Saturday Night, Sunday Morning is a 2021 studio album by British folk-pop singer-songwriter Jake Bugg. It has received mixed reviews from critics.
Reception
Editors at AllMusic rated this album 3.5 out of 5 stars, with critic Matt Collar writing that "it lacks some of the sincerity and lyricism that made 2017's Hearts That Strain such a welcome surprise", but balances Bugg's musical influences and is "the culmination of Bugg's rise to mainstream success". Writing for Clash Music, Finlay Holden scored this release a 7 out of 10, stating that "sonic experimentation breathes fresh life and energy into Bugg’s discography, resulting in an intoxicating LP cementing his strongest offerings since his glorious debut". Writing for Gigwise, Kieran Macadie rated this release 8 out of 10 stars, writing that it displays Bugg's "iconic heartfelt lyricism and masterful guitar playing". In Hot Press, Lucy O'Toole scored Saturday Night, Sunday Morning a 6 out of 10, ending her review, "while there's no doubt that the Nottingham star is having plenty of fun here – and inviting us to do the same – there are surely bolder adventures on Bugg's horizon". Roisin O'Connor of The Independent called this release "a cohesive enough follow-up", but criticizes the combination of Bugg's sound with outside pop songwriters and rated this release 2 out of 5 stars.
In Metro Weekly, Sean Maurnier scored this release 3 out of 5 stars, stating that there is "definitely more of a radio-ready pop sensibility to it" than Bugg's previous music, but continuing that "swinging for more of a pop sound also produces some weird moments" and praising that "the album tends to be at its strongest on the tracks that showcase his indie rock sensibility and his gift for guitar work". El Hunt of NME gave this album 2 out of 5 stars, writing that "Bugg has struggled to replicate [the] raw charm" of his earliest work and criticizes the artist's shift toward pop music by stating that these songs "possesses about as much pizazz as a slightly feeble party popper". John Earls of Record Collector gave this album 3 out of 5 stars, calling this "a wholly satisfying album".