Khalid’s on replay, he’s on replay…
[Video]
[5.29]
Alfred Soto: Radio having sanded down my resistance to “Talk,” I put my feet up in anticipation of effort-free listening to “Up All Night.” Treating vocals like taffy smeared over a motherboard does have its charms. To create evanescence this inessential takes talent.
[6]
Katherine St Asaph: Can Khalid construct a chill, pleasant song out of the melodic and harmonic components of “Novacane”? Of course he can.
[6]
Thomas Inskeep: Khalid’s sweet but all-too-manipulated vocals do nothing for me, and neither does the shufflebeat accompanying him. “Up All Night” isn’t gonna keep anyone awake.
[3]
Nortey Dowuona: A lolly-gaggin’ synth progression sliding upon hopping bass drums is hedged in by drifting guitar, jumbled, hurried percussion and additional synth swathes, while Khalid’s low, fuzzy voice is swallowed by the squishing, tight mix.
[6]
Will Adams: Khalid’s appeal has (nearly) always eluded me, so it probably speaks to my musical taste/nostalgia-wired brain that he’s mostly side-stepped that here by evoking “Steal My Sunshine.”
[6]
Oliver Maier: It doesn’t dare to dream bigger than Khalid’s relentlessly chill oeuvre, but “Up All Night” is lovely enough for what it is. The drum pattern and swung 8th notes recall R&B eras gone by, while the unadventurous synth and guitar tones keep things firmly rooted in 2019. It’s mostly Khalid’s tender delivery, particularly on the hook, that gains points from me here. Still, the charm offensive tells one story. The half-assed runtime tells another.
[5]
Kylo Nocom: Thematically the opposite of “Closer,” an outline of the abandonment of his youth as Khalid wonders, what happens after his peak? As a broad statement on his life, this is poignantly universal; seeing this as a pre-mortem career postmortem has me questioning if he’s having a Suffering from Success moment. Khalid’s falsetto is a pleasant surprise, which makes the lack of elaboration that much more lamentable.
[5]