Released:
Rating: ★★★★
It’s been five years since the release of Disclosure’s second album ‘Caracal’, a slick, yearning, and seductive follow-up to their 2013 debut which sent them into the sonic stratosphere as global dance music icons.
‘Energy’ kicks off with ‘Watch Your Step’, featuring none other than Kelis, Disclosure let you know that they are not here to fuck around as they open the record with its most bombastic track. Arguably the album’s highlight, it makes the listener nostalgic for 00s house. It’s an instant classic, with breakbeats that make you yearn for pre-pandemic club nights.
Kelis isn’t the only other impressive name-check Disclosure have managed to rope in with their third effort. Other heavyweight collabs on the album include Aminé and slowthai on the fast-paced hip house jam ‘My High’, and Kehlani and Syd on the sexy R&B slow jam of ‘Birthday’.
Even the tracks that come between these impressive collaborations keep the electric feeling alive, with the interludes providing an effortlessly cool lo-fi repose. For the first time, the Lawrence brothers also delve into the multilingual realm as on ‘Mali Mali’ and ‘Ce N’est Pa’, where the sonic soundscape shifts into a refreshing yet unknown territory.
‘Energy’ has been a long wait, and at no point does it disappoint. By far the fraternal duo’s most eclectic album to date, it’s one that truly embodies its namesake in every sense.
Jasleen Dhindsa
