Review Summary: Eh.
Indie Pop and Hip-hop are genres that have a lot of crossover potential, and a significant amount of appeal. This marriage, also known as… hipster-hop (ugh) has become more and more popular, largely in part to the efforts of critically acclaimed artists like Childish Gambino and The Neighbourhood. Unfortunately, many if not most releases within this burgeoning genre ascribe to generic and boring tropes of synthesized beats, anthemic rap schemes and a sophomoric attention to girls. With their major label debut, Hopeless Records newcomer Air Dubai strives to stand above a sea of mediocrity. Unfortunately, they meet with mixed results, falling flat on their face more than succeeding.
Here you will find a collection of simple pop-rap anthems centering on love, sex and partying. There is little to no variety in terms of tone or atmosphere, and the band's resemblance to other artists, (B.o.B comes to mind) hinders any emotional connection. If one tortures themselves with a front to back listen of the album, they will find themselves willing the songs to end faster more and more as the album progresses. Any real promise with the band comes with the vocals, with catchy flows and soulful singing by the two vocalists, with the best moments found on "Nighttime", "Coasts" and "Afterglow". The vapid lyrical themes hinder every single song on the album. Lines like " When the sun rises in the morning, all I want is to wake up next to you" have been said a thousand times by better artists, and further prevent these guys from establishing any kind of identity. The worst offenders are "DLG" and "Hit the Dark", with their tired and overused lyrical themes of getting into girls' pants and partying being particularly cringe worthy.
Despite promising instrumentals and vocals, the vapidity of the lyrics and a lack of variety and identity prevent this album from really going anywhere. Of course there are standouts, but almost all of them happen within the first 15 minutes. By the end of the album one realizes this "band" have only so many tricks up their sleeve. With a total of 6 members in the band, you can't help but wonder if they even tried at being unique at all. Throughout the album's duration, it's impossible to hear anyone but the two vocalists and the synthesizer guy, with sometimes a drummer and a guitarist present in the background. They simply fail to set themselves apart in an increasingly crowded genre. It's unfortunate that the album art is so cool, because Air Dubai will inevitably become just another name in a hip-hop bargain bin.
