Panda Album Review: True Colors (ZEDD)

ProPanda For my first ever album review I will describe Zedd's sophomore, improved effort. I go into how the variety and sound of what could be considered one of the greatest dance-pop albums of the 2010s decade.

Best Tracks : Transmission (feat. Logic and X Ambassadors), I Want You To Know (feat. Selena Gomez), Addicted To A Memory (feat. Bahari), Papercut (feat. Troye Sivan), Daisy (feat. Julia Michaels), True Colors (feat. Kesha or Tim James), Straight Into The Fire (feat. Julia Michaels), Ilusion (feat. Echosmith), Bumble Bee (feat. Botnek), Done With Love (feat. Jon Bellion)

Worst Tracks : N/A

12/10

Zedd. One of the most widely known EDM-Pop artists in the industry. Discovered by Skrillex himself, he is known for some of the most iconic songs in EDM's big mainstream breakthrough. He was up and coming in 2012 when Spectrum (feat. Matthew Koma) rose into Dance Clubs, becoming the most popular song in the clubs for 2012. However, it barely landed short of a true hit barely missing the Billboard Hot 100, and only just cracking the Top 40 at pop radio. The year later, he truly got mainstream success as the antithetic Clarity (feat. Foxes) made the top 10 in the US, and the top 2 at pop radio. Then he got more success in 2014 releasing songs with Paramore's Hailee Williams, and Ariana Grande. Then 2015 happened. He released a song in early March with Selena Gomez entitled I Want You To Know. With the fans wanting new stuff, Gomez's high profile, and that the pair were dating at the time, the song did amazing, debuted in the top 20. The song also marked the start of Zedd's True Colors era. True Colors is the follow-up to Zedd's 2012 debut, Clarity. Basically every fan of his will disagree with me on this one, but this was an improvement. I'm gonna dive into why.

Production: I'm gonna start here because this is what Anton is prime at. What this album has that Clarity doesn't is variety. This album contains ballads, in the form of Daisy and True Colors. It has a nice feel to it, and leads up good hype. The production has that classic dance-pop sound with guitar instrumentals and synth and bass lines that actually work in the form of I Want You To Know and Beautiful Now. The drops on this album also have ok variety. From the epic blast of energy in I Want You To Know to the vocal drop in Beautiful Now, or even that long extended solo in Papercut. There are also songs with no drops (Transmission, Daisy) but still create a suitable vibe to enjoy a listen to. Back to the variety, songs like Transmission and Done With Love have nothing in common while Addicted To A Memory and Illusion basically sound the same. Heck there's even a classic instrumental track on here in Bumble Bee, which takes us back into Zedd's Shave It days. Overall, there's some solid production which keeps an interchangeable sound, but brings in variety.

Vocals: There are a variety of guest vocalists here. We have teen pop stars Selena Gomez and Troye Sivan, girl group Bahari, pop-rock bands Echosmith and X Ambassadors, rappers Jon Bellion and Logic, country star Tim James, and singer-songwriter Julia Michaels known for writing pop hits but singing on EDM ones. I gotta say, all of them performed unbelievably. Selena goes into a vocal range that's steady yet powerful, while Tim James and Michaels spread out a bit. Sam from X Ambassadors takes the approach of using the fade out and succeeds. Logic has an amazing flow as well. Jon Bellion also comes through with his signature Owl-City Rae Sremmurd combo style. So Vocally, another pass.

Lyrics: There are some pretty insane lyrics and themes here. There's Beautiful Now, about the night that's the peak of a couple's love. I Want You To Know, which has a person telling their soul mate that's it's time for that time of your life. Papercut is a sadder song about a fading relationship or one that's broken up. Transmission tells the story of someone's death. True Colors shows someone standing up for themselves and making themselves the greatest. And it actually works better than in Katy Perry's Roar or Rachel Platten's Fight Song. Lyrically, this is getting a pass.

Verdict: This album will always hold a special place in my heart. This is EDM taken and put togheter with pop, rock, and hip hop. It takes the best of it's collaborators, matches happy themes with sadder beats, and combines catchy melodies with energetic drops. There's a variety in sound and an overall feel to it that just makes you wanna get up and dance or cry, or do whatever. It's called True Colors for a reason. Each song is represented by a color which represent a mood. You can listen to any track depending on your mood, and have your emotions change with each song. And for that, it's my favorite EDM album of all time, and one of the 4 releases I've ever given a 12/10. This is Panda, and thank you ZEDD for being amazing.

Comments

This is my first album review and I started it when I had really awful writing skills, so if this feels inconsistent that's probably why. - ProPanda

I sucked at album reviews when I begun. Glad I redid my sh*t.

Good job to you, hope you improve over time. - SwagFlicks

No I'd say your 8 Mile review is better than this... - ProPanda