Nitya Sabhnani
For all EDM (Electronic Dance Music) enthusiasts, it’s time to breath easy – Zedd’s second studio album has finally arrived. Officially released on May 18 this year, True Colors is the follow up to his 2012 debut album Clarity, which featured 5 singles including its Grammy winning title track.
Revealing that he “never wanted to be famous” in an interview with SPIN, this Electro house marvel is now, unfortunately, exactly what he never aimed to be. Born into a musical family, Anton Zaslavski, better known as Zedd, started his love affair with music aged 4 with the piano. He then delved into the rock scene with the band Dioramic for 8 years, before catapulting himself into the world of electronic music.
Divulging his authentic colours with his second album, the question remains: Has the 3-year wait for True Colors been worth it?
The album can only be described with one sentiment – a mixed bag. Zedd successfully manages to integrate his classical music and rock background into his new album, steering it away from being a generic EDM record. While some may find the mix of style too polarizing, UrbanWire thinks that he’s hit the nail on the head. True Colors offers a greatly varied track list with something for everyone.
The album kicks off on a high note with its opening track “Addicted To A Memory” featuring the girl group Bahari on vocals. Described by Zedd as being “an odyssey that brings the listener into the album”, the first track does just that, with its typical EDM song format and progressive vocals. Also in similar suit is the album’s first official single “I Want You To Know”, featuring Selena Gomez. With the track’s EDM and Pop influence, it’s no wonder that this highly publicized collaboration peaked at number 1 on Billboards Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart.
True Colors seems to take a complete turn with tracks reminiscent of Zedd’s manifold musical background. One such number would be “Transmission” featuring Logic & X Ambassadors. The track has EDM and deep house elements, intertwined with rap and flecks of hip-hop, giving it an overall eighties music feel.
“Done With Love” complements this well by disclosing the musician’s classical background. The song has a typical EDM undertone with components of Jazz. Backed with lyrics such as “Tell me who took your heart away/ And do you know it breaks mine when I hear you say/ That you’re done with love”, the track can be considered Zedd’s rendition of a breakup song.
https://youtu.be/piUss-VxqSo&index=3&list=PLwAFkSaoHqU_q6VfeeEo-Y62Pfd3e6Mll
The album takes yet another unexpected turn with its title track, “True Colors”. If you were expecting another catchy club song to dance away to, this might not be it. Fuelled almost purely by vocals, “True Colors” rests mainly in the deep house genre with an element of tribal beats. The song exudes a raw sense of emotion, with the lyrics “Let me show you my true colors/It ain’t no rainbow” particularly underlining its sorrow sentiment.
The track “Daisy” sways into the album as a breath of fresh air. With crisp vocals throughout the number and lots of classical elements, the song has a subdued sense of sadness that’s oddly endearing. True Colors finishes on a sweet note with its final track “Illusion” featuring Echosmith, a blend of progressive and trance music that stays in a constant key. Laced with somber lyrics like “This love is your illusion/Take me to a place with real life love”, “Illusion” ends off with an almost lullaby like melody.
On the whole, the album True Colors is flooded with a diverse range of experimental tracks that would entice EDM and non-EDM lovers alike. So to answer the question, yes. The 3-year wait for Zedd’s True Colors has been worth it.
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Track list:
1. Addicted to a memory (feat. Bahari) 5:03
2. I Want You To Know (feat. Selena Gomez) 3:59
3. Beautiful Now (feat. Jon Bellion) 3:38
4. Transmission (feat. Logic & X Ambassadors) 4:02
5. Done With Love 4:56
6. True Colors 3:48
7. Straight Into The Fire 3:41
8. Papercut (feat. Troye Sivan) 7:23
9. Bumble Bee 4:07
10. Daisy 2:54
11. Illusion 6:30
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