The highlights off of the Lawrence brothers' third album are the closest to recreating the excitement and vibrancy that they initially attained. Aside from some deep cuts, the majority of ENERGY is a promising celebration of the UK house music scene.
The brotherly duo of Guy and Howard Lawrence made huge waves back in 2013 with their breakout record, Settle. It fused modern pop songwriting and singing with house music in a quirky, unique way that I really seemed to appreciate and admire. At the time, it was really all I was talking about; it really changed the game with popular electronic and dance music. There were incredible vocal and sampling moments on the album and it also put Sam Smith on the map with "Latch." All of this success certainly led to massive hype for the brothers' second record, Caracal. An album that I didn't exactly enjoy as much at the time, Caracal still has highlights, but not the seamless combination of styles that brought me to be a fan in the first place. Maybe this would change on the next album for me? With ENERGY, their third studio album, they certainly brought a lot more "energy" to the table this time around. With a general approach to bringing general house music back, the majority of the album really is a collection that celebrates the UK house scene that the duo are clearly influenced by.
Before the release of ENERGY, the singles definitely brought the impact that I expected from them. The title track is a glorious banger with massive percussion and infuses samples of inspirational quotes from Eric Thomas, which is just as infectious as the Thomas samples used on "When a Fire Starts to Burn" years ago. "My High" is an infectious, fever dream of a song that seems to never slow down. It features rapping from Amine and Slowthai and they both seem to never let off the gas pedal throughout the entire track. "Douha (Mali Mali)" is another great highlight that features Malian singer Fatoumata Diawara that explores exquisite dance pop with her fantastic vocal range. "Watch Your Step" is an explosive opener featuring Kelis and Lavender is another solid tune as well, featuring up-and-comer Channel Tres.
After mentioning the singles and a few other highlights though, the deep cuts on ENERGY aren't exactly the most memorable or engaging. It's very deflating and disappointing, considering all the highlights before the record's full release. "Birthday" is not a bad track by any means, but it's simply a forgettable R&B tune with Syd and Kehlani that I really think is really necessary to be on here. It doesn't really mesh well with the other house-tinged tracks. Mick Jenkins' performance on "Who Knew?" is also not the most memorable either. It's simply ok. "Ce n'est pas" is a decent slow burner that is a nice cool off for the album. Its nearly six minute run time is not justifiable though, especially when it doesn't offer any change ups throughout the track. There are also interludes on this album that aren't necessary at all and really don't add to the album. They actually detract, since this record is already short as it is (clocking in at 39 minutes or so without them). The "Fractal" interlude is so pointless and so generic, it sounds like something that would come out of a "chill beats" playlist on Spotify. They are clearly punching under their weight with this interlude. The "Thinking 'Bout You" interlude at least is nice to hear, using classic soul samples, but it still doesn't add much. The album's closer, "Reverie," is a solid tune featuring inspirational and motivational quotes from rapper Common, but it's way too short. Being a little over two minutes, I really wished it was longer and had some additional sonic shifts.
Overall, I found ENERGY to be a much better listen than Caracal. It does celebrate this genre of modern pop and house music quite well, with the majority of the guests pulling their weight too, especially Amine, Slowthai, Kelis, and Fatoumata Diawara. I really want to love this album more, but several of its deep cuts are either merely ok or they just simply lack the energetic and infectious moments on the record. The interludes totally don't need to be there and some of the detours don't pay off as much as I would've hoped. Still, the brothers do promote their love for house music fluently on this album. I do think the highlights of this record are some of their best songs to date and are the closest they've reached to recreating the excitement and vibrancy that made them so special back in 2013 when they first broke out. Hopefully in the future, we can get a record that is as full with gems as the dazzling Settle, but the majority of ENERGY will suffice enough for now.
My Rating: 7 / 10
Favorite Songs: "ENERGY," "My High," "Douha (Mali Mali)," "Watch Your Step," "Reverie"
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