Album Review: 7/27 by Fifth Harmony

Okay, so I was originally going to do this as a video review, but it's starting to look like I might not get the privacy to do that. I still wanna do one, but we'll see when I have the time to do it. In the meantime, here are the notes I took track-by-track when I listened through this album last night. Spoilers: I didn't really care for it much.

1. That’s My Girl

Oh nooooooo. Squeaky horns and sax. Thudding percussion. This is lousy. Annoying vocal production and, well, production in general make this kind of a hard listen. At least the sounds from the beginning don’t return.

2. Work From Home (ft. Ty Dolla $ign)

My opinion on this song hasn’t changed. It’s still stupidly written and thuddingly annoying. How this is a top 10 hit I’ll never understand.

3. The Life

And now we get more cheap-sounding keys. Obviously going for a tropical vibe, which I guess fits the sentimient of this being the life. But like their other stuff, it’s thudding and unpleasant. It feels like a build-up to nothing. Annoying voice sound in the background too.

4. Write On Me

This one’s more of a ballad. It sounds like they’re saying “ride on me.” Its mix is overstuffed and cluttered, resulting in a whole lotta meh. Also the premise of the song is that the man is coloring on/drawing them. That’s a stupid metaphor. And Camilla’s bridge is all sorts of ear piercing.

5. I Lied

Whoa mama that drop is irritating. Also you have been lying about loving this guy. You’re basically admitting your entire career is a lie, you know that? Other than that, bassier production with trap and tropical drums. Does nothing for me.

6. All In My Head (Flex) (ft. Fetty Wap)

I know Fetty’s shtick is that he doesn’t have a great voice, but he’s really pushing it here. He’s going for range he doesn’t have. And he’s barely on the track. Other than that, I guess I appreciate the use of real guitars here. Still not great though.

7. Squeeze

This one actually accomplishes a more sensual vibe. And honestly, it’s not half bad. Only took 7 tracks, but we got a track I’d actually call good. And the vocals for the drop work pretty well too.  Plus there’s some organic piano. Good stuff.

8. Gonna Get Better

And here we have a song that’s more boring than irritating. Ballady with booming percussion. Lyrically just average. I can’t build much rage for this.

9. Scared of Happy

On some level I can appreciate the sentiment; being scared of a relationship. It’s at least interesting. The tropical rhythms are decent if not all that memorable. But the drop sucks.

10. Not That Kinda Girl (ft. Missy Elliott)
Oh great it’s overmixed. Fifth Harmony try to assert dominance over a boy. At least they do it better than Meghan. I still do not like this. Generic Disney-sounding, except with swearing. I appreciate Missy’s verse though.

Final Verdict: This was an unpleasant experience. A lot of the songs are overmixed and grating. The singers don't do anything for me in terms of their vocals and I don't find them sexy. They're not distinct from one another, especially with all the autotune they use. To be fair, the back half of the record is a bit better, but that's only because they go into softer filler territory. So yeah, this is about what I expected from this group.

Rating: 4/10

Best songs: Squeeze, Scared of Happy

Worst songs: I Lied, That's My Girl, Write On Me, Work From Home