The King of Tropical House has done it again…
Amidst all that’s going on, the 2020 summer is definitely going to be a relatively dim one in comparison to summers of the past. However, Kygo has managed to give us a little hope, shining a streak of sunshine down on our lives with his newest album Golden Hour.
After a lapse of three years, the “King of Tropical House” returns with yet another expansive studio album consisting of 18 tracks spreading those sunny and sandy summer beach vibes, full of piano melodies and soft and surfy drops, one would argue that it almost demands beachfront listening.
The album, which was released on 29 May, shares Kygo’s signature style packed with keyboard melodies and empowering vocals holding prominence in the up-tempo tracks, providing us with a significant opportunity to spread positivity and hope when the world needs it most.
The expansive album sees Kygo featuring a truly impressive collection of collaborators on each and every song, including OneRepublic, Zak Abel, Kim Petras, Oh Wonder, Whitney Houston, Zara Larsson & Tyga, Sasha Sloan, Rhys Lewis, Zac Brown, and more; it’s got it all from tropical party vibes to more sombre melodies.
Prior to the album, most of the tracks were released as chart-topping singles, including the standout hit and remake of Steve Winwood’s 1986 Higher Love which wielded Whitney Houston’s powerhouse vocals last summer, making it impossible for you to hear the original song with none other than her voice leading the track.
Kygo occasionally deviates from his proven formula of tropical piano and keyboard instrumentals in tracks such as Like It Is featuring American pop artist Zara Larsson and rapper Tyga to give his fans a song with a clubbier vibe, but even still you can only imagine yourself rocking away at a beach in Ibiza enjoying the sand, dancing away into the night.
In Someday, Kygo leans to the vocals of country icon Zak Brown for that famous country style with a thumping bassline and echoing melodies painting images of beach-side rodeos (if that was ever a thing), proving yet again that he isn’t afraid to venture out of his comfort zone.
But not even the King of Tropical House is perfect as the new album was no stranger to a couple of tracks missing the mark with the sleepy sounds of Only Us and overly familiar-feeling of Feels Like Forever just falling shy of the exceptional standard the artist has set for himself and his music.
However, with tracks such as Broken Glass, Freedom and Could You Love Me really hitting the mark and revelling in the proven Kygo style of the up-beat track, he compensates for the marks he missed.
Zak Abel’s collaboration in Freedom’s motivating vocals paired with Kygo’s uniquely satisfying melody just works in providing you with a moment of clarity and hope, and if all else fails you will find yourself bopping your troubles away to the incredibly catchy earworm of a tune – I must also mention this is my personal favourite, so I may be a bit biased.
Broken Glass, featuring Kim Petra’s popstar vocals that excellently punctuate a feel-good track with some cheeky lyrics, will see you bellowing along to the tune at max volume. Similarly, Beautiful, another stunner, shares the same tone and was a collaboration with past Avicii collaborator Sandro Cavazza.
Aiming to tick off some of the more sombre feelings of love and loss Kygo looks to the haunting vocals and stunning lyricism of Sasha Sloan in the hit I’ll Wait, the subtle melody does a great job at tugging at your heartstrings as Sloan sings of fond memories of an ex-lover.
Hearing from The King about the making of the album and its release, Kygo took to Facebook to say: “I’ve been working so hard on this album the last two years and I’m so happy and proud of each and every song. The album consists of 18 songs and is exactly one hour of music. Thank you to all the insanely talented artists I’ve had the chance to work with on this record; hopefully, we’ll get the chance to play these songs together live someday soon. And a huge thank you to all my fans who have been supporting me the last couple of years. I hope you enjoy this album as much as I did making it.”
The album is distinctly Kygo, and I guarantee that from the very first beat of the very first song anyone would recognize the familiar Kygo signature. The beach-ready beats, catchy vocals and tropical house elements prevalent throughout make so many of the songs off of Golden Hour fit in seamlessly among those on either of his past albums: Kids In Love or Cloud Nine.
In conjunction with his new release, Kygo took to online social media platforms to perform Golden Hour in its entirety during his virtual Golden Hour Festival which was broadcasted live on Kygo’s YouTube channel and on his website.
The album is the perfect representation of Kygo as he sticks to his roots while also branching out and staying fresh and relevant. Overall, it is the most genre-defining Kygo project to date in the best possible way.
Rating: 8.5/10
By Randev Jayasinha
Feature Image Credit: Sony Music International