Disclosure ‘ENERGY’
EDM's Grammy-nominated Disclosure released their first complete studio album since 2015 on Friday.
Let's take a quick look at where they came from, where they’ve been, and where they're at now…
England’s brother duo, Howard and Guy Lawrence, started making a name for themselves by uploading house beats with a pop-structure to Myspace in the early 2000s, when they were just high schoolers.
They have always been passionate about their craft; music courses through their DNA. Their father, a notable rock guitarist, encouraged the brothers to study music and music technology.
“Offline Dexterity”, Disclosure’s official debut single, dropped in 2010 and landed them a record deal with the U.K label PMR. As fast as a deal came, so did their fame in London’s techno and garage scene.
“Latch”, which features the angelic vocals of an unknown artist turned U.K legend, Sam Smith, rose to the top of the charts; making them a commercial successes. “White Noise” and “You & Me” were the next consecutive hits. Together the three songs culminated into their first EP- The Singles.
Pitchfork rated the 2013 debut album Settle a 9.1 and it was Grammy-nominated for Best Dance Album.
In 2015, Caracal, their second studio album; made the brothers two-time Grammy nominees.
Fans didn’t get new music for three years, while Disclosure took a hiatus to get back into performing on the festival scene.
In 2018, we were graced once again with singles that announced their official comeback. Hits like “Where Angels Fear to Tread” made us antsy for their next studio album.
On February 28th of this year, a 5 track EP titled Ecstasy dropped and created major buzz for this most recent album Energy.
Keep reading for our breakdown of the most notable tracks on the album.
High points:
Tondo: An early single leading up to the album release, Tondo is an upbeat and punchy track; cohesively tying the different sounds found in this project.
Douha (Mali Mali): Afro-island vibes influence this song and the repetitive mantra in a different language completes this tropical beat. Fatoumata Diawara delivers a euphoric performance that makes this one of my favorite tracks.
Energy: Bringing me back to “When a Fire Starts to Burn”, Eric Thomas preaches the good word of hip-hop. I’m stoked they decided to go back to OG Disclosure roots of house beats with UK garage sound. It also gives me mad Carl Cox vibes.
Birthday: Kehlani brings the slow jams that are reminiscent of the 90s R&B sounds. This one is less of an EDM track; Disclosure is channeling their history in music production. The beats compliment the vocals, rather than lyrics to go with a beat.
Lavender: The Channel Tres feature feels chaotic, while still following a classic house tempo. If you’re familiar with the Compton DJ, then you know how he redefines electronic dance music with his deep vocals and west coast inspired dance music. His style is adopted for this feature and doesn’t follow a typical Disclosure sound.
Reverie: Common shows out for this feature - this beat is made for his voice. This song is relatable and feels nostalgic. Between bars, the beat is ethereal and enchanting.
Low points:
My High: Heavy dance vibes that make me wish clubs were open so I can boogie. However, it seems out of pocket from the rest of the album and I don’t think it belongs; would have been a great single to release once nightlife picks back up.
Etran: Heavy trance vibes with a meditating mantra. I can’t place this beat anywhere but a yoga class to be honest.
Somewhere in the middle:
Ecstasy: This track is what you would expect of seasoned house DJs, there are subtle and lingering hints of Disco vibes.
Get Close and Expressing What Matters: Two more tracks following a classic house beat; an expectation from these seasoned DJs. These beats that are integral to the album, however, would not impress me if they stood alone.
Ce n’est pas: Pretty underwhelming, however, a nice track. Blick Bassy delivers a dignified performance.
Know Your Worth/Talk: As someone who isn’t the biggest Khalid fan, I wasn’t thrilled to see not one, but two features. “Talk” is the better of the two. Both are very catchy and that’s most likely why they were released as singles before the whole drop. Radios will love these tracks and so will Khalid fans.
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Although we probably won’t see the inside of a club anytime soon, ENERGY gives us an opportunity to rethink our definition of a dance floor.
Rating: 7.5/10
Written by Nati Hazday, Edited by Emma Barsky