Image credit to Wikimedia Commons
4.25/5 stars
5 years after Harris’s last album, Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2 is the sound of summer. An album filled with star collaboration after star collaboration (from Charlie Puth to Dua Lipa, and Snoop Dogg to Stefflon Don), it takes the essence of dance music and successfully infuses it with funk and chilled house vibes. While it doesn’t seem to have had as much chart success and airtime as Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1, I would describe this album as far more memorable, and an album that carefully predicts where the charts seem to be going next; an ever-greater focus on big stars and more cross-genre experimentation, with an increasing focus on ‘organic’ and natural sounds alongside feel-good songs as a reaction against the challenges of coronavirus.
The album opens with an ‘Intro’ which would not be amiss from a The Weeknd album or from Mark Ronson, creating the mood and really bringing you into an island mindset as you step into Harris’s refreshed sound. The transition into ‘New Money’ is a little bit of a jolt, an extended introduction on the second track on the album making us wonder what the purpose of the first track was. ‘New Money’ wouldn’t have been out of place on the previous Volume, a simple chilled backing track that is a song comfortable in its own existence, not in a rush nor building to any larger drop. It feels like Harris is deliberately holding back on this song to save the best till later.
We then go into the leading single of the album, ‘Potion’, with Dua Lipa and Young Thug. Again, the rhythm and bass guitars complement each other and the attention to detail from Harris is impressive, with the vocals and backing music constantly in conversation with each other. The perfect soundtrack to a Sunday afternoon garden party.
One of my favourite tracks of the album is ‘Woman of the Year’; the opening is an audio journey which signifies the album moving up a notch into an ever-more melodic and funk-driven sound. At this point it feels we are really moving beyond Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1. The whole album channels the energy of a Quincy Jones production, this song particularly bringing that out in the final third of the track as it removes and builds different elements together to create a sense of movement. The synths particularly embrace the vocals, cutting back to a simple bassline, adding back in the guitars with the drums tinkering in the background. This section would be particularly powerful when performed live, really creating a moment through such simple craftmanship.
‘Obsessed’ really digs into the funk roots of the album, Charlie Puth’s signature vocals feeling like they are almost moving in and out with the piano, perfectly punctuating his performance. In keeping with the album, the musical break leads to a winding down of the song, though it does feel a missed opportunity where the song could have really ramped up a gear with a killer guitar solo or a more strained vocal.
‘New to You’ wouldn’t be amiss in a Bond film, the beautiful violins really refreshing the funk sound to create an element of class and grandeur. Where this album is really good is where the songs begin to cross musical genre boundaries, which ‘New to You’ absolutely does.
‘Ready or Not’ is a feel-good tune but not a song of particular note. It is much more focused on the vocal than the instrumental and a song that seems more suited to radio than one to be known for its distinctive personality.
‘Stay with Me’ is the other lead single of the album, a song that feels quite fun though I do find Halsey’s vocals a little frustrating. It is an interesting song where the build to the chorus is more aggressive than the chorus itself, refreshing for its inversion of how songs are usually expected to be, but as a result creating something that feels a little displeasing. Maybe its just my musical preferences coming through, but it feels like Harris is holding back – less certainly can be more, but with songs that seem to have so much opportunity to be summer anthems they don’t always quite hit pitch perfect.
I actually prefer to the first part of ‘Stay with Me (Part 2)’, a sense of a higher tempo created by percussion, the vocals having far more sense of flow than the previous song and the vocals being beautifully complemented again by strings. This wouldn’t be out of place with 70s disco hits, really revealing the influences of artists like Nile Rodgers and CHIC, who have defined my musical taste for so long.
‘Somebody Else’ is my favourite song on the album, the screaming guitars creating a song of such drama and emotion that makes it another defining moment of this Volume. By having the guitars at the start and end it creates the space for the vocals in the middle of the song, staying within the tropical vibe but absolutely creating a distinctive song to remember.
‘Nothing More to Say’ is an interesting track as it is another song more focused on vocals than instrumental, which at least in my case made it something less satisfying to listen to. As the background remains so similar throughout it makes the song feel very chill, but a little low effort in places. The use of a filter over the bass guitar returning to basically the same as before seems only to satisfy Harris’s want to put his mark on the track, instead of building into the vocal positively.
‘Live My Best Life’ feels almost unsettling, but maybe that’s just me. I don’t find it a particularly enjoyable track, with the backing music feeling like it was made for a movie more than general consumption, and its purpose on the album unclear but for saying Snoop Dogg featured on it.
‘Lean On Me’ channels an older sense of Harris, the acoustic guitar and backing music reminding me of songs like ‘School’ from the album ’18 Months’ which was released 10 years ago. What makes this song so remarkable is it doesn’t feel like Harris, and is an example of where he is going beyond expectations of the album and his artistry to produce something different and therefore something refreshing. We get a full guitar solo in the second half of the track, the album finally reaching its emotive pinnacle and giving us what has been teased for so long. Apart from possibly moving ‘Potion’ to track 2 and ‘New Money’ track 3 for better flow, you can tell Harris has planned this almost like a concept album with each song feeding into the next, all the components building up and being teased as we progress through the track-list.
‘Day One’ really cuts things back, some simple synths with guitars that calms us back down as the album closes. ‘Day One’ is another example of where it feels the song ends early, an EDM drop missing that would have given the album an even stronger sense of journey to returning to the sound Harris is known for, though really breaking beyond the boundaries it was set out to work within.
Overall, Harris creates a strong sense of journey and should be commended where the album really feels experimental. Harris feels in control throughout the album, adding in and removing elements so where there are moments of excess they feel powerfully overwhelming. At times it does feel like Harris is holding back, though when the album is played straight through we get a better sense of why he has done so – it is about the album experience rather than every track going for 100 straight away. It feels Harris has almost come home, exploring 70s disco in a fresh and innovative way that really takes things back to basics. Let’s hope Harris returns to EDM, and takes this sense of moments and simplicity with him to create something that would be truly distinctive.