PARTYMOBILE - PARTYNEXTDOOR: Review
is the moniker of Jahron Brathwaite a Canadian R&B singer who has been attached to Drake's OVO label since 2013. This is his third studio album on the label and has also released a number of EP's that are just as essential to his discography as the albums. It's been four years since we least heard a studio album from PND making this record a highly anticipated one for fans and critics alike.
Review By Lavender:
I've been around the music of Partynextdoor since he first emerged on the back of his self-titled EP in 2013 and I've been underwhelmed by much more of his catalog than I haven't. Pretty much the entire reason I have stuck around so closely is PND's 2014 debut studio album Partynextdoor 2, a moody, sultry and gorgeous contemporary R&B album that I wasn't prepared for at the time it first released. The record was refreshing and catchy throughout and had me excited for what he would do next, but since then I haven't been impressed. While his next studio record wasn't awful it was painfully average and his most recent release before this new album was his 2017 Seven Days EP which was a massive disappointment. After some hit or miss singles I was pretty sure this record wouldn't be a return to the form of his debut, and it isn't, but that doesn't mean it is totally skippable.
The record had four singles released from last year up until the day the album dropped. The lead singles were a pair of track one of which I quite enjoy and the other I would really like to forget about. Loyal features Drake but you wouldn't know it since there is absolutely no life to any of the performances and the super vapid percussion makes it an exhaustive and painfully boring cut. The News on the other hand is one of the more interesting cuts here. While the instrumental isn't much it does help isolate PND's voice and he handles it pretty well delivering a very solid performance. Split Decision came next and it's one of the best tracks on the record. It is effortlessly smooth and has a clear and logical lyrical narrative that absolutely grabs me and I think the track stands out well on the album. The final single came out just a few hours before the record and for good reason, as it is by far the best track of the bunch. Believe It has an attention grabbing feature as Rihanna handles the hook and the track absolutely lives up to the hype. The track is a beautiful R&B tune that bursts with life and features wonderful performances from both artists including some RiRi singing that has me begging for another record from her.
Like I said in the intro there are a number of tracks here worth your time beyond just the singles. the opening track Nothing Less is a warm and simple opener that does a good job of setting the stage for the album. Trauma has a bouncy percussive beat that keeps it refreshing and catchy in its upbeat tone. PND meets this with one of his more outward performances and the result is a pretty good track. Eye On It is another kind of average cut but one with an infectious hook and a smooth shimmery beat that makes it more worthwhile than some of the cuts surrounding it.
The closing section of the record is the best part and contains some of the best songs here. Never Again is the best of the lowkey cuts as the refrains become surprisingly sticky as the song goes on and there is some great singing on the track that I enjoy too. PGT is the closest the album gets to a banger with a slick hook that gets stuck in my head over a very punchy trap flavored R&B beat that makes it one of the most memorable tracks. The closing track is the longest of the bunch, the six minute Savage Anthem. The song is thankfully one of the best here as it feels written and calculated in a way much of the record doesn't and has a pretty grand and meaningful rise to its progression that makes it one of the most rewarding songs on the record and almost makes me wish some more of the records interesting tracks had longer runtimes.
The biggest flaw in the record that even creeps into almost all of the songs that I like is laziness in absolutely every part. Many of these songs seem almost randomly slapped together which is sometimes fine when they stumble into something special, but when they don't it can be some of the most agonizingly formless tracks you'll hear all year. Turn Up has a boring trap beat and vocals that sound like nobody in the entire process of performing, mixing or mastering them were even trying a little bit. Touch Me is a sad boi anthem that shoots for substance but lands at just being aimlessly busy when one refrain after another fails to connect with me. Showing You is a dreadfully boring song that barely stumbles through its runtime and I can say the exact same about Another Day.
PARTYMOBILE is proof that if you're talented enough you can stumble into something decent, even if you're hardy trying. The best songs here are weaker versions of PND's best material from his debut and the worst songs here are completely substanceless R&B pastiche. It's a shame then that the album truly does show promise and contain some strong and impassioned moments that shouldn't be overlooked. Once again with a PND album it is decent but I have no choice but to wish for what could have been. 6/10
