Moar drops…?
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[5.10]
[5]
Iain Mew: The verses suggest they’ve observed the gaping gap in the market for an Avicii/Maroon 5 collaboration, and make me all the gladder it hasn’t happened. The rogue pack of bleeps unleashed after the chorus is nowhere near bland enough for that hypothetical, and is the closest thing to saving this record.
[4]
Patrick St. Michel: “Give me a really catchy, summery pop song. Oh, and please torpedo it come the chorus.”
[3]
Crystal Leww: Afrojack’s brand of EDM has not aged particularly well, and this collaboration with Mike Taylor is a clear attempt to diversify his sound with something a little more vocal driven, a little more Bruno Mars-funky. And yet, Afrojack still needs someone like Guetta (GUETTA! Never thought I’d see the day where Guetta was the measured one…) to rein him in from what he really wants to do, which is that big dumb drop. The track is perfectly fine, but wow is that drop out of place.
[4]
Katherine St Asaph: Perhaps no song title has read more like a Shitty A&R Guy directive, and that’s before I heard the verse (“don’t wanna write this love song, it’s just a little ditty, baby” — much like writers on writer’s block, it wouldn’t be clever even if it wasn’t done before.) But sometimes ideas are obvious because they work. Or maybe I like ’90s rock and dance clangs too much.
[7]
Jonathan Bogart: Anonymous pitch-shifted baritone is certainly different from louche pitch-shifted tenor-to-falsetto. Otherwise a dime-a-dozen festival bomper.
[5]
Thomas Inskeep: Remember The New Yorker‘s “What’s EDM and why is it taking over Las Vegas?” article from two years ago? It starred, or was at least built around, Afrojack, and he came off as a total ass, making push-button music for people who enjoy bottle service. Nothing he’s produced since has convinced me to think otherwise, until now. “Summerthing!” is an actual song, and a pop song at that, featuring Mike Taylor singing about a summer fling, natch. His voice is kinda sweet and pretty, and the song is lovely summery pop — except for the obtrusive drop that Afrojack felt the inexplicable need to shove into the song after each chorus. I guess there’s no accounting for taste, which is a shame, because without that addition, this song is great.
[8]
Ramzi Awn: The end of the wedding and the older couples are still on the dance floor along with the bridal party’s drunk friends. The tent is almost completely empty and everybody’s sweating because the Black Eyed Peas just came on and you started jumping up and down even though you specifically told yourself you weren’t going to. You had that awkward interaction with that girl you always kind of remember but never really do, and you’re ready for the joint you brought with you that’s back in your hotel room. You don’t want your friends to think you’re not having a good time so you smile, but deep down inside, you’re feeling guilty that this stupid song is actually making you feel anything at all. So you order another drink and go to the afterparty.
[4]
Edward Okulicz: This is half a great bit of summer pop-dance let down by what I wish were just placeholders — that “ditty/pretty” of the second verse, which surely nobody thinks is clever, and that distracting drop, which someone probably does. Shame, Mike Taylor does the heavy longing and does it well.
[6]
Alfred Soto: Digging the title into your head like an elbow to the ribs after a lame joke, “Summerthing!” rides a radiant guitar lick and a Mike Taylor vocal that sounds like it was recorded in Omaha while the rest was done in a South Beach studio. Girls and boys, if you want an Avicii-Dap Band hybrid, line up.
[5]