I’ll admit at first I was unsure about listening to PARTYNEXTDOOR. I wasn’t grabbed away by his pen name. It’s in your face and its all capitals, no spaces seemed odd. But after listening to the OVO artist, I realized the value of his name. It’s bold, and PARTYEXTDOOR brings a boldness that is subtle and intriguing. After the momentum built around his critically acclaimed debut project, the anticipation is high for PARTYNEXTDOOR’s new album titled PARTYNEXTDOOR TWO.
The last project brought sexual fantasies and wild late night parties full of drugs and strippers with a twisting production. So he had to come correct with twelve new silky smooth tracks that will be perfect for those late summer nights. “Her Way” was the first single released. The atmospheric synths let us know PARTYNEXTDOOR (PND) will be delivering more laid back sounds that are equalling soothing as they is sensual. Then he dropped “Recognize” featuring Drake and showed there is still that Hip-Hop infused R&B/Soul sonic – the same sound that made his first project a success.
“Her Way”:
And so it starts with “Easy Liberty” – it’s a faster moving track compared to what we’ve heard from Party before. The head-nopping bass however does not overshadow the vocals. One might assume because of the lower force and less falsetto in PND’s voice, it will be best matched with slow churning tunes. While his croon on a slow smooth jam is moving, what we see here is his ability to produce. After all he is a producer first and produced the whole album. Before PARTYNEXTDOOR, he was John Braithwaite who made EDM infused R&B, and although this can’t be categorized as a classic dance/house track, PARTYNEXTDOOR brings melodic elements with a repetitive hook that doesn’t end up sounding overbearing or boring.
What you may have learned from his previous album is PND’s subtlety. He maintains a balance of presenting clearly sexual lyrics without being too eye brow rising. But there is more boldness in this project. Tracks like “Sex on the Beach”, “Thirsty“, and “Bout It” ooze a sensual soulfulness. The lyrics may be blunt but Party’s crooning voice and the ambiance of his production is the right mood changing kind. The cohesive and dexterous style of PND’s is quite interesting. He can belt a silky hook and then spit with a rapper’s accuracy. In “Options” and “Recognize” you can hear this. But what makes his overall sound unique is how he fuses an R&B vocal with the wordplay of a rapper. It may sound like Hip-Hop, but is sung with the smoothness of R&B.
“Recognize”:
The production from PARTYEXTDOOR is not to be overlooked. In fact it makes the album. There are trap beats and clear bass drops in “Bout It” and “Thirsty,” they’re tantalizing. But he really shines on “Sex on the Beach” and “FWU”. The former leads from atmospheric synths to electronic 808’s while the latter has elements coming from everywhere. PND crafts a gem with “FWU” production wise. His ability to collide these different sounds into something that flows naturally is magnificent.
PARTYEXTDOOR yet again brings a level of allurement that is hard to ignore. The mystery starts from his one of a kind moniker then continues with his precise approach. Not revealing too much of himself outside of his music, he creates an enigmatic vibe. The mystery continues with expertise bedroom production and subtle intricacy. While some may compare him to The Weeknd or Drake even, this album highlights a style that is rightfully all PND’s. The general sound may not be out of this world or too new but it is indeed replay worthy.
Purchase: PARTYNEXTDOOR – PARTYNEXTDOOR TWO (iTunes)
Words by Chenae Rodrigues // Edited by Ayo Adepoju
