Single Review

Major Lazer feat. Justin Beiber and MØ – Cold Water

• 22nd Jul 2016

What better accompaniment to the sunshine than a brand new Major Lazer song…

But sadly, now that Thomas Wesley Pentz has one of the worlds most famous pop stars on speed dial after playing a key part in the career gentrification of Justin Beiber, Cold Water sounds more like a cross-promotional branding exercise than it does the manic Jamaica-centric electronic hybrid of old.

Ed Sheeran’s fingerprints are all over the songwriting and the blueprints for world domination are highly evident in a mere three minutes. Top flight producers, song writers and pop stars, plus emotive Love Yourself-style guitar and a tried and tested laid back summer vibe, draft in Lean On’s breakout star MØ and you have a winning formula beneficial to all involved. There are still some tell-tale elements of fusion that flow through the track, but it feels less like a new Major Lazer song and more like a new track primed for Beliebers with Diplo once again on production duty.

It’s not a bad track, not by any stretch of the imagination, and it will no doubt be unavoidable for the remainder of the summer, I just hoped that with such creative forces at play that we would be hearing boundaries being pushed rather than this bankable safe bet.

Previously published on Desperately Seeking Susan Boyle

Venue: Cold Water
Support Band: Mad Decent