For a career trajectory that includes winning a remix competition and being courted by Skrillex to perhaps being reckoned as one of the biggest Dance music stars on the planet, Anton Zaslavski, popularly known by his stage name, Zedd, embodies the perfect combination of talent and a discography that boasts of the biggest chartbusters, over a span of less than 5 years.
Paving the way with his debut album, Clarity, which fetched him a much deserved Grammy for the lead single, Clarity, Zedd has been no stranger to the Billboard Charts ever since. Stressing on the Music part of Electronic Dance Music, Zedd has always paid attention to musical detail and technical perfection. Having been deemed as yet another artist to jump on the Pop cross-over bandwagon, in all fairness to him, he delivers, albeit with a stronger Pop influence this time, with his sophomore follow up to Clarity, with a 11 Track LP called True Colors.
His claim to fame includes a wide range of tracks, be it the Electro masterpiece, Shave It, or his rendition of The Legend Of Zelda amongst others. Ideally his music was more instrumental based, hard hitting electro, highly influenced by complextro. Fast forward to 2015, where Zedd’s new album, True Colors, consists of 10 out of 11 vocal tracks, that firmly brings to light the change in his vision for his music.
True Colors, in it’s entirety, plays towards the liking of the festival goers and radio listeners alike, and brings with it a collection of emotional yet uplifting tunes with a solid storyline headlining each single. Fresh of his collaboration with Ariana Grande, Zedd introduced the lead single of the album with pop sensation, Selena Gomez, titled ‘I Want You To Know’ which has been a mainstage regular, with it’s catchy hooks and melodic fervor.
‘Addicted To A Memory’ with Bahari is probably a better suited representation of Zedd’s style, with probably one of the best chord progressions and even better vocals. The signature electro saw basslines, reminds of Zedd’s old exploits and this is hands down our favourite tune of the album.
‘Beautiful Now’ with John Bellion is a highly infectious number with catchy sing-along vocals and a beautiful melody hook that is sure to have you crooning together with your headsets.
Zedd’s collaboration with Logic created great buzz with the announcement, and they do not disappoint. Transmission is nothing short of a downtempo masterpiece and the Ambassadors rapid fire hip-hop lines with Zedd’s powerful gitch work, makes for an incredible listening experience.
‘True Colors’ with Kesha is probably the surprise element of the album. Kesha’s vocals is probably the best we’ve heard from the singer and the powerful vibe from the song is something we can’t miss, and it is sure to strike a chord with the listener on the first play itself.
‘Straight Into The Fire’ is another feel good, melancholic tune, empowering the listener with a somber moment and leading to feelings of ecstasy into the climax.
The album’s only instrumental with Electro powerhouse duo, Botnek, is a dynamic, menacing tune with both artists combining their styles to provide fans with a hard hitting, festival friendly banger called ‘Bumble Bee’. Trust Botnek to come up with a ridiculously ferocious bassline and chaotic progressions!
‘True Colors’, in it’s entirety, firmly classifies Zedd’s proximity to the radio friendly culture and his ability to craft regular chart toppers. While the album makes for a perfect blend of Zedd’s signature sounds, along with a star studded lineup of collaborations, True Colors is a proper indication of the changing tides from his Electro roots to a dance/pop hybrid.
