since the days of Jimmy Nail have the worlds of soul and the Newcastle accent collided to such effect. James makes an ever so slightly more convincing stab at it than Nail (not that the ludicrous “Ain’t No Doubt”, nor his even more ludicrous cover of “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore” are anything other than amazing), and those Geordie inflections are handy distinguishing features. If someone could get The People In Charge to make sure this kind of thing becomes a dominant sound on UK radio at some point in the near future then that would be great, thanks.
[8]

Iain Mew: The opening “ooooh”s have a spooky vibe reminiscent of Jamie Woon’s “Night Air”, which sets things up nicely. Musically the song never gets quite that obvious again, but it doesn’t need to. James sings “don’t you ever let me go/I can see straight through your soul” and “I wanna be a part of you” with a calm certainty that, together with the cool beat, is far creepier than a more obviously disturbed performance would be.
[7]

Alfred Soto: As long as hands can still program synths I’ll play favorites with electrobass this sinuous, no matter how anonymous the singing. “Anonymous” isn’t “blank” though, which is why electrobass isn’t enough.
[7]

Daniel Montesinos-Donaghy: On the chorus, James sings “make me one whole of you” but it doesn’t sound emotionally frail or even related to a human. It’s to the music, and “Closer” is the sound of someone becoming one with the sounds around her. By the outro, she is cooing soulfully over a guitar’s squall and moody, blocky keys, and she seems at peace, having stood firm and found her place amongst the sounds.
[7]

Anthony Easton: This does a good job of convincing me to stay away, but not in any sense that seems deliberate — and the idea of making one whole contains a kind of retrograde absence of identity that makes me nervous.
[2]

Jer Fairall: I want to believe that she’s actually saying “there’s no anonymous now” on the second verse, as I would love the kind of threatening intimacy that it would suggest, especially when cast upon this particularly icy brand of club track, the soundtrack for a setting where intimacy and anonymity mingle in seductive and fascinating ways. No lyric site I’ve checked can confirm this yet, which leaves me with a track that is somewhere between alluring and just plain serviceable.  
[6]

Brad Shoup: Vocal transparency in the Linda Womack mode. Dry vocals and soaked background noise are a great combo, and so is an R&B chorus that drills up and stays there.
[9]

Crystal Leww: I love the constant repeat of the three throbs of the synth, just driving the song forward regardless of the other flutters, drumbeats, and vocal change-ups. Nothing about this feels overproduced; the simple message of the longing and devotion takes center stage.
[7]