Calvin Harris has been all over the charts in the last year an a half, as almost half of his 3rd studio album, 18 Months, has been released as singles that have all hit high on the charts worldwide and received huge support across both the EDM and pop world. A true pioneer in bringing dance music to the masses, Calvin’s long-awaited album is ready, and it was worth the wait (18 months of studio time, in case you were wondering).
We’ve had time to fall in love with some of what have already become Calvin classics: ‘Bounce’, ‘Feel So Close’, ‘We Found Love’, ‘We’ll Be Coming Back’ and ‘Awooga’ all show up, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg. The real treat of this release is the handful of brand-new tracks scattered throughout offer a peek at what Calvin really has been up to all this time. With new collaborations with Florence Welch, Tinie Tempah, Dillon Francis and Dizzie Rascal, 18 Months is a testament to why Calvin is one of the most desired collaborators right now, he’s got a Midas touch.
One of the most surprising and exciting tracks on the album is ‘Here 2 China’ with Dillon Francis and Dizzie Rascal. Showing hardly any signs of the dance-pop Calvin we’ve grown to know, he shows off a lower-end track, with booming bass and a much darker use of some of the familiar synths he’s used in tracks like ‘Awooga’.
The other new tracks ‘Green Valley’, ‘Mansion’, and ‘School’ are scattered throughout, bringing the whole album together and showing off some of Calvin’s technical skills on these short, vocal-less tracks. ‘School’ almost feels like a cry back to some of his old I Created Disco days.
The album closes with ‘Thinking About You’, which is probably one of the best new tracks on the album, featuring some of the signature Calvin style thats torn up the charts. Its a solid track, not overproduced or trying too hard, with Ayah Marah’s soulful vocals driving the track, it almost sounds like elements of all of his previous hits have been taken, refined and put together in this perfect combination he’s found.
1. Green Valley 2. Bounce (featuring Kelis) 3. Feel So Close 4. We Found Love (Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris) 5. We’ll Be Coming Back (featuring Example) 6. Mansion 7. Iron (Nicky Romero featuring Calvin Harris) 8. I Need Your Love (featuring Ellie Goulding) 9. Drinking from the Bottle (featuring Tinie Tempah) 10. Sweet Nothing (feat Florence Welch) 11. School 12. Here 2 China (with Dillon Francis, featuring Dizzee Rascal) 13. Let’s Go (featuring Ne-Yo) 14. Awooga 15. Thinking About You (featuring Ayah Marar)
