A few tracks on here see the duo go in more of an indie pop direction, and the results there range from underwhelming to surprisingly great. Jaded, the third single to be released from this LP, gives off major indie dance vibes with its bright synth lead and soaring chorus from uncredited vocalist RØMANS. Despite continuing Disclosure’s venture into anonymity, the track itself is well-produced with some good vocal contributions, and is definitely more enjoyable than fellow indie dance track Superego, which sounds like it was built from the ground up to be empty background music for a day of shopping at Urban Outfitters.
The last of the more indie-sounding tracks, Magnets, which features Lorde on vocals is, for all intents and purposes, a Lorde song with its soft, easygoing beat, illustrious atmosphere, and a fantastic understated vocal delivery that perfectly sells the far-reaching atmosphere of the track. The verses and chorus on this track are great, and it’s easily the catchiest song on the album.
It seems to be the track everyone is gravitating towards the most on Caracal, and it’s easy to see why. With how good of an indie pop song Magnets is, it wouldn’t be surprising to see it start to get heavy rotation on commercial alternative radio. Like most other songs on Caracal, nothing in this track would lead you to believe that Disclosure had any involvement with it, but if you can look past that, the song itself is great.
Some of the more dance floor-oriented tracks on this LP are solid as well, but can feel like lesser versions of what we know Disclosure is capable of. Neo-soul songstress Lion Babe takes center-stage on Hourglass, which has a strong groove and solid bass line, but feels a bit light on subtleties in the production. Echoes, which features uncredited vocals, is one of few moments on here where the strength of the instrumental serves to compliment the vocals, rather than just feeling like they’re playing second-fiddle to them.
Holding On, this album’s lead single, is the best of the more familiar tracks, with choppy, brittle hi-hats backing up a strong beat, and some great vocal contributions from Gregory Porter. It’s a bit limp on great progression compared to Settle’s brightest moments, but it’s a solid song all the same.
Following up a commercial breakthrough record is hard to do, and Caracal serves as proof. It’s not like Disclosure had to be completely overshadowed by their Top 40-successful collaborators. If Jamie xx can collaborate with Young Thug of all people, and still pull together a track that fits nice and cozy on his record that came out earlier this year, there’s no reason Disclosure couldn’t have found more artistic common ground with The Weeknd or Lorde.
Caracal is doing gangbusters for Disclosure, and it’s easy to see why. As a pop album goes, it’s fine. The choruses are catchy, the vocal guests are good, the production is there, and there’s enough variety to warrant at least one listen-through. As a Disclosure album, though, Caracal can’t help but feel disappointing, and like a wholly regressive effort from the duo.
(If you’ve listened to this new Disclosure LP, let us know what you thought of it. You can stream the album via Spotify below, and purchase it here.)
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Journalist, photographer, beat fanatic, hobbyist FL Studio producer. Didn't actually think Korn's foray into dubstep was THAT bad.
