Review Summary: An average pop album.
Little Mix offer girl power, and positive lyrics. The modern day Spice Girls — not quite. Little Mix’s music is less inspired in DNA with generic strings and horns added because some type of instruments had to be there. Think Carly Rae Jepsen’s Call Me Maybe, but an entire album’s worth of cheese; also add in the blender Six: The Musical, Pentatonix, and Pitch Perfect. It is one of the most commercial sounding pop albums in recorded history. Basic pop for common, not so discerning, plebbish rabble.
While there’s feisty singing offered, there isn’t much beyond energy. Little Mix sounded like a fresh, exciting new group in this debut album, and that remains the appeal. The music itself doesn’t stick in memory, but the positive, spunky aura of the singers is infectious. It adds much to otherwise generic tunes, and gives the group a reason to stand out from the crowd. Therefore, DNA is not an entirely forgettable album, it’s just middling.
With groups like this, it can be difficult to separate oneself from the energy. It’s called the bandwagon effect when people follow the crowd because the crowd is acting in a certain way. Therefore, the ladies in this group are acting with spunk, and that mood is transferred to the listener. It makes the listener feel good for a second, and believe that the same hype the group have can be achieved in their lives. Coupled with ultra positive/fuck the man/love-sick lyrics it is a powerful drug. There will always be another pop group or artist to deceive their audience into believing their stuff is truly special, when in actuality there’s practically nothing special about them.
“There's a lot of focus on our image rather than our music”, said Perrie Edwards in an interview with HuffPost. Ironic, because in an interview with Digital Spy, one singer admitted that the songs were written apart. In the interview it is learned that the girls would write one section of a song, and eventually all the random pieces would be put together. Such an approach seems haphazard, or at the very least inconsistent, but it does seem to outright confirm that more care was put into image than music.
Going back to the bandwagon effect to really get that point across. We live in a time now where if Taylor Swift ran for president there may be no stopping her. She can sing well, and write good songs, and is supposedly hot as the 20th level of Hell, and that’s enough to brainwash and control the world. Little Mix became popular because of their image and the bandwagon effect, make no mistake. It doesn’t matter how many solid singles, for without image an entire project can be flatlined.
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A dissection of the song/video of DNA:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=D3h-lLj3xv4&pp=ygUOTGl0dGxlIG1peCBkbmE%3D
DNA is one of the catchiest songs on the album, yet it’s not special. The synths are no more interesting than Tik Tok by Kesha, and the song flows with a slow repetition bringing to mind All About Us by t.A.T.u. I enjoy both of the two songs mentioned, but DNA manages to deflate the entertainment. The only truly stand-out moment is when the girls burst out in harmony during the chorus, but the chorus itself isn’t that fancy. The video is a great example on how much image can transform a song. We have the girls looking their best, made-up to have no blemishes, yet have fun hair colours. The shots in the video are dark, in a gritty street to add intrigue. First we are showed the girls apart from the group, doing something edgy and cool, either in their dance moves, actions, or face mannerisms. Add extra interesting clothing for an extra pop. When the chorus comes, the group is together, as the girls sing in harmony, looking directly into the camera while standing from a high viewpoint. So very cool, and young girls everywhere may think, “Wow, I want to be as cool as that”.
Conclusion:
In truth, there are so many pop artists that could’ve been reviewed in this way. The pop industry/phenomenon remains strong this day thanks to the simple methods of pop success revealed in this review. DNA, though successful and with some somewhat endearing lyrics, is a product. It is a derivative, soulless pop fabrication made to sell, and brainwash the masses. The music may have been intriguing to some when first released, but DNA does not hold up. The instrumentals are flat, and without harmony and extra bass, the songs would have nothing keeping interest. This album is a moment in time best left alone, or to be inspected by ultra keen fans. DNA holds nothing of weight or value compared to the whole of pop music.
