PARTYNEXTDOOR returns after a long hiatus with two new songs, “The News” and “Loyal” featuring Drake. I view Party as one of the best songwriters of our generation. Party’s pen is responsible for a lot of your favorite songs (i.e. “Work”, “Wild Thoughts”, “Shining”). I see him as a big influence in today’s sound. But, one of my biggest grievances with Party is that it seems that he gives his best work away to other artists. So, on these two new songs, I was hoping that he would change my mind.
The first song I listened to was “The News”. It starts off typically slow in regular Partnextdoor fashion. One of the first things I noticed in this song was how clear his voice sounds on it. In the past, a lot of times I would feel as if Party was sometimes mumbling or letting the autotune ruin the song. On this track, I think he finds a good balance. For the track itself, there isn’t much to it. The chorus gets pretty repetitive and the breakdown Party adds towards the end doesn’t do much for the song.
As for “Loyal” featuring Drake, my expectations were a little bit higher. In the past, Party and Drake have made great music together (i.e. “Over Here”, “Come and See Me”, “Since Way Back”). I can’t say the song really lived up to their past collaborations. It is a feel-good R&B track where both Party and Drake croon about how great of a time and relationship they have when they are with their respective girl. I won’t really say that these songs have made me excited for future Party music, but I also won’t say I am opposed to seeing what else he has in store.
