By popular demand…
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[5.83]
Ryo Miyauchi: The inevitable Anitta-Major Lazer collaboration sounding exactly what you’d expect to a slightly disappointing degree has more to do with Diplo than the singers involved. Anitta shows up to style and pose all cool as usual while “Sua Cara” sounds no less anonymous than “Know No Better,” only thing distinguishing itself being the producer tag.
[6]
Josh Langhoff: Major Lazer songs live and die by their novel timbres, and “Sua Cara” shoves three pretty good ones in your face. Electro flute and squinchy honk emerge from their indifferent surroundings with the clarity of rotting teeth in a dental nightmare, while Pabllo Vittar’s vibrato approaches heights of Glambertian splendor. Nothing can beat the “way-ay, oh” hook from “Lean On,” but I won’t begrudge this lot their trillions of YouTube views.
[5]
Jibril Yassin: It turns out Major Lazer can still craft something memorable when they get off the EDM/trop-house balloon and head south. The flutes and Pabllo’s fantastic turn of a vocal give this a powerhouse-in-the-making feel.
[8]
Alfred Soto: Anitta owns this track, harmonizing with herself as she grabs a beautiful boy’s face and chants the title hook. But I won’t get fooled by sampled flutes again, not after Skrillex and Diplo almost made Justin Bieber as sultry as a dolphin on “Where Are U Now.”
[5]
Austin Brown: Despite the presence of two vocalists more than up to the task, this slice of electro-dancehall falls into the same trap as most Major Lazer imitators–an indecisiveness about whether to aim for bacchanalia or transcendence, rhythmically and melodically signified respectively. It’s too simple a riddim to blow you away, but too debased a melody to offer the androgyne bliss of Diplo’s Bieber collabs.
[6]
Nortey Dowuona: Average latin pop with grooveless drums, a tepid bass line and cloying 2010 EDM synths. Meanwhile, Anitta and Pabllo are harmonizing in a complete, harrowing coo.
[5]