The Chainsmokers are easily one of the biggest acts in the world right now. Their single ‘Closer’ featuring Halsey became a worldwide phenomenon and is still in top 10 charts around the world (the song is currently at number five on the Billboard Hot 100). The group then released the moderate hit ‘Paris’ and dropped their brand new single ‘Something Just Like This’ featuring Coldplay yesterday which is set to continue their chart-topping success.
The new single is another great piece of work by the production duo. The song is exactly what radio is eating up at the moment. The Chainsmokers understand the formula and are now teaming up with massive artists in collaborations which are bound to take the world by storm. Chris Martin and Coldplay have dabbled in dance briefly before with the Avicii-assisted single ‘A Sky Full Of Stars’ but shine on the collaboration which makes me wonder why they haven’t taken this route before. The lyrics are catchy, production is fire and it’s got an anthemic vibe to it which will undoubtedly be sung at full volume by many fans at clubs or festivals around the world in the months to come.
However, I can’t help but feel I’ve heard this all before from The Chainsmokers. The verses are incredibly similar to that of ‘Closer’ (to which sound similar to ‘Paris’) and you can’t listen to ‘Something Just Like This’ without noticing the almost identical drop the group has in their smash hit ‘Roses’.
Now, there are two ways to look at this. Firstly, this could be the group giving the fans exactly what they want. The song is flying up the South African iTunes chart and similar charts around the world and I have no doubt that the song will start playing on many Top 40 stations around the country from today. Fans are digging it and, honestly, this type of music brings home the bacon for the group.
But, on a creative level, the group almost seem as if they’re stuck in a rut. The Chainsmokers quickly became popular because of tracks like ‘Roses’, ‘Don’t Let Me Down’ ‘#SELFIE’ and ‘Closer’ which pushed the music industry’s boundaries. However, with ‘Paris’ and ‘Something Just Like This’, they seem so uninspired.
Despite this, I can’t argue that the song isn’t a good one. It is. I enjoy listening to it. I’m just really disappointed in the group for not continuing to push themselves because when they did, they created the best music of their career so far. I’m worried that if they continue on this streak, they won’t be as revolutionary or as relevant as they are right now.
What are your thoughts? Drop me a comment in the comments section and let’s debate. P.S. – The Chainsmokers have just launched the pre-order to their upcoming album ‘Memories… Do Not Open’ on iTunes. Pre-order it below and get ‘Paris’ and ‘Something Just Like This’ instantly.
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I completely agree with all you’ve said. Their songs all sound the same now, and radio has them on repeat, which justifies the replication of drops and melodies. Hopefully this new album strays away from the redundant sound 🙂