Fifth Harmony - 7/27 [Album Review]

Undoubtedly the most successful product of the U.S. X Factor series, fierce girl-group Fifth Harmony have made a name for themselves in recent years with their confident and ridiculously catchy club anthems. Following on from their debut studio album, Reflection, the quintet released their sophomore album, 7/27, on the 27^th May. But how does this new album fare?

Following some similar themes of emotional vulnerability, confidence, and empowerment from Reflection, 7/27 starts off with ‘That’s My Girl’. Indicating that we’re still very much in the ‘Worth It’ territory, female empowerment and strength are present lyrically, just to remind you of all the things that this group is synonymous with. It’s powerful and prominent in both vocal delivery and execution. ‘Work From Home’ ft. Ty Dolla $ign is perhaps one of the most notable releases from the album, and functions as a slow-builder that teases its climax but never actually quite happens, which in some ways is to its advantage. Its chill and understated beat serves it well, taming down what could be quite a riotous and perhaps overstuffed track.

Known for their effortless hit making (with much thanks to their writers and producers), the 5-piece shine most when they are in their element; rambunctious summer smash ‘The Life’ is no exception to this. Drenched in feel-good vibes and tropical beats, this charismatic hit emphasises the importance of enjoying your life and celebrating the small victories – an inspirational message for all. ‘Write On Me’ takes the pop formula and rejigs it a bit as the girls flex their country-dance side (can anyone say Avicii’s ‘Hey Brother’?) in this sweet, soulful, and harmonious song. Similarly, a collab with the slurring Fetty Wap (‘All In My Head/ Flex) goes down a treat, and is every bit as effortless and catchy as you’d expect without sacrificing any of its substance.

Clearly trying to channel the old school R&B vibes, the group opts for smooth, simmering songs ‘I Lied’ and ‘Gonna Get Better’ (‘No Scrubs’ pops into mind – although this isn’t quite on that level), which are reasonably satisfying and benefit from sultry and cool vocals. Likewise, ‘Scared of Happy’ manages to register on the scale with its upbeat and cheery sugar-coating melody that hides the vulnerable essence of the song; a fitting musical composition for the nature of the track, and a surprising gem from the 5-piece.

Whilst some tracks sky-rocket into successful heights, some fail to make an impact such as ‘Squeeze’, ‘Dope’ and ‘No Way’, despite not actually being “bad” tracks. The problem with these additions relates back to Fifth Harmony’s dynamic – they’re in their element when creating pop hits, but all of this hit-making inevitably means you’re going to have some duds. And these are some of them. The relatively average ‘Squeeze’ seems ultimately forgettable, whilst ‘Dope’ is pristine pop at its worst, and delves into grating territory with its cheesy ‘doo be doo’ vocal harmonies. ‘No Way’ suffers a similar fate, this time musically as it starts off to be rather promising but ends up more of a missed opportunity with what could have been a soulful and smooth pop/R&B mash up.

Whilst Reflection had a whole host of musical mixes and styles – some of which didn’t quite fit – 7/27 is a prime example of a more cohesive album but one that works a bit too well, like it’s on auto-pilot, in places. The consequences of this is that after a while, one track sort of blends into the other; it lacks a distinctive ‘break’ from the breezy, tropical blitzes that the group continually churn out on this latest album.

Despite this, 7/27 manages to redeem itself for the most part with its more soulful additions, that illuminate the powerful dynamic between each of the 5 members, both vocally and spiritually. There’s more personality here than meets the eye, and the group are in their zone when they are doing what they do best: making catchy, confident anthems. Whether they decide to shy away from this in the future and attempt for something a bit different is up to them, but it would be interesting to see the results of this, for sure. Nevertheless, 7/27 is an infectious pop entity that benefits from the powerhouse performances from Brooke, Kordei, Jane, Cabello and Jauregui.