THE ALBUM! It’s arrived! The fourth of his career, and the first since that very career recently got elevated to all new heights. A lot of people have been waiting for this. It got released yesterday in Sweden, and will come out everywhere else tomorrow. Swedes can listen to the album below right now, and for the rest of you it will start to play tomorrow. Before that though, we’ve picked out some of the tracks you need to keep an ear out for.
Highlights! We need highlights! The very strong opening track ‘Stir It Up’ is an excellent choice to make the listener sit up and pay attention to the album ahead. Instantly one of the best things he’s ever done. It was co-written with Gavin Jones who was behind ‘Broken Parts’ from the last album. ‘Unbreakable’ finds Måns ascending to the dance floor in a funked up, disco flavoured style. Odd that it’s tucked away at the back of the album. Best ballad is definitely ‘Should’ve Gone Home’ – a superbly produced piano track which soon reveals some subtle sonic eighties references in time for the chorus. And we’d also pick out ‘Someday’ as being one of the album’s stronger moments, and perhaps the go-to track for any new Zelmerlöw converts. All four of those songs would be excellent choices as future singles. As in – RELEASE ‘EM ALL!
Did the writers of ‘Heroes’ contribute any other tracks to the album? They did! And two of those very four highlights, at that. They penned and produced ‘Someday’ and ‘Unbreakable’.
And what of the rest of the album? Those highlights aside, most of the rest of the album serves as a thoroughly enjoyable listen – one which takes its inspiration from the more pop orientated side of the recent Mumford & Sons, 4th album era One Direction, folk pop trend that’s been all over the radio of late. In other words, it’s current. And therefore very relevant to the European market that he’s just won over. There are no bad tracks on there, mercifully. Just one WTF moment. ‘Kingdom In The Sky’. Not bad. Just a bit….odd. Bravo to Måns for co-writing all of the 12 songs, and not ending up with s single dud.
