If the lead single, “Greenlight”, acted as a taster and a teaser for the listener ahead of this full-length album via sassy sonic salvos, infectious grooves and addictive beats, it didn’t fully prepare us for what was to follow. Very often, the advanced releases ahead of a full-length release are the icing on the cake and what follows is often not entirely of the same gravitas; not so in this case.
As you bounce across the tracks on the wave of positivity and euphoria they evoke, you realise that filler is not a feature of this release. Pretty much any of the ways here would have had the same impact if sent out as an advanced single release.
See You is a fabulous and funky groover, a track that the likes of Pharrell or perhaps (say with hushed reverence) Prince would have been pleased to have in their musical arsenal. Opener “Move On”, and particularly, “No Regrets”, are built from the pulsating energy and euphoria that urban-infused pop and R&B require. The title track is that perfect combination of soulfulness and wilful loucheness. It’s an ideal blend of the understated and the addictive, a combination which informs most of the tracks on the album in one way or another.
If you want to know where modern pop is at, this is the album for you. It stands with one foot in that classic sound, but it is where it chooses to place the other that really informs the sound. Life For Now has everything from R&B to chilled rock, from soul to ambient electronica, from modern beats to traditional musical moves.
Some music follows what has gone before. Some music points the way forward. Life For Now is definitely in the latter category.
