2023’s album of the Summer: Album Review: The Chainsmokers: Summertime Friends

 

2023’s album of the Summer: Album Revuew, The Chainsmokers: Summertime Friends 

Hello everyone and what’s up? I’m back today to review some good ole music, but not just any boring mainstream countdown of course, you probably saw this post coming at some point, but probably not as soon as you expected it to, alas though they’re baaaaaaaaaack! Drew Taggart and Alex Pall aka The Chainsmokers, also my favorite band of all time, have just released a new album 2 days before my 22nd birthday(awesome early gift) and I’m here to review it today, it’s strikingly different in both good and not so good ways than their previous albums, but I’ll get into more details below, if you guys haven’t heard why I love The Chainsmokers yet, go check out my post from May 2022 which was my review of their album So Far So Good, and I pretty much Sun up how they became my favorite band there, but I will say that I’ve always loved the storylines and writing in their songs and my god they hit hard as a motherfucker in this album, so let’s get into it already. Shall we!  

Most of the songs off this album were pre-released except for 1, so I’m going to go in the order they were released instead of the album order. Also all of these were collabs except for the title track. I will include the single cover arts as well, the last one is also the album cover. 

Track Review 

Track #1: Up & Down (With 347Aiden) 

This first track had been teased for months before it actually came out, literally everyone in The Chainsmokers discord server were very very anxious and excited to see this one, but then half the community ended up not really liking it, and for good reasons to. This song is good and it somehow managed to scrape my final top 40 songs for 2023(yes I already finalized the list) but quite literally it is one of the worst songs I have heard from The Chainsmokers compared to the rest of their catalogue. I got so burnt out from streaming this that by the time the third single came out, I don’t think I barely touched it ever again. It’s a great song for 2023 standards and I wish it was a bigger hit because despite what I just stated above it is quite a banger, but if there was a song off this album that I would choose as the lead single and if there were any I’d want to hear on radio(this album has no radio singles by the way, fuck you American radio 🖕🏻) it would definitely not be this one. The reason I don’t love this quite as much and it doesn’t quite live up to their other songs is because it’s only 2:34 yet it doesn’t have really a great song structure, most songs have bridges and you’ll see that like every song off this album does not, but this one suffers the most from that issue compared to the rest because it’s literally a 4 line verse followed by a repetitive chorus that’s looped 3 times over with a few breakouts in between, and the breakouts and instrumental are what make it not so horrible. They did a really great job producing this, it has  this vibe that I like to call underground garage, I call it that because it’s a house beat that I imagine would be made and played in someone’s garage as if they were in a rock band. The intro is pretty cool and has sone drum beats and what sounds like a guitar riff in it before Aiden starts singing, so that sounds pretty good. Aiden fits in really really well here and he sounds like Machine Gun Kelly, he’s pretty incredible for a 19 year old kid. He shines throughout this vocally. The production evolves very nicely with increased bass and sound as the song progresses, but there’s not really a big buildup like I was expecting, that’s alright though I guess because the breakouts sound really well transitioned and really good on this. The writing is also very great, it’s got this feel good positive vibe to it. Drew and Alex described it as,” life has you down, but then something good happens and you wanna party.” That’s how I felt when I heard this because even though I was literally sick when this was released back in April, I was looking forward to a graduation party I was hosting the week after, so I was getting hyped for it and the end of another semester, so the song kinda healed me in a way. It’s not the best song by any means, and it could’ve been longer, but it is what it is and I still find it solid even though you probably saw my review for it a bit bashing. Oh and if you ever decide to listen to this song you’ve gotta listen until the very end because the outro is funny where you have The Chainsmokers laughing and then Alex saying,” that’s the ninth gear.” I have no clue what the hell it means, but I find it hilarious whenever I hear it. I think that’s it for this kinda boring opener, let’s move onto the next song. 

Score 8/10(despite being super repetitive it’s a great song ok!) 

Track #2 Self-Destruction Mode(with Bludnymph) 

This next song is undoubtedly one of the best songs I have heard in the year 2023, it’s in my top 5 of 2023, but it isn’t #1. This song was released at a very pivotal and really dark moment in time of my life. At the beginning of June I was very much suffering from a lot of anxiety just because of circumstances of what had happened in my life both last September and other events in my life in early 2023 that proceeded the release of this song. I started to lose a lot of sleep and become an insomniac around the release of it and I was suffering from these nocturnal panic attacks where my body went numb and felt like it was shutting down. To also make things worse I had a friend who was going through a dark time in his life, so I was trying to be positive and help him out with his struggles while trying to help myself out, and in short I needed more help later on, but that’s not the point here. I also started really hating most mainstream music around the release of this song, so I was understandably pissed that it wasn’t sent to radio(same with Up & Down) I became so enraged that I would sometimes see a comment on social media that had to do with music and I would comment and try and start wars over it(I did this in the Hits 1 discord to and I’m not proud of it). It just coincided with life sucking for me at the time and I feel quite embarrassed by it. I was so obsessive that I literally commented and tagged every major radio company on a post about this song(and subsequently the next one) telling them to pick it up and make it a hit, now somehow all the bitching worked for about a week because Hits 1 actually picked it up for Hitbound when it was released, but then dropped it a week or 2 later. I thought this song was actually the devil when I first heard it because if you look at some of the lyrics such as,” I love my sins they’re all I know.” , “C4 I do that damage, my ego is titanic.” Or in the second verse,” Devil on my shoulder.” You’d probably get the feeling that your listening to something that quite frankly praises hell and demons, but it’s not exactly that. This song is about self destructive behavior that in turn destroys a person and can make people turn away from them, the surprising thing I learned is that that thing that Drew wrote this song about is Drinking and having an alcohol problem. When I found this out, I thought it was so relatable to me and I will not state why, but let’s say that I’ve known people who’ve dealt with really bad drinking issues before, and so that made me feel more connected to it, but as for my own life, it didn’t really do that because I’m not a person who’s dealt with that before, although I will admit that I’ve maybe made a few mistakes with alcohol and yes it may have driven a certain friend of mine away from me, but that wasn’t the worst alcohol problem I’ve experienced in my young life(again not going into details on that) but I was so messed up when this released that I used it as a song to get my anger or anxiety out when I was pissed or anxious. The lyrics here are so good, they depict a person with a big ego, a big temper, an attitude issues maybe? A person who is dark but doesn’t know how to control the darkness they desire. In an Instagram post Drew described it as,” I know I am flawed, but this song is more of a celebration of who I am.” When I listen to it, I don’t exactly see that as a great thing considering he has a drinking issue, but I also don’t see it as a celebration of my own self, but more of an anthem of improvement because I knew that when I first heard this song that I needed a bit of help mentally, but I didn’t fully realize what I had to do to improve myself at the time because life was so fucked up for me and because I didn’t really know how to communicate my feelings to the people I love, so I found peace in this song I guess knowing that I am flawed, I’ve made some mistakes(and would come to make more later on) but that it’s going to be alright, so the song itself kind of put me at peace and fired me up for when I was angry at the same time. The writing was insanely catchy and hit me so hard when I heard it. Bludnymph has kinda a weird but good voice here, I see her as an indie version of Ava Max, she shines so phenomenally in the chorus of the song, but in her verse she does have some really creepy affects on her vocals that subsequently make it better and darker. Drew sounds amazing on this as well though. He does a great job vocally on his verse and the way he backs Bludnymph up in the second chorus is so amazing that he blends in perfectly and matched the vibe for the song. I also really like the production The Chainsmokers did on this one, it has a very quiet but nice little buildup in the first verse and then just keeps building as the lyrics of the chorus progress, and it gets hotter and hotter before leading into a solid transition and breakout filled with dark trap production, which is unusual for The Chainsmokers, but considering we got the masterpiece that is High last year. I probably should’ve seen it coming at some point. No bridge again in this song, but the outro is quite good and kinda spooky sounding with Bludnymph singing,” Du nu nu nu nu nu.” In this creepy affect again, and it just brings out the creepy and dark quality of the song in a higher quality. Overall this is my favorite off the album and I sure hope that if you just read this reviews that you consider checking it out(maybe for Halloween, muh-ah-hah-ha!) Alright let’s move on already. 

Score 10/10(best off the album) 

Track #3 See You Again(with Illenium & Carlie Hanson) 

I felt like complete and total shit the day this song came out, why you may ask? Because I had my best friend for the past 9 years getting ready to move up to Michigan to live with his girlfriend, 3 days after this song was released and so whenever I listen to this song I sometimes think about him(💜). In all reality though this song is about a toxic breakup that Drew went through. The writing in this one is super great, it describes that feeling that happens whenever you think about your toxic ex, it did relate a bit to me, but not on that realm because I’ve never been through an actual toxic breakup, and so I don’t know what that feeling is like, but with having gone through rejection earlier in the year I can kinda relate, although when I still listen to this I mostly think of my friend up north. It’s short and really repetitive, but it brings out the emotions of everything very very well. Drew sounds good here and I really like the filter he used on his voice in his verse at the beginning(same filter he used on the Lo-fi version of So Far So Good). He honestly sounds good though in his natural voice to, as the first drop comes in. Carlie Hanson sounds phenomenal in her verse, she reminds me of a way better sounding version of Selena Gomez(who I’ve never adored). The writing here is great and catchy like I already stated, but the way it all blended together makes it hit harder for me. The production is great, perfect for a drive through just about anywhere. It starts out with a guitar riff and then builds up into this kinda messy but good sounding electronic drop. It does sound very messy and out of style for The Chainsmokers, but it is great to bop along to sometimes. The second drop is where I can just kinda tell Illenium worked his magic though, it sounds like classic Illenium production and it’s very good. The chemistry between Drew and Carlie in that second drop is also very great, and I’d say the overall buildup is bigger and better in this song, even if it’s a bit simplistic, another great one off this album. 

Score 9/10 

Track #4 Cellular(with Nicky Jam & Maluma) 

Latin is not what I really expected off this album, nor did I expect it to come from The Chainsmokers out of all people, but alas we now have it. This song is good, but it’s just kinda meh compared to their other songs including Up & Down. The Chainsmokers did a great job on production on this one, the vibe is nice and bright and it’s very feel good and simple. The buildups in the chorus all sound great, and so do the drops. I’ve never really listened to either artist before, so I can’t really tell the difference between their voices, but they both sound good. The lyrics in this one were a bit confusing not only because they’re all in Spanish, but also because the translation is very very weird. In short it’s your average Spanish love song about a person who hasn’t heard from their ex, despite trying to get into contact with them, so the person is worried that their ex may have blocked them or changed their phone company just to get away from them. It’s catchy and all, but I just don’t really have a taste for Latin music. The backstory to this I think is about Drew maybe being dumped and blocked by his ex, with whom he wants to get into contact with, but of course he wasn’t the only writer on this, so I can’t automatically assume that’s what this is about. It’s not really a phenomenal song from The Chainsmokers, but it’s solid enough to get a good score. 

Score 7/10 

Track #5 My Bad(with Shenseea) 

My bad, my bad, my bad, I hear this phrase almost every day and think about this song, out of all the songs on this album, this was one that I felt most relatable to. Let’s look at the chorus lyrics to see how. “ My bad, I didn’t mean to fall in love like that, and you don’t even have to say it back, I didn’t mean to fall in love like that, my bad.” Sound familiar to anyone on this blog? Maybe a certain situation I briefly brought up during my hiatus? Rejection, yes, sweet sweet rejection, I fell in love with a girl late last year and she ended up rejecting me 3 months later, but the cool thing about it is that I fell in love with her while both of us were depressed, so in a way I found someone who I could relate to, and even though I didn’t end up with her, I’m still friends with her today. This song made me think about her in a good way, that chorus I quoted from made me think,” Oh wait, maybe I didn’t really need to fall in love with her and maybe we don’t need to be together. The writing in this song as a whole though just takes me back to the time where I did have that crush though because the writing in the verses describes the perfect feelings you’d have if you had a crush on someone. I do wish that Drew had written more on his opening verse, but it’s alright because it’s catchy as hell the moment he starts singing. Shenseea is a great backup vocalist for Drew in the chorus and she sounds good on her verse.she also fits the vibe and production so nicely. The Chainsmokers did a great job at Producing this one once again. It’s got a bright house beat, the buildup and drops in this one sound good and I really like the drop right before each chorus, it’s a perfect transition for this type of house beat. Overall great song, should’ve been a summertime anthem. 

Score 9/10 

Speaking of Summertime anthems. 

Track #6 Summertime Friends 

Ah yes, the title track of this album, This was another one where the more I heard snippets of it, the more I was looking forward to it, and then in the end it kinda disappointed me a bit(similar to Up & Down). It’s still a good song however. This songs writing is interesting, it’s about how Drew fell in love with his current girlfriend, yet when I listen to it, this sounds more like a rejection or breakup song. It made me once again think about that girl whom I had the crush on earlier in the year, but once again in a very positive way. The writing is decently catchy, but very well written, I especially love the lyrics,” Ohhhhhhhh and I get so mad that we’re not together and ohhhhhhhhh yeah I want you back.” And ,” It doesn’t matter where you are, don’t leave.” It just brought back in that good emotion in me of knowing what it feels like to be rejected by someone you loved. It did it in a positive way though. The rest of the lyrics are good too, but those ones were the ones that stick out at me the most. I’m not even sure why they called it Summertime Friends, but it is a pretty cool song title I guess. The production is pretty good here to, it has a nice bright vibe and the mixing is done very well here, perfect for the Summer, and one thing that really stuck out to me the most in this song was how they incorporated a saxophone into the second breakout. It sounds so good mixed in with the rest of the production and makes it sound a lot greater and more unique. I can’t believe I’m even saying that after hearing that song from Shouse 2 years ago that had a very very creepy sounding saxophone in it(does anyone even remember that song?) It just sounds good overall. Not really much more to say here, kinda more simplistic stuff. The only thing I wish this had was a longer version cuz it’s only 2:16. Not my favorite on the album, but once again solid and kinda unique. 

Score 7/10 

Track #7 Jungle(with Alok & Mae Stephens) 

Alright, now this is what I’m talking about. A trance song from The Chainsmokers as a collab with another major EDM producer and another great indie singer. You may remember Mae Stephens if you followed other blog in the community during my hiatus back in January and February, as her song If We Ever Broke Up was on Hitbound. That song is very great song and I have to say I really like her voice, I think she needs a breakout moment on radio honestly, but unfortunately it couldn’t be with this song. This is.a trance song, and for all of you non-EDM people out there if your reading this then that means I must explain what the hell Trance is, it’s pretty much a very bassey and fast paced type of dance music, mostly used in Europe. Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding’s song Miracle is trance and it’s a very good example of what trance should sound like. More artists who make trance music are Armin Van Buuren, occasionally David Guetta and the co producer on this  song here, Alok. It’s not a genre that people here in America really respect or listen to because mostly it’s European, and it’s certainly not a genre you’d expect to hear on the radio except for maybe in Europe. It’s an interesting genre of dance music, not really my favorite but it’s alright for what it is and there is amazing trance songs out there. This happens to be one of the best trance songs I’ve heard. Usually trance is very fast paced, but this is kinda a slower trance song, which I love. The production done by Alok and The Chainsmokers has a great buildup, the drops sound good and very bass filled, the piano melody sounds great also and I love how it’s mixed in with everything. Mae Stephens surprisingly fits in very well here, I kinda went in worried she wouldn’t sound as good as she did in her last song, but she sounds perfect for this type of trance song. The writing here is very good to, it’s what I’d describe as this whole shit show of emotions, and I say that in a good way actually. It’s about a person who’s lonely and falling in love with someone, but there’s something that’s holding either them or the person they love back from wanting to fall in love with them, and so they don’t really know how to feel. That’s how I felt when I fell in love with my former crush, but there’s also other things that this makes me think of and relate to. The first line in the song,” Oh no feeling lonely again.” Also made me think about how I was actually very lonely at times this past year and for all different reasons not just the love and rejection thing. The chorus line hit me hard in the feels though,” I got a jungle in my heart, but it gets wild when it gets dark.” This actually made me think back a year back to when I had my heart surgery last year, but it made me think positively and say to myself, “ huh that’s a weird little jungle I have in my heart.” And so it made me relate to it and think about that even more, but in a good way, it said to me that I am maybe a bit lonely sometimes, and maybe I got my heartbroken by someone, but that’ll never bring me down. Overall it’s such a catchy and wild anthem that it can really bring out the emotions in just about anyone. 

Score 9/10 

Track #8 Think of Us(with Gracey) 

This is surprisingly the final song off this album, and it was released 2 days before my birthday. It was a great early birthday gift overall. This is a song that Gracey originally wrote after her ex broke up with her, and she had moments where she’d think about him after being our and seeing a very specific thing that reminded her of him, in this case it was a bus that she’d ride to his house that was the 214 bus. Gracey is a singer from the UK by the way.She does a really phenomenal job on the vocals here and she’s backed up by Taggart in the chorus, but in my opinion she shined here so much that she didn’t really need to have Drew do backup vocals. The lyrics are a bit  overly repetitive in the chorus for that reason, but it’s alright because Drew doesn’t sound bad here, I actually kinda like his voice here, and he does a great job backing Gracey up. The production The Chainsmokers did on this one is great, it’s got this hyper-pop sort of vibe to it, and it kinda sounds like a less over produced version of High in my opinion. The vibe is kinda bright and very nice for a little Autumn or winter jam. The writing here is the best part of this though. I’ve already kinda explained about what it’s about, but it’s very catchy, and the verses done so nicely, especially the second one. I love the line,” Can someone tell my ego cuz she won’t let me let it go, she’s obsessing and guessing answers to things she’ll never know.” This is a very interesting line, it actually made me think of another girl whom I had some slight issues with earlier the year, who was causing drama in my life, but now we’re all good so that doesn’t matter, I still love the line though. Overall great last song and great way to close off another era and another year of music for Drew and Alex. Also yes I know this is currently playing on Hits 1, I always miss my shot at heating it though with their rotation. 

Score 9/10 

Final rankings. 

#1 Self Destruction Mode 

#2 See You Again 

#3 Think of Us 

#4 My Bad 

#5 Jungle 

#6 Up & Down 

#7 Summertime Friends 

#8 Cellular 

Final album score: 76/80=(96%)(A+) 

I feel like I’m being a bit too generous here because I still think that So Far So Good is their best album despite giving that one a B-, but overall this album did suffer a bit from quality issues, none of the songs had a bridge and some of the song structures were weird, but The Chainsmokers did such a great job on writing all of these songs and expanding to different genres I had never heard from them. Overall very well put together little album, writing is phenomenal here and the storylines really did well in bringing out the emotions in me, and album that does that deserves an A. This is why I love The Chainsmokers music and I hope to hear more from them in 2024. 

I really hope y’all enjoyed this album review and if you did please I encourage you to stream this album, it really was a great and fun one to see the waterfall release strategy with and how each song out together a piece of a story from Drew’s life. I really do look to Drew as a mentor when I feel like I want to sing or write a bit of my own songs(which I’ve done but have never ultimately decided to finish). I really do hope to get to see these guys in concert someday to because I have become a super fan, I have now 4 of their T-Shirts because I just got another one as a birthday gift, plus I have a bunch of stickers and my phone wallpaper was always been Chainsmoker themed ever since So Far So Good was released, so yeah I’m like a swifty but for The Chainsmokers I guess you could say, lol. Make sure to comment below if you listen to any of the songs and let me know your thoughts. 

Just to be clear also this doesn’t mean I’m returning to this blog regularly as of yet, I’m in the middle of my biggest research project for school and I’m going to busy with lots of personal things from now until December, but I hope to bring you guys my year end posts sometime in December or January. 

Thank you guys so much for reading and I’ll see y’all soon. 🧡💚💜