If it has a nice beat, you can dance to it. That saying certainly applies to electronic dance music trio Krewella's first studio album, Get Wet, released Sept. 24. It's actually an appropriate title, considering that the group made quite a splash last year with its debut EP Play Hard. The group established a unique sound, bridging the gap between harder-edged dubstep and pop.
Krewella has two female lead singers − sisters Jahan and Yasmine Yousaf - along with accompanist and producer Kris “Rain Man” Trindl, who sets the group apart from other artists in the scene. Picture, if you will, Ke$ha with more of a bite.
This group was on its way up but still had a lot to prove come the release of its first album. Unfortunately, most of the new material this album has to offer is repetitive and not very imaginative. It has a nice beat which, if played in a club, I would absolutely dance to, but it doesn't really do much in the listening department.
The album's first four songs are extremely catchy and hook listeners right away, but when given the opportunity to expand those hooks, the group simply falls flat and just repeats and repeats and repeats.
The highlight on the album would probably be “Come & Get It,” which uses a great fast-paced drum and bass beat as opposed to the standard house beat that most of the songs use. The vocals are top notch and the drops are fast and frenetic. One thing I have to applaud on this album is the texture of the synthesizers, as they are quite lush and appealing.
The award for biggest wasted opportunity on this album goes to “Dancing with the Devil.” This track features Patrick Stump and Travis Barker from Fall Out Boy and Blink-182, respectively.
With this amount of talent, this track should have absolutely been a standout, but Stump's vocals are so muddled in with the Yousaf sisters. Barker's drums blend in so well with the electronic beats that we hardly hear them at all. The melody is repetitive, and the song is not structured well overall. It is certainly the biggest disappointment on the record.
“Alive” and “Killin' It” are two tracks that were previously featured on the EP and remain highlights of this record. “Alive” glistens with wonderful piano backing and soaring vocals amidst the electronic elements, and “Killin' It” shows no mercy on the drops. It's a brutal, heavy dubstep track that will really get you going. Unfortunately these two tracks are all that stand out for me on the latter half of the album, except for one more.
If you can get your hands on the deluxe edition of the album, the very last track, “Lights & Thunder,” is a wonderful addition. It features trance DJ Gareth Emery, and the track itself certainly has a trance music edge, as it's more soft, lush and vibrant than the rest of the bunch. It has a great pulsing backbeat and a glitch texture that keeps it interesting. This is a must-listen, and it's unfortunate that it is only included on the deluxe edition.
I have a feeling that the group will continue to evolve and learn from its experiences, but this offering is a bit of a letdown. If Krewella can learn to drop the repetitive nature of the songs and play more with changing the hooks and melodies, then it will be successful. It has a good beat, and you can certainly dance to it, but it probably won't be on repeat anytime soon.