Taken from this week’s Future Pop mailer. Click here to subscribe.
I loved Fifth Harmony on The X Factor USA, and their early tracks like Me & My Girls and Sledgehammer, but BO$$ and Worth It were too self-consciously sassy for my liking. They’ve certainly found their place as the Plastics of the pop school cafeteria, and now they’ve settled into this new position, they’re working it. Work From Home is definitely the best example of this new sound, and intrigued me enough to actually download their new album 7/27 (I only ever listened to the last one once, while waiting for them to perform at an event). Overall it’s a very strong, consistent and cohesive album, which is sadly rare to find from a “manufactured” pop act. It seems that someone has taken real care over the A&R of this album, which is extra-important in the age of streaming, where filler tracks simply won’t make the fan’s playlist. The standout track for me, however, is the anomaly on the album – the only one that recalls the band’s original sound. That’s My Girl is a pop triumph, blending the belting chorus of Sledgehammer with the trendy sax of Worth It, and I think I might just say it’s the best song Fifth Harmony have ever released. They have already filmed a video for the track, as it was originally set to be the lead single, so I hope it’ll soon have its moment to shine.